Snake oil for rusty snakes

Terry Pratchett, fantasy author and self-declared Alzheimer's sufferer, recently stated the case for snake oil cures. He did it in his inimitable style, such that even skeptics such as myself had to take note. His speech included this gem:

"Some of them wanted to sell me snake oil and I’m not necessarily going to dismiss all of these, as I have never found a rusty snake."

Hat tip to Neurophilosophy via Cognitive Edge for the link.

Who can blame victims of currently incurable diseases should they want te keep all options open? It is easy to be dismissive and skeptical in general, but not so easy when you are faced with an actual victim desperate for a cure - any cure.

That having been said, should one be as accommodating to the quacks and charlatans who sell snake oil cures? There is, I suppose, a logical inconsistency here. How can you understand and accept the victim's use of snake oil cures and at the same time denounce the quacks or charlatans who sell them?

Should the purveyor's motives and beliefs influence your tolerance? Should one be more tolerant of a quack who truly believes in his (or her) brand of snake oil and who believes he's making a difference, as against the charlatan who through deception sells what he knows is snake oil? The motives and beliefs may be different, but the outcome is the same.

Consider this this quote from Dr John Crippen in a blog posting entitled "The Quacktitioner Royal":

"There is no such thing as alternative medicine. There is only medicine. There is good medicine and bad medicine. There are doctors and there are quacks."

Snake oil bring false hope for the victims of disease and fraudulant prosperity for the quacks. It also delays the very medical progress that could have offered real cures. Should quacks and charlatans get away with it, regardless of whether their activities are based on gullibility or fraud?

For those who still wonder about snake oil cures, the 2007 book by R. Barker Bausell entitled Snake Oil Science: The Truth About Complementary and Alternative Medicine, may give some answers. Read this review by Dr. Harriet Hall in eSkeptic.



I bow out with the strains of "Lily the Pink" running through my mind. Read all about Lily Pinkham, snake oil purveyor, here. A kindred spirit is the South African Minister of Health, Dr. Manto Tshabalala Msimang, a great believer in "natural" cures.