Victorian-era beauty products containing arsenic were sold to give skin a pale, “perfect” glow.7Up originally contained lithium, a mood-stabilizing drug, until it was removed decades ago.Shoe stores once used X-ray machines so customers could see their feet inside their shoes.People used to slather on baby oil to get a deeper tan, the exact opposite of sun protection.The most famous “snake oil” liniment turned out to contain no snake oil at all.Men once wore electric belts that promised to restore energy and vitality.Ground-up Egyptian mummies were once sold in Europe as medicine.Popular teething syrups once contained morphine, with tragic results.Heroin was once sold as a cough remedy by a major drug company.In the late 1800s, drops containing cocaine were marketed to relieve toothaches, even for children.Leeches were once used for almost any ailment, though today they’re only used in a few very specific medical situations.Doctors drained patients’ blood for centuries, believing it would restore balance to the body.For centuries, mercury was used to treat all kinds of illnesses, despite being toxic.People once bought crocks lined with radioactive ore to “energize” their drinking water.Tobacco ads once featured doctors, and some even claimed smoking was good for your throat.
