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The Micro-Dynameter (above) was a device that simply measured electrical currents, but its makers claimed it could diagnose scores of diseases, including brain tumors, diabetes, epilepsy, leukemia, streptococcal infection, hypertension, and tuberculosis. Despite a 1962 court ruling that it could not be used safely even by health practitioners, the FDA continued to take regulatory action against the device's use well into the 1960s. |
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October 6, 1961:
The National Congress on Medical Quackery convenes in Washington, D.C. Sponsored jointly by the American Medical Association and the Food and Drug Administration, its objective is to eliminate quackery as a major health problem in the United States.
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The focus of the fight against medical quackery has shifted to the Internet, which has been adopted by many marketers of fraudulent products. The FDA Web site offers advice for consumers about how to buy medical products online safely and how to evaluate health information on the Web. The FDA cooperates with the Federal Trade Commission, Health Canada, |
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and state attorneys general in a campaign called "Operation Cure-All" to crack down on unscrupulous marketers who use the Internet to prey on the sickest and most vulnerable consumers. These agencies move to stop Internet scams for supplements and products that purport to cure cancer, HIV/AIDS and countless other life-threatening diseases.
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