Radioactive quackery: Difference between revisions
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Doramad had thorium, not radium |
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==Notable examples== |
==Notable examples== |
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* [[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).<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Journal of the American Medical Association|publisher=American Medical Association|volume=264|issue=1|page=617}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Goldsmith|first=Barbara |title=Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie|year=2005|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|isbn=0-393-05137-4|pages=119â120}}</ref> |
* [[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).<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Journal of the American Medical Association|publisher=American Medical Association|volume=264|issue=1|page=617}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Goldsmith|first=Barbara |title=Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie|year=2005|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|isbn=0-393-05137-4|pages=119â120}}</ref> |
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* Many brands of [[toothpaste]] were laced with |
* Many brands of [[toothpaste]] were laced with radioactive substances that was claimed to make teeth shine whiter, such as [[Doramad Radioactive Toothpaste]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Matricon|first1=Jean |last2=Waysand|first2=G. |title=The Cold Wars: A History of Superconductivity|year=2003|publisher=Rutgers University Press|isbn=0-813-53295-7|page=113}}</ref> |
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* Bath and bathing waters were advertised as being "highly radioactive". ([http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=THS19121019.2.35.16.3 eg report in 1912]) |
* Bath and bathing waters were advertised as being "highly radioactive". ([http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=THS19121019.2.35.16.3 eg report in 1912]) |
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* [[Radium Ore Revigator|Revigator]] pots, which added [[radon]] to drinking water.<ref name=popular /> |
* [[Radium Ore Revigator|Revigator]] pots, which added [[radon]] to drinking water.<ref name=popular /> |
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Revision as of 09:00, 29 July 2011
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] These practices were based on the concept of hormesis, that is the alleged property of many toxic substances, including radioactive ones, to have a beneficial effect on health when applied in small dosages.
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". (eg report in 1912)
- Revigator pots, which added radon to drinking water.[1]
See also
- History of radiation therapy
- Shoe-fitting fluoroscope
- Electrical quackery
- Snake oil
- Quackery
- Magnet therapy
References
- ^ a b Gray, Theodore (August 2004). "For That Healthy Glow, Drink Radiation!". Popular Science. 265 (2). Bonnier Corporation: 28. ISSN 0161-7370.
- ^ Journal of the American Medical Association. 264 (1). American Medical Association: 617.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Goldsmith, Barbara (2005). Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie. W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 119â120. ISBN 0-393-05137-4.
{{cite book}}: C1 control character in|pages=at position 5 (help) - ^ Matricon, Jean; Waysand, G. (2003). The Cold Wars: A History of Superconductivity. Rutgers University Press. p. 113. ISBN 0-813-53295-7.
External links
- "Living with Radiation", book on the subject
- Radioactive Quack Cures
- L’histoire étonnante du Tho-Radia, by Thierry Lefebvre and Cécile Raynal Template:Fr icon
- Radioactive Quack Cures at the Museum of Oak Ridge Associated Universities
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