> Government analysis and enforcement of standards meant that snake oil had acquired a reputation for infamy that it retains to this day.
Notably, they ended up being shut down due to a lack of actual snake oil in the product, not because of their claims that snake oil cured maladies.
If we can draw a lesson for busting today’s multitude of scams, it might be easier to prove the scam is bogus on its own terms rather than appealing to science or medicine or financial authorities.
Like 90% of wellness products operate the same way as snake oil salesmen operated.
Also unexpected contents; I think Soylent Green suffered from an adulteration scandal where people were blaming them for food poisoning.
https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/california-tech-world-so... (I had to check if they were still in business, they used to be mentioned frequently on HN but haven't for years)