AI By Bob Priddy S
o you’ve reached the last article about AI in this magazine, and the writer seems to think he can link Artifi cial Intelligence to the days of Lydia Pinkham and Dr. Kilmer and others of
their ilk. First, their knowledge of real medicine had
to be artifi cial. Second, one thing yesterday’s patent medicines have in common with today’s over-the-counter medicines is that both will seek or did seek for creative ways to reach potential consumers. T ird, artifi cial intelligence will create innovative ways to market today’s products. Fourth, a popular way to accomplish point three is the same thing this generation’s predecessors used--- the testimonial. A few years ago, a young Sally Fields told
viewers aſt er drinking a glass of something, “Well, that’s it. I just took my osteoporosis medicine and now I’m set for one whole month because I take Boniva. Just one pill a month builds strong, healthy bones and helps prevent fractures.” T e other day, I listened to a young woman
say, “If you have ugly yellow toe fungus, let me tell you about the secret two-minute trick that I found for my husband.” Testimonials are all over the airwaves and
streaming channels just as they were all over the newspapers and magazines long, long ago.
Dr. Sylvester Kilmer’s Swamp Root
contained a lot of alcohol along with roots and herbs. When his son Willis took over the company and was asked what the stuff was good for, he responded, “about a million dollars a year.”
(at fi rst) homemade products were called in 1922, “valueless preparations kept on the market for about fi ſt y years by means of lying advertisements and worthless testimonials,” they remain available, with many packages on Amazon, with a more modern image of Lydia.
IN Pharmacy
The Testimonial Then and Now - and Tomorrow
Bob covered state government and politics for forty years as the
News Director of T e Missourinet. He is a Past-President of the State Historical Society of Missouri and the
author of fi ve books on Missouri history and the art of the State Capitol. His sixth book, about the history of the Capitