American Medical Association. Dept. of Investigation.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration originated as part of the Dept. of Agriculture. In 1940, it was transferred to the Federal Security Agency, where it remained until 1953, when it became part of the newly created Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare. When the educational functions of this Department were separated to form the Dept. of Education in 1976, the remaining agencies, including the FDA, became the Dept. of Health and Human Services.

From the description of Records. Food and Drug Administration, 1908-1983. (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 21769729

Norman Baker was an entrepreneur and jack-of-all-trades who included a bogus cancer cure (originally consisting of hypodermic injections) among his other enterprises.

Baker's first excursion into medical chicanery appears to have taken place around 1927, in connection with the Tangley Institute, a varicose-vein racket operated by one Charles Barewald. He began purveying his cancer cure in Muscatine, Iowa around December, 1929, advertising it generously over his radio station KTNT ("Know the Naked Truth"), in operation since about 1924. In 1930 he entered a brief and ultimately unhappy alliance with fellow cancer quack Harry Hoxsey--after which time, his regimen also included an escharotic treatment for external cancers bearing a remarkable resemblance to Hoxsey's method. KTNT was ordered off the air in 1931.

Also in 1931, Baker filed a $500,000 libel suit against the A.M.A. which was decided in the latter's favor by a federal court jury in the spring of 1932. Late in 1933, Baker's new radio station, XENT, began broadcasting from Nuevo Laredo, just over the Mexican border, where Baker also established a second cancer "hospital" while retaining some ties with his original Muscatine institution. He was convicted of practicing medicine without an Iowa license in 1936; moved his operation to Eureka Spring, Arkansas, around 1939; and was effectively put out of business by a federal conviction and four-year prison sentence for mail fraud in 1940. He died of liver cancer in 1958.

From the description of Records. Baker, Norman, 1918-1979 (bulk 1930-1942). (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 20865459

Osteopathy is an alternative school of medical practice founded by A.T. Still around 1874 and opposed by the AMA until the 1960's. Originally osteopathy focused heavily on spinal manipulations, and its resulting similarity to chiropractic contributed to the controversy surrounding it.

From the description of Records. Osteopathy, 1905-1975. (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 23097409

Royal Lee, promoter of Catalyn, advocated consumption of raw foods and opposed the pasteurization of milk and processing of foods. His major project, Catalyn, was a vitamin pill which contained only minute amounts of the vitamins and minerals it was supposed to supply; he also pushed other quackish vitamins and health foods, and was involved in various public health disputes, including the movement against water fluoridation. He operated the Lee Foundation for Nutritional Research, the Vitamin Products Company, and Standard Process Laboratories. Others used his publications to promote their own quackish products, such as Nutrilite.

From the description of Records. Catalyn-Cat-Er-No Soules (inclusive), 1913-1974. (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 20982229

Harvey Washington Wiley (1844-1930) was a prominent crusader for pure food and drugs during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Wiley served for 29 years as chief of the U.S. Agriculture Department's Bureau of Chemistry (a forerunner of the Food and Drug Administration). In 1911 he resigned under adverse political circumstances and became a contributing editor of GOOD HOUSEKEEPING magazine.

From the description of Records. Wigmore, Ann-Wilkens, J.K. (inclusive), 1911-1973. (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 23913509

Ka-tar-no was a successor to Peruna, an immensely popular and highly alcoholic "patent medicine." The makers of Peruna, in response to the Food and Drug Act of 1906, changed its formula so it would actually include a medicinal (in this case, laxative) ingredient. The middling success of the new formula prompted the introduction of Ka-tar-no, which was (or claimed to be) simply "original formula" Peruna.

From the description of Records. Karnak-Katz, Clement L. (inclusive), 1910-1937. (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 22612045

Established in 1913 as the Propaganda Dept.; name changed to Bureau of Investigation in 1925, and to Dept. of Investigation in 1958; disbanded 1975.

