Optimism leaves Americans open to frauds and fads for 250 years

In 1793 Philadelphia physician Benjamin Rush, a Declaration signer, treated yellow fever with calomel, jalap and aggressive bloodletting. Accounts said so much blood spilled in the front yard that the site buzzed with flies. That case anchors a 250-year pattern. A Baptist minister's 1897 company claimed it could extract gold from seawater near Lubec, Maine. Bailey Radium Laboratories sold Radithor in 1925 as a cure for the living dead; it poisoned users with radiation. Clark Stanley peddled snake oil liniment. Charles Ponzi promised 50 percent profit in 45 days. Parallel claims today involve raw milk, peptides and vitamin IV infusions. Dr. Lydia Kang links the susceptibility to the wish for long life without pain or disability. Tali Sharot says beliefs aim at rewards and harm avoidance more than accuracy, so hope itself can feel useful. "You gain something from trying," she said. No contested claims appear in the record. Rated coverage shows only center and right outlets carrying the same AP story.