OLLI-HIST-2271 - Patent Medicines of New England: Gone But Not Forgotten?

Course Description

We refer to the second half of the 19th century as the Golden Age of Quackery where patent medicines and outlandish cure-alls flourished. New England was a hub of such activity, with giants like Hoods and Ayer in Lowell selling wellness notions to the world. But our revered Shaker communities sold products with strong health-related claims. But is the term “quackery” too broad for many of the natural remedies and home-based formulas of the time? Are our modern over-the-counter medications and herbal supplements so different from their 19th-century “relatives?” We will explore the historic rise of patent medicines, the regulations and public sentiment that led to their control and how some of today’s wellness products and refreshments are connected to those early remedies.