On the history of medicine shows: Medicine shows began in colonial times. There is a history in Europe too of them. In America, the medicine show was an idea that took off from the itinerant vendors documented in the first exhibit case. There would be entertainment (singers, dancers, acrobats, etc.). Then the doctor would come out and sell their products and services to the audience during intermission. They were extremely popular in American small towns and they moved from town to town. They would advertise: free show tonight. There was nothing to do in these small towns, so people would come. They went on until the 1930s and 40s.

On the concept of alternative medicine and natural healing: The Indians were a big feature of medicine shows because they were held up as a model of natural health, with all of their natural cures.

On anatomical museums: Many were marketed to men only. This was not because they contained scandalous subject matter but as a gimmick. They would get young men off the street and invite them to see these monstrosities, which they would attribute to masturbation or what have you. Once the young men were sufficiently horrified, the purveyors of these anatomical museums would say that they just happen to have a doctor on hand upstairs that you can consult with on what they had convinced you was your problem.

On sex cures: “MD” meant nothing back then. There were lots of phony doctors. Most sex cures were aimed at men, though some were aimed at women. The major treatment for syphilis was mercury, which of course was a killer.

On the blue glass treatment: One guy had this idea that if you looked at everything through a pane of blue glass, it would cure all your ills. For symbolic reasons even the title page of his book is blue.

On Morrison’s pills: This was an extremely popular treatment for a variety of ills from 1825 on. Morrison marketed them as alternative medicine.

On Vin Mariani: Vin Mariani was wine laced with cocaine. Of course it made people feel better. Notice how ads for it are displayed here, alongside books exposing the curative value of the cocoa leaf. Even Coca Cola in the beginning was laced with cocaine. It was an extremely popular cure. People felt better when they took it.