In May 2020, after a series of posts about quack cures for the 1918 Spanish flu, I posted a recap of my favorites. I thought I was done with the series, but like COVID-19 itself, recurring spikes led me to investigate more. Finding plenty, I began a new series. Here’s (another) recap of the most outlandish ones: Powerful electric light (touted by a Swedish physician); Dr. Oddbody’s Cure All Elixir (the name says it all);and Creophos (a tonic that was 16% alcohol). Read about these bogus fixes and others in posts beginning August 14, 2020. Read more about the deadly Spanish flu pandemic a century ago in On the Shore, a tale of conflict between generations in a Lower East Side immigrant family (see NOVELS).
