Ok, I will make one last comment and let this discussion to rest. It is curious you mention Snake Oil. There was a post a few days ago on HN, reporting that Sc

Ok, I will make one last comment and let this discussion to rest. It is curious you mention Snake Oil. There was a post a few days ago on HN, reporting that Science has found actual biochemicals in oil of some snakes that may be useful in modern health care. Snake oil was a well known remedy in Chinese pharmacopea, but unfortunatelly is was introduced to America by an unscroupulus peddler and bigot, who thought that as long as it was a con anyways, it did not matter what kind of oil he would peddle. Then, the name of a genuine prescientific remedy ended up being the class exemplar of all fake cures out there. And the discovery of this chemicals took 200 years longer because real doctors would not dare take the status hit to even consider the possibility that it might be something real behind the quack's claims.