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Dr. J. C. Ayer & CompanyDr. J. C. Ayer  Photograph from the collection of David Ayer Myths about Dr. Ayer refuted Before we get into Dr. Ayer's life story, we would like to refute what we believe may be some false accusations and myths about James Cook Ayer. Dr. J. C. Ayer has been called a "Snake Oil" salesman and a "Quack" doctor. We strongly disagree with these assertions on two levels. First, and this is strictly personal because Dr. James Cook Ayer was a distant relative, we just don't want to believe it. Who in their right mind would want to believe that one of their relatives was less than honest? But second, and probably more important, are some of the facts. Let's examine the words snake oil and quack or quackery. According to Webster's Dictionary and Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, snake oil was a derogatory term applied to various concoctions or compounds that supposedly were a cure-all and sold mostly by traveling salesmen. These curative mixtures were so-called medicines that may or may not have been completely fraudulent and ineffective. Some were even dangerous and/or deadly. Most had little or no medicinal value at all. Many contained large amounts of alcohol and/or other drugs such as opium, cocaine, heroin and morphine. Who wouldn't feel better after taking all that? Even though it wasn't a cure at least you wouldn't mind the discomfort or pain as much! Many of the traveling salesmen actually carried a supply of the better known and more respected products such as Ayer's Sarsaparilla, Hood's Sarsaparilla or Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound just to make their other products look more legitimate. Just as a note, actual snake oil was and still is used in China as a remedy for joint pain, rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis and other similar conditions. Also at the time, the mid to late 1800s, cocaine, heroin and other drugs that are now illegal, were legal to use and were widely believed to have medicinal benefits. Now let's look at the word quack. It is also a derogatory term used to describe questionable medical practices. According to Webster's Dictionary and Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, a "quack" is considered a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, knowledge or qualifications he or she does not possess, sometimes called a charlatan, a huckster or a fraud". To make a blanket statement that all of the medicines back in the 1800s were fraudulent is a little short-sighted and, in our opinion, just not true. Granted, there were some hucksters who mixed a concoction and sold it for a quick buck. That still happens today! Just watch television and see how many claims there are for quick weight loss, extra energy and the myriad of supposed cure-alls for every known male and female disorder. We need only to compare today's so-called health foods, vitamins and nutrition supplements to that of the patent medicine era. They are not, in most cases, approved by or sanctioned by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). In most cases there is a disclaimer on the bottle or package that states, "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease". Yet people consume these products by the millions! Today we look back to the 1800s and think how barbaric the treatment was for various illnesses. Just imagine what civilization will think 100 years from now. They will probably think chemotherapy and radiation were the worst thing in the world to treat cancer. Who knows what the future will bring? So what then is the difference from 150 years ago? Frankly, not much other than the labeling. In short, it is our opinion that Dr. J. C. Ayer developed his medicines with the best of intentions and while they were sometimes sold directly to individuals they were mostly marketed to Pharmacies and Doctors. He did not practice quackery; nor was he a snake oil salesman. Later we will discuss Dr. Ayer's education, qualifications and the path that led him to develop some of the most successful Patent Medicine products of all time. Dr. J. C. Ayer & Company |
