7 of the Greatest Medtech Hoaxes Ever

People will believe a lot of things, especially if they promise to treat or cure medical conditions.

Nancy Crotti

Many people believe that P.T. Barnum famously declared, "There's a sucker born every minute." A quick Google search will put that belief to rest.

Even with today's access to information, some unfortunates will pay for items that don't do what they promise. The field of medical devices, while highly regulated, still has room for entrepreneurs who would profit from extending false hope to the gullible.

Here are seven notable examples, past and present, of medical devices that turned out to be hoaxes. Sources include the Quackery collection of the Museum of Historical Medical Artifacts, the Museum of Quackery collection at the Science Museum of Minnesota, and recent successful U.S. prosecutions.

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Nancy Crotti is a contributor to Qmed and MPMN.

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