In the beginning
Joseph Myers from Pugnacity, Nebraska, USA was an enterprising man. One day in the late 1880s, he was helping some native American Indians to harvest their medicine plant. They told him that they made a tonic from the plant to treat bee stings, rattlesnake bites and mad-dog bites, infected wounds and fevers. . . in fact just about any malady.
Myers started making his own tonic from the plant and added liberal measures of white man's whisky. Then he hit the trails, travelling the American West selling it as a miracle cure-for-all. He became known as the 'snake oil salesman'. Since then, the term 'snake oil' has become a catch-word for a bogus treatment.
These days Myers is long since dead and the recipe for his snake oil has been lost. No one seems to have patented the title for use in a promotional campaign for a health product (surprise, surprise).
But his spirit lives on – even Australia in the 21st Century has its fair share of snake oil salesmen. They surface in obscure magazine or newspaper ads, late-night television shows and, increasingly, the internet, selling bogus cures to vulnerable people.
What do they sell?
There are quack cures for just about everything. They can take the form of drugs (pills or skin lotions), nutritional supplements, or (often bizarre) physical devices. This is not to say that all 'alternative' products are bogus, or that all conventional medicine is strongly backed by scientific evidence. In the case of quackery, the actual product isn't as important as the message. What these promoters are selling is hope, and often an illusion or feeling of wellbeing.
The promoter tends to be charismatic and positive, projecting an aura of confidence and health. These promoters survive and thrive because of people's ignorance of, or disillusionment with, medical science.
They're also aided by the fact that many conditions are self-limiting and improve with time anyway. So a person can take their treatment, get better and believe it's because of that treatment and then spread a positive message about it. They also benefit from the so-called placebo effect – when we take a remedy that we expect is going to work it sometimes does. This can be because of the positive expectations we have for the remedy.
These products are often given good media coverage in infotainment programs on radio and television (and by editors and publishers of magazines and newspapers), who are looking for an entertaining story, regardless of whether there's any truth to the promoter's claims.
These days though, the fastest growing sales medium is the internet, and snake oil sales are on the increase on the internet.
Who buys it?
Snake oil salesmen tend to target the same groups of vulnerable people:
- those with an incurable condition (especially cancer and AIDS) who are often desperate for a cure and willing to try just about anything
- those who are suffering from a degenerative disease for which conventional medical treatment only gives partial relief – arthritis for instance
- health conscious people who are worried that they may fall ill from some environmental or nutritional toxin, so they're willing to try 'natural supplements' or body 'purifiers'
- people who are depressed, tired, or anxious, and willing to try something that promises to pep them up or give them energy
- people who are insecure about their body image and who feel they have nothing to lose by trying hair restoratives, erection treatments, wrinkle removers or penis enlargers.
The promoters can't rely on the medical establishment to prescribe or recommend their products, so they market via mail order, a toll free number, or the internet – invariably using one or more of the following advertising techniques.
TestimonialsThe promoters of these products don't have the endorsement of recognised medical institutions so they rely on testimonials from 'ordinary people' who are often fictitious. The promoters think that because it comes from the mouth of another person, you'll think it must be true.
The language sounds scientific but isn't reallyThey use quasi-science to try and impress you, promising to 'detoxify' your body, 'balance' its chemistry, release its 'nerve energy', 'bring it in harmony with nature', or to correct supposed 'weaknesses' of various organs. These terms don't mean anything, but they sound as if there is some sort of scientific process going on. (There isn't.)
They accuse conventional medical authorities of trying to suppress themBecause the scientific community regards them as hucksters, they have to invent reasons to allay any suspicion you might have that the scientific community is 100 per cent right. So they invent conspiracy theories. The promoters might claim that universities and pharmaceutical companies are trying to suppress the treatment out of professional jealousy or for fear of losing profits, for example.
It cures everythingJust like Myers' snake oil, the remedy/product is effective against a wide range of ailments (which are often unrelated to each other). So: it cures arthritis, stomach ulcers, depression and hardening of the arteries; it tones up the muscles; it brings the bathroom tiles up a treat; it adds a oriental flavour to a stir fry ...etc, etc.
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Ask the pharmacist
Hope this article can clarify some of the issues with direct selling products.
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