Snake oil

Snake oil is a term used to describe deceptive marketing, health fraud, or a scam. Similarly, a "snake oil salesman" is someone who knowingly sells fraudulent goods or who is themselves a fraud, quack, charlatan, and the like.

History

The use of the term snake oil long predates the 19th century. In Europe, viper oil had been commonly recommended for many afflictions, including the ones for which snake oil was subsequently favored. In certain cultures, oil derived from snakes was believed to heal minor physical discomforts.

The phrase "snake oil" was later adopted by settlers in the United States, where it was used to describe a variety of products marketed as cures that were later found to be useless.

Composition

Snake oil was originally a fraudulent liniment without snake extract. Currently, it is a derogatory term for compounds offered as medicines which imply they are not effective.

In popular culture

The term "snake oil" has been used as a metaphor for deceptive marketing in a variety of contexts, including in literature, film, and television.

See also

• Quackery
• Health fraud
• List of topics characterized as pseudoscience

References

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Snake_oil

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  Clark Stanley's Snake Oil Liniment
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  Juan de Loeches, 1751
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  An itinerant salesman adorned with snakes selling trinkets
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  Snake-oil salesman Professor Thaddeus Schmidlap at Enchanted Springs Ranch, Boerne, Texas, USA
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  Snake_oil