Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: quack

  • Leonhard Thurneysser: scholar, alchemist, and miracle doctor

    A highly controversial figure even in his time, Leonhard Thurneysser remains to this very day for some a revered scientist and for others a resolute quack. Born 1531 in Basel, he was the son of a goldsmith and followed in his father’s profession. He also studied with a physician and alchemist but never attended any…

  • What’s old is new again: quackery in the age of the Internet

    Lawrence JonesHershey, Pennsylvania, United States The term “quack” is generally used to describe promoters of treatments and devices that have no acknowledged beneficial medical use. The advent of improved medical care and technology during the latter half of the 19th century through the first half of the 20th century was also considered as the peak…