In a world of secrets, revealing a cure was revolutionary - and dangerous. Reflecting on the brave but shaky start to our great nation on the 250th anniversary of its creation, we hold this truth to be self-evident: Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness have come at a dear price. While all three virtues were passionately pursued by the new government, they were also being sought by its citizens as the unalienable rights of personal health: everyone wanted freedom from sickness and...

His kingdom was very small (he was the only one living in it) but the story of its king is unforgettable.         The era of patent medicines is littered with the advertising and bottles of those who were hugely successful, like Ayers, Warner, Kilmer, and Pinkham. But there were also thousands of “little guys” – one man or woman with little more than a big dream and the two-person teams whose medicine businesses lasted only a few months or sometimes just a week or two. Alfred Liscomb was one...

Discovery of Vermont's forgotten family of natural bonesetters. AUTHOR'S NOTE:      I realize this blog was just posted yesterday, but as I continued to research the Chase family, I found that my previous research of Ebenezer Chase, father of Elmina, was incorrect. I had inadvertently tapped into another man by the same name who lived in Andover, not Athens, Vermont. Andover is about 14 miles northwest of Athens and there was an Ebenezer Chase in both locations during the same timeframe. I...