Snake Oil

Excerpt from Daily Cures, Wisdom for Healthy Aging by Connie Mason Michaelis

The story of Clark Stanley’s Snake Oil Liniment is fascinating and has a connection to my hometown, Topeka, KS. Long before it became synonymous with medical quackery, snake oil was a real medicinal substance. Chinese immigrants who were building the transcontinental railroad in the 1800s brought the oil of a mildly venomous rice paddy snake with them. The oil was rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to be a potent anti-inflammatory agent.

Enter Clark Stanley, a self-described Wild West cowboy from Texas who touted his fame as a snake handler extraordinaire. It was eventually discovered that his version of snake oil was nothing but mineral oil, camphor, and turpentine. But what he did have was an incredibly charismatic personality and marketing wizardry. 

On March 21, 1886, the Topeka Daily Capital published an interview with Stanley. “There is a man in Beverly who has three of the most singular pets in the world, two copperheads, and one water moccasin.” The article explains that he regularly bought snakes from a man in Texas, and as a part of his show, he handled his own pets to astonish the audience and then killed another snake and cut it open to display the magic snake oil. What a show, and he became rich not because of the effectiveness of his snake oil, but people loved his show and believed in him!

Because of the extensive media ads on the internet, we have a great deal of marketing wizardry, aka snake oil, in our faces every day. As we grow older, we’re suckers for the fountain of youth products, and the promise of instant cures for all our ails. How many doctors wearing their white coats are pitching medical advice that ends with a product pitch? Just keep Charles Stanley in mind. Enjoy the show, but save your money!