Caroline Rance's Blog, page 3
February 14, 2015
The mysterious ‘Zep’ love potion
A rag, worn close to the heart, and steeped in a mystic substance imbued with the wisdom of the East. A flame, charring the edges until smoke curls and billows and at last takes shape. What is it that forms in this cloud of shimmering grey? Behold! A man, handsome …
February 7, 2015
Review: Medikidz Explain Epilepsy
Knowledge is power, but if you’re a child recently diagnosed with a medical condition – or are watching a loved one go through bewildering tests and treatments – information can be hard to get at. Well-meaning adults might assume you won’t understand big words, or they might be having trouble …
January 23, 2015
‘Eat! Eat! Eat!’ Those notorious tapeworm diet pills
Peoria, Illinois, 1912: the horror begins. A society lady, encouraged by a friend’s success with an easy new weight-loss treatment, pays $25 for ‘two rather large and suspicious-looking pills.’ Her husband sends the pills to be analysed by the Washington public health service, and before long a ‘government secret official’ …
December 24, 2014
Luminous spectres and electrical kisses
The Quack Doctor wishes you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year! Thank you to all who have read the blog, bought the books, liked and shared my posts on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr, or been in touch to share fascinating family history stories andpictures of medical ephemera during …
December 1, 2014
On thorny ground: the human x-ray scientists
Imagine being able to see through a steel door, or to force the germination of poppy seeds and at once destroy them with the power of your mind. Such were the abilities claimed by Albert Isaac Grant of Maidstone, Kent, in the years leading up to the First World War. …
November 18, 2014
Detective Caminada and the quack doctors
Angela Buckley’s book, The Real Sherlock Holmes: The Hidden Story of Jerome Caminada, published in March 2014, tells the story of a real-life Victorian supersleuth. In this guest post, Angela relates Caminada’s encounter with an ecclesiastical con merchant touting adodgy elixir. . Urban life in Victorian England was precarious enough, …
October 25, 2014
Avoiding the trickcyclist and nutpicker: First World War home remedies and miracle cures
I’m delighted to welcome author Suzie Grogan to The Quack Doctor. Suzie’s latest book, Shell Shocked Britain: The First World War’s Legacy for Britain’s Mental Healthwas published in October 2014. In this guest post, she explores some of the commercial remedies that claimedto tackle the psychological effects of war. …
October 5, 2014
A Patent-Medicine Song, 1892
Some of the most famous patent medicine brands of the late Victorian era found their way into this humorous song by John Johnston, MD, in 1892. Originally from Dumfriesshire, Johnston settled in Bolton in the 1870s and worked as a general practitioner, also devoting time to literary pursuits. During the …
September 22, 2014
Goat testicles and great stories! An interview with film director Penny Lane
In Depression-era Kansas, small-town doctor J R Brinkley made a fortune from his novel method of treating impotence. It was startling, sensationally popular… and a total con. His strange career has inspired filmmaker Penny Lane (right) to create a documentary, NUTS! The Brinkley Story, which uses animation and original footage …
September 15, 2014
A devil of a cure
One must always be grateful for small mercies. When a giant jazz-hands Satan is trampling amok on your planet of residence, you can at least gain comfort from the fact he has kept his underpants on. This depiction of Old Nick was registered as a trademark in 1915 by the …
