Radioactive quackery
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Radioactive quackery refers to various products sold during the early 20th century, after the discovery of radioactivity, which promised radioactivity as a cure for various illnesses.[1]
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[edit] Notable examples
- Radithor, a solution of radium salts, which was claimed by its developer William J. A. Bailey to have curative properties. The industrialist Eben Byers died from ingesting it.[2][3]
- Many brands of toothpaste were laced with radioactive substances that was claimed to make teeth shine whiter, such as Doramad Radioactive Toothpaste.[4]
- Bath and bathing waters were advertised as being "highly radioactive", e.g. in this report from 1912.
- Revigator pots, which added radon to drinking water.[1]
[edit] See also
- History of radiation therapy
- Shoe-fitting fluoroscope
- Electrical quackery
- Snake oil
- Quackery
- Magnet therapy
[edit] References
- ^ a b Gray, Theodore (August 2004). "For That Healthy Glow, Drink Radiation!". Popular Science (Bonnier Corporation) 265 (2): 28. ISSN 0161-7370.
- ^ Journal of the American Medical Association (American Medical Association) 264 (1): 617.
- ^ Goldsmith, Barbara (2005). Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie. W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 119â120. ISBN 0-393-05137-4.
- ^ Matricon, Jean; Waysand, G. (2003). The Cold Wars: A History of Superconductivity. Rutgers University Press. p. 113. ISBN 0-813-53295-7.
[edit] External links
- "Living with Radiation", book on the subject
- Radioactive Quack Cures
- L’histoire étonnante du Tho-Radia, by Thierry Lefebvre and Cécile Raynal (French)
- Radioactive Quack Cures at the Museum of Oak Ridge Associated Universities
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