—Elisha Perkins claimed that his ‘metallic tractors’ could cure inflammation, rheumatism, and pain in the head and face. Despite being exposed as a fraud by British Physician John Haygarth, public support for the metallic tractors remained steadfast, thanks in part to refutations like this from Benjamin Perkins, son of Elisha Perkins. The elder Perkins was eventually expelled from the Connecticut Medical Society for being “a user of nostrums.” Image courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Citation: International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism 33, 3; 10.1123/ijsnem.2023-0037