Outbreaks in Dallas once led to deceptive advertising and dangerous medical cures that targeted susceptible residents

Remedies, quick fixes and too good to be true cures are being marketed to residents across North Texas during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. But, the Dallas community is pulling together to uncover scammers and help inform one another, just like they did during the polio scare of the ’40s and ’50s.

Important watchdogs made the public aware that televangelist Jim Bakker of The Jim Bakker Show was marketing Silver Solution as a cure for COVID-19. Media backlash and a pending lawsuit caused Jim Bakker to cease sales of his supposed coronavirus cure. Figuring out facts from scams can be a difficult task, but the public can verify the ingredients and sources cited in any article or advertisement.

In the early 20th century, newspapers were one of the major sources of information. So, when Dallas was hit with a serious spread of disease, The Dallas Morning News advertisement section saw an increase of targeted ads that would guarantee the user protection or a cure from the illness that was ravaging the country at the time.

The scammer’s remedies to prevent and cure all that ails you

Snake oil salesmen purposefully misleading the public for personal gain is not a new concept. But, by the polio outbreak in Dallas in the mid-century, residents saw a rise in community prevention, awareness, and support in the advertising sections of The News.

Formaldehyde was once marketed to Dallas residents as a suitable disinfectant in 1912

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the CDC’s most recent statement on formaldehyde as a disinfectant is that “ingestion of formaldehyde can be fatal, and long-term exposure to low levels in the air or on the skin can cause asthma-like respiratory problems and skin irritation, such as dermatitis and itching. For these reasons, employees should have limited direct contact with formaldehyde, and these considerations limit its role in sterilization and disinfection processes.”

Holman’s Stomach and Live Pads claims to prevent all contagious diseases

Holman Pad Company started promoting the healing pad as a cure for malaria. But as smallpox started spreading in the United States, they started advertising that through absorption the user was able to “prevent fevers, smallpox, and all contagious diseases.”

Unknown ingredients in “Anti-flu” advertisements of the 1918-19 H1N1 flu pandemic

The United States first saw the H1N1 influenza virus in military personnel in the spring of 1918. Urban’s Balm advertises in November 1918 that an anonymous letter from a rural community was sent to them praising the effects the balm has against the flu. In another advertisement, Wilson’s Solution regarded themselves as the “anti-flu” treatment. It was inhalent that promised to disinfect the nose and throat from influenza germs. Based on the advertisement, it is unknown what was in Dr. Wilson’s solution.

Taking a stand against misinformation and promoting preventive practices

The rumor mill running rampant in North Texas caused leaders of organizations, cities, and companies to place notices to stop the spread of misinformation.

Advertisement for Operation S.O.S. polio campaign to immunized North Texas

Not all ads were misleading, tucked away in the television and radio advertisement section on July 25, 1962, is a promotional ad for the latest oral polio vaccine by Dr. Albert Sabin. The polio vaccine was to be given in as a mass immunization effort and information drive by qualified individuals to the residents of North Texas. Operation S.O.S. stands for Sabine Oral Sunday. WFAA-TV, owned by Belo Corporation at the time of promotion, gathered leading doctors to answer questions from the public regarding polio and the new vaccine on live television.

Check out The Dallas Morning News up-to-date coverage of the coronavirus in the Public Health section of the news. Or read The Watchdog investigative columnist, Dave Lieber, Taking advantage: Is anybody lower on the planet than a coronavirus scammer?