Founded to gather and disseminate information concerning health fraud and quackery. The Department's work began shortly after its first director, Arthur J. Cramp, M.D., joined the AMA staff in 1906, although it was not formally organized until 1913. Directors included Dr. Cramp (through 1935), Frank J. Clancy, M.D. (1936-1937), Paul C. Barton, M.D. (1938-1942), Bliss O. Halling (1942-1947), Oliver Field (1948-1964), and H. Doyl Taylor (1965-1975). Mr. Halling was Assistant Director from 1914 to 1942; Mr. Field held the title of Director of Research from 1965 through 1973. Following the abolition of the Department in 1975, these files were transferred to the AMA Division of Library and Information Management, which continued to add small amounts of material through 1983.

From the description of Records, 1843-1990 (bulk 1906-1975). (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 19248517

William F. Koch and his disciples were adherents of the use of "Glyoxylide," an intramuscularly injected preparation promoted as a cure for cancer and other diseases.

Koch was born in 1885 and received the Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Michigan and the M.D. from Wayne University (now Wayne State University). In 1919, a year after his graduation from medical school, he announced that he had discovered a "real specific" for cancer, which he began marketing under the name "Glyoxylide." Following legal action by the Food and Drug Administration, Koch left the U.S. for Brazil in 1948, and the promotion, production and distribution of Glyoxylide were taken over by Christian fundamentalist organizations. During this period, the therapeutic claims for Glyoxylide were broadened to include skin diseases, arthritis, and other disorders in addition to cancer; other similar substances including "Benzoquinone," "Malonide," and "KC-49" were also introduced. Koch died in 1967.

From the description of Records. Koch, William F., 1919-1973. (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 22611611

The National Research Council's Committee on Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy was founded in December, 1950 to investigate and evaluate proposed cancer therapies. Its sponsoring organizations included the American Association for Cancer Research, American Cancer Society, American Medical Association, Damon Runyon Memorial Fund, Food and Drug Administration, and National Cancer Institute. The Committee was dissolved 1957 and its functions taken over by the American Cancer Society's Committee on New or Unproved Methods of Treatment.

An historical article about the Committee is found in the September-October, 1957 issue of the National Research Council NEWS REPORT, a copy of which is included with these files.

From the description of Records. National Research Council, 1952-1957. (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 23040216

The Central Health Committee of the State of Illinois, an anti-AMA nativist group, was a fusion of the Medical Liberty League of Chicago, the National Public School Protective League, and other groups. Individuals involved with it included Lora C. Little, George W. MacGregor, J.A. Bergen, Edwin S. Antisdale, M.R. Bibb, Arthur Hill Grimer, W.B. Allen, Walter E. Elfrink, John Maxwell, and Estel Beck.

From the description of Records. Center for Neuro-Stimulation-Central Health Committee of the State of Illinois (inclusive), 1919-1983. (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 20982244

Naturopathy is an alternative form of medicine using "psychological, mechanical and material health sciences to aid in purifying, cleansing and normalizing human tissues for the preservation or restoration of health, according to the fundamental principles of anatomy."

Naturopathic methods include or have included "phytotherapy, dietetics, psycho-therapy, suggesto-therapy, hydro-therapy, zone-therapy...electro-therapy, mechano-therapy...sanitation and heliotherapy." Naturopaths generally opposed aspects of allopathic medicine, including vaccination and fluoridation, and other practices such as the use of aluminum cooking utensils.

From the description of Records. Naturopathy, 1910-1982. (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 23042734

The earlier treatments covered by these files were caustic pastes (escharotics) applied to external cancers. Later the trend turned to injectable serum and diet therapies.

From the description of Records. Neoplasms, 1899-1983. (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 23040119

Henry J. Schireson (sometimes spelled Shireson) was a quack plastic and cosmetic surgeon.

Schireson spent the early part of his career in Chicago, moved to Philadelphia around 1934, was imprisoned on a federal fraud conviction in 1940, and died in 1949.

From the description of Records. Schireson, Henry J., 1909-1962 (bulk 1920-1949). (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 23665240

George S. Zuccala was an Italian-American medical technologist who developed "Polygen Z-49," an asthma treatment; "Anti-Cancergen Z-50," a cancer treatment; and the "Zuccala Lytic Test," an alleged diagnostic test for cancer.

Zuccala was described by an AMA official as "more of a naive enthusiast than an investigator with questionable philosophies." Unlike most of his ilk, he attempted resolutely to cooperate with organized medicine, and peppered the AMA with correspondence asking help and advice in researching and marketing his preparations. At the same time, he resisted overtures from anti-AMA groups such as the National Health Federation, who wished to espouse his cause alongside such out-and-out frauds as the Hoxsey cancer cure. In 1956 a report by the National Research Council branded both "Anti-Cancergen Z-50" and the "Lytic Test" as worthless, but Zuccala continued his "research" and promotional efforts until at least 1966.

From the description of Records. Zuccala, George S., 1947-1969. (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 23913856

Albert Abrams (1863-1924) and his many imitators and followers were proponents of "electronic medicine," a scheme in which they claimed to diagnose and treat diseases with electrical machinery.

From the description of Records. Abrams, Albert, 1895-1974. (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 20847435

Percival Lemon Clark's causes included opposition to vaccination, white bread, and pasteurized milk (with support from the dairy industry). He also sold a mail-order health course from his Chicago-based Health School, gave radio health lectures, and attempted to start a presidential campaign for Henry Ford. He sued the AMA for libel in 1929, but withdrew the action in 1933, before it came to trial.

From the description of Records. Clark, Percival Lemon, 1921-1955. (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 20982307

Robert E. Lincoln, of Medford, Massachusetts, promoted a treatment in which the patient inhaled a solution of bacteriophages (i.e., bacteria-destroying viruses), by means of a nasal atomizer. The treatment was alleged to be of value in cancer, multiple sclerosis, tuberculosis, and Hodgkin's disease.

Among the Lincoln treatment's adherents were Gerald Winrod, fundamentalist publisher of THE DEFENDER magazine, which also crusaded for the treatments of Harry Hoxsey and William F. Koch; Jacob S. Schirmer, previously a user of the Koch treatment; and Otto G. Kuchynka, a Chicago physician. "Research" on the Lincoln treatment continued after his death in 1954, under the direction of A. Ernest Mills, but the therapeutic claims made for it became much more modest.

From the description of Records. Lincoln, Robert E., 1946-1968. (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 22696445

Harry M. Hoxsey (1901-1973) was probably the most visible and successful cancer-cure quack in twentieth-century America, operating in this country from 1924 to 1960.

Hoxsey's techniques included liquid tonics and pills for internal cancers, and an arsenic-based escharotic powder for external cancers. He spent most of his career, from 1936 on, in Dallas, Texas. After 1960, his clinic reappeared in Tijuana, Mexico, as the "Bio-Medical Center," still in operation as of 1990.

In 1948 Hoxsey filed a libel suit against AMA Journal editor Morris Fishbein. During the 1950's his cause was espoused by fundamentalist publisher Gerald Winrod and his DEFENDER magazine, and by Pennsylvania state senator John J. Haluska. In 1957 the Hoxsey treatment was the subject of an unprecedented public warning by the Food and Drug Administration, posted in post offices and other federal facilities throughout the country.

From the description of Records. Hoxsey, Harry M., 1909-1990 (bulk 1924-1972). (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 22608747

John R. Brinkley was known as the "goat-gland" doctor for his most famous scam, an operation in which portions of the testes of young goats were implanted into men of middling and later years as a cure for infertility, impotence, and allied complaints. Brinkley abandoned this procedure in the early 1930's in favor of the "four-way compound operation" for prostate trouble.

Brinkley went into business in Milford, Kansas in 1917; his first major notoriety came with a series of operations in Chicago in 1920. Keeping a step ahead of the Illinois authorities, he appeared briefly in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1921, hawking eye transplant operations, and then returned to Milford. His Milford radio station, KFKB ("Kansas First, Kansas Best") was ruled off the air by the FCC in June of 1930; it was replaced by XER, at Villa Acuna, just over the Mexican border, which in turn was closed down by the Mexican government in February of 1934.

Brinkley filed his first libel suit against AMA Journal editor Morris Fishbein in 1930 and dropped it in 1934; a second suit came to trial in 1939 and resulted in a verdict for the defendant. Meanwhile, Brinkley had hastily abandoned Milford for Del Rio, Texas (just across the border from Villa Acuna) in 1933, allegedly after two of his patients died of tetanus. He ran for governor of Kansas in 1930, 1932, and 1934 (nearly winning in 1932); moved to Little Rock in 1938 and back to Del Rio in 1940; was indicted for mail fraud in September of 1941, and died May 26, 1942. A successor institution, the Milford [Kansas] Sanitarium, was operated by Brinkley associates O.M. Owensby, C.H. Dragoo, and Ashton J. Wise until it was closed down by state health authorities in September, 1961.

From the description of Records. Brinkley, John R., 1909-1974 (bulk 1920-1942). (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 20865470

The Robinson Foundation appears to have sponsored the work of Dr. Max Gerson for several years ending around 1948. Dr. Gerson was then connected with the Madison Foundation for Biochemical Research until 1950.

From the description of Records. Robinson Foundation for Cancer Research, 1931-1964 (bulk 1944-1957). (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 23295821

The Western Medical Association was a mail-order epilepsy-cure concern headquartered in Chicago.

Founded around 1921, the concern changed its name to Western Medical Corporation in 1928. Its treatment was based on phenobarbital, a drug acknowledged to be of use in treating epilepsy, but safe to administer only under the direct supervision of a physician. The company also purveyed the same treatment as the "Vernon Treatment" under the corporate names "Vernon Laboratories" and (later) "Vernon Company." On occasion, customers who became dissatisfied with the treatment under one name would then be solicited to purchase the other.

A number of other dubious medical enterprises shared office quarters and directors with the Western Medical Association; among these were Cass Laboratories, a rheumatism-cure outfit, and Histeen Corporation, purveyors of a hay-fever treatment. The company's principal physician at the outset was William Weaver Lister; his successors included Harry L. James and William V. Kelly.

From the description of Records. Western Medical Association, 1921-1974. (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 23913596

The National Health Federation was founded in 1955 by Fred J. Hart, to promote "freedom of choice" in health and medical care. In the words of a 1963 FDA report, this "frequently [meant] freedom to promote medical nostrums and devices which violate[d] the law."

Hart, formerly President of the Electronic Medical Foundation (the successor organization to Albert Abrams' College of Electronic Medicine), founded the National Health Federation shortly after a Federal Court injunction prohibited him from making further shipments of several electronic devices in the Abrams mold. He was convicted of violating this injunction in 1962. The National Health Federation sponsored a series of "National Congresses on Health Monopoly" during the 1960's, held at the same times and in the same cities as the National Congresses on Medical Quackery jointly sponsored by the AMA and the Food and Drug Administration.

From the description of Records. National Health Federation, 1955-1983. (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 23040142

Frank J. Kellogg operated from an address in Battle Creek, Michigan, in an apparent effort to trade on the reputation of W.K. Kellogg, of the breakfast cereal company, and his brother John Harvey Kellogg, who operated a reputable sanitarium in Battle Creek. Frank Kellogg in fact had no connection with these other Kellogg enterprises.

From the description of Records. Kellogg, Frank J., 1903-1941. (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 22612077

Krebiozen, a cancer drug developed by Yugoslav physician Stevan Durovic, was espoused by A.C. Ivy, M.D., Vice President in charge of the University of Illinois College of Medicine.

Krebiozen was introduced to the public in a controversial Chicago news conference on March 26, 1951. An A.M.A. study published later that year concluded that it had no value, and this remained the A.M.A.'s official position on the drug. The continuing controversy led to an investigation by the Illinois General Assembly (1953-55) and to the resignation of U. of Illinois President George Stoddard. The drug's supporters included actress Gloria Swanson and Illinois Senator Paul Douglas.

From the description of Records. Krebiozen, 1931-1978 (bulk 1951-1974). (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 22611949

Chiropractic was originated in 1895 by D.D. Palmer of Davenport, Iowa, and furthered by his son B.J. Palmer and grandson D.D. Palmer.

From the description of Records. Chiropractic, 1908-1983. (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 20982115

"Laetrile" is the popular name of a preparation generally made from apricot kernels, alleged to be of value in the prevention and/or treatment of cancer.

The active ingredient of laetrile is amygdalin; it has been variously designated as "Vitamin B-15" or "Vitamin B-17" and marketed under the trade names Pangametin, Nitriloside, Aprikern, and Bee-Seventeen. Laetrile therapy is based ultimately on the "unitary" or "trophoblastic" theory of cancer, first expounded by John Beard in 1902. Laetrile and an earlier preparation, chymotrypsin, were developed and promoted by Ernst T. Krebs and Ernst T. Krebs, Jr.; other prominent laetrile advocates have included Andrew R.L. McNaughton, head of a California foundation devoted to its promotion; Ernesto Contreras, M.D., who operated a Tijuana, Mexico, clinic administering laetrile treatment; and Glenn D. Kittler, author of a book promoting laetrile.

From the description of Records. Laetrile, 1937-1983 (bulk 1946-1983). (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 22696437

During the 1950's the issue of fluoridation of public drinking water arose at the AMA House of Delegates. They assigned two committees of the Board of Trustees, the Council on Drugs and the Council on Foods and Nutrition, to study the problem. These councils conducted a year long study of municipal water supplies. The conclusion was that fluoridation is a safe and effective method of reducing dental caries, especially in children. The report was adopted by the House of Delegates and become the official position of the AMA.

From the description of Records. Fluoridation, 1950-1982. (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 21769158

John Emil Hett (1870-1956) was a Canadian physician who promoted an injectable "serum" as a cure for cancer.

Hett was graduated from the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine in 1891 and entered practice in his native town of Kitchener, Ontario, where he first introduced his cancer "serum" around 1932. Shortly thereafter, he removed his practice to Windsor, where he remained for the rest of his career. A test of the serum by a bacteriologist (c. 1951) showed that its active ingredients were streptococcus fecalis and E. coli, making the substance "indistinguishable from bowel washings." Hett's license was revoked in 1951; in 1955, he was convicted and fined for continuing to practice in spite of the revocation. His cancer "therapy" continued to be administered by associates after his death, until about 1969 or 1970.

From the description of Records. Hett, John E., 1932-1970. (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 22603737

Royal S. Copeland, a homeopathic physician, was head of the American Institution of Homeopathy, 1907-08; Health Commissioner for New York City, 1918-1923; and U.S. Senator from New York, 1923-1938. A frequent commentator on health matters in the press and on radio, he was often connected with Bernarr Macfadden, a proponent of various questionable health practices.

From the description of Records. Cooper Medicine Company-Copeland, Royal S. (inclusive), 1908-1974. (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 20985298

C. Joseph Stetler of the AMA initiated a series of national congresses on medical quackery, the first of which was held in 1961. They were sponsored jointly with the Food and Drug Administration and were highly successful in terms of press coverage, attendance, quality of speakers, and spinoff conferences.

Four national congresses, held in 1961, 1963, 1966, and 1968, included exhibits called "Nutrition Nonsense" and "Mechanical Quackery." Sometimes "Quack Packs" were distributed. Twenty-five states held twenty-six spinoff state conferences on medical quackery between 1962 and 1966.

From the description of Records. National Congress on Medical Quackery, 1960-1969. (American Medical Association,James S. Todd Memorial Library). WorldCat record id: 23043131