The True Scandal of Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound
Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford
Pushkin Industries
4.7 • 6.4K Ratings
🗓️ 14 April 2023
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
It could cure any 'female ailment' - even cancer - said the adverts. But Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound was, in fact, just a concoction of herbs and alcohol of no proven medicinal merit. That didn't stop desperate American women from buying bottles of the stuff - and writing to Lydia Pinkham for medical advice.
Why did her customers shun 'expert' doctors and opt instead for quack medicines? And why, when Lydia Pinkham finally came in for criticism, did no one question the efficacy of her vegetable compound?
For a full list of sources for this episode, go to timharford.com.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Out of the turmoil of Victorian London, seven men emerged from the shadows. |
| 0:05.5 | They each have the same target, the most famous woman in the world. |
| 0:10.9 | She threw herself into the arms of those in the carriage and was horribly frightened by this attack. |
| 0:17.1 | A Flintlock pistol has every chance of killing someone. |
| 0:21.6 | Whether she was a young bride or an elderly widow, Queen Victoria was a target. |
| 0:27.5 | But little is known about these would-be assassins and why they did it. |
| 0:32.2 | Listen to Killing Victoria. |
| 0:43.9 | Pushkin. |
| 0:51.1 | A fearful tragedy declared the newspaper, all caps, of course. |
| 0:56.2 | It was after all the 1880s. |
| 0:59.8 | A fearful tragedy, a clergyman of Stanford, Connecticut, killed by his own wife. |
| 1:06.2 | But why? |
| 1:07.1 | What were the circumstances? |
| 1:09.1 | Could the tragedy have been prevented? |
| 1:11.8 | Never fear. |
| 1:13.0 | The full explanation is forthcoming, but be warned. |
| 1:18.2 | This is not actually a news report. |
| 1:21.0 | It's an advertisement, apparently based on a true story. |
| 1:25.8 | A fearful tragedy, a clergyman of Stratford, Connecticut, |
| 1:29.9 | killed by his own wife. |
| 1:31.8 | Insanity brought on by 16 years of suffering with female complaints, the cause. |
| 1:37.1 | Lydia E. Pinkham's vegetable compound, the sure cure for these complaints, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Pushkin Industries, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Pushkin Industries and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.