The Great American Fraud

"Ignorance and credulous hope make the market for most proprietary remedies." -Samuel Hopkins Adams, The Great American Fraud (1912) The Great American Fraud (1912) by Samuel Hopkins Adams was originally published in Collier's magazine in 1905 as an eleven-part exposé of patent medicines and the false claims advertisers made about their effectiveness. Medical quackery was at its height at the time, and consumers were buying remedies that were laden with alcohol, opiates, and narcotics. As a result, Adams' journalistic work spurred the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. This in-depth study is timeless and relates to any era, an intriguing read for any fan of investigative journalism.