Re: springs that produced

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10 Instances of Medical Quackery Throughout History

At the beginning of the 20th century, springs that produced naturally hot "mineral water" were (and still are) quite popular. In 1903, it was discovered that many of these springs had radioactive water, so the natural conclusion was that radioactivity was good for you.

So how did it work? Drinking radiated water carried the powerful life force of radioactive energy throughout your body, where it charged cells and rid the body of its waste.

There was no fancier way to be healthy in the 1920s than to take a long soak in a radioactive bath at a radium spa. Some enterprising souls began marketing radiating water crocks that allowed consumers to radiate their own water. Items like the Revigator and the Radium Emanator were embraced by Americans the Revigator sold several hundred thousand units in 1929 alone. These handy and chic household devices could quickly make your water radioactive, enabling you to drink the six or so daily glasses of it as recommended by the manufacturers.

Before long, you could purchase radioactive beauty cream, toothpaste and ear plugs [source: Frame]. When wellknown proponents of the water began falling ill and http://www.vougers.com/mulberry-c-80/ dropping dead, the radium craze began its decline.