Criminalia Shondaland Audio
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- True Crime
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Humans have always committed crimes. What can we learn from the criminals and crimes of the past, and have humans gotten better or worse over time?
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Spoiler! Dr. Williams Pink Pills for Pale People … May Have Worked
Though the Pink Pills couldn't stand up to the wild advertising claims that the product was a cure-all, the pills were actually potentially medically beneficial to some people with a certain -- common -- condition; in theory. Maybe. Hey, we're not doctors. Let's talk about, how despite that, why this potentially potent patent medicine was under fire from the U.S. government.
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Radioactive Quackery: 'Doctor' Bailey and His Jaw-Dissolving ‘Energy Drink’
William Bailey called himself a doctor, but his career was as a shady businessman, not a medical professional. In the early 20th century, he launched a series of start-up companies, capitalizing on the new discoveries of radioactive elements, and sold patent medicine products with lethal radioactive substances with unproven promises to cure everything from arthritis to impotence – it was said they could help you regain your youth. But instead, they were deadly.
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How Perkins Tractors Taught Us the Placebo Effect
Today, if you’re asked to think of a tractor, most of us probably imagine farm equipment. But in the late 18th century, a physician named Elisha Perkins made and sold a different kind of tractor – a device consisting of small metal rods that could cure what ails you simply through touch. And for several years, people were mad for the Perkins Patent Metallic Instruments, or Perkins Tractors as they became popularly known -- even though it all turned out to be what we now know as the placebo effect.
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Madame Yale Made a Fortune as America’s 19th-century ‘Wellness Guru’
When Maude Mayberg was 38 years old, this was back in 1890, she 'discovered' an elixir that transformed her life. It was called Fruitcura, she said, and it cured her ailments when medical doctors could not. Two years later, she was a patent medicine entrepreneur and saleswoman going by the name, Madame Yale. Let’s talk about how that’s code for, snake oil peddler.
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How ‘Rattlesnake King’ Clark Stanley Became King of Snake Oil Sales
Clark Stanley was a silver-tongued Texas cowboy who called himself the ‘Rattlesnake King’. Back in the late 19th century, he wasn’t the first charlatan going from town to town in the American West, hawking quack products -- during this time when patent medicines were gaining popularity, American consumers could buy all sorts of fraudulent snake oil products like his. But Clark had a certain flair. A certain charisma and showmanship others didn't. And, for a few years, he really was the Rattlesnake King -- and king of the snake oil salesmen.
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Welcome to a New Season of Criminalia: 'THE SNAKE OIL SALESMEN'
Snake oil. Today the term describes any worthless remedy that's promoted as a cure-all. And, by extension, snake oil salesmen are considered a bunch of rip-off artists who peddle fraudulent goods. We’re rolling straight from the criminal world of blackmail and extortion into a new season -- we’ll see you there, not only with some very real stories about some very bogus things, but also with the cocktails and mocktails made to go with them.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Customer Reviews
Presentation needs a reset
Interesting topics and good research but sometimes I feel I’m listening to more of their banter and laughter than I am the subject matter. I like the friendly feel of this podcast but please scale back on the chit-chatty interruptions, ladies.
SO MANY ADS
At least a 3rd of the podcast is ads for other podcasts. There are about 3+ 2-3 minute ad breaks. It’s infuriating. Content is good, but ads are overdone.
Too many ads
The content is great! Well researched and very interesting. However, I spend more time skipping ads than listening to the topic. I understand that ads are needed to cover costs for the podcast, but this one has much more ad time than other podcasts I listen to.
Thank you for the entertainment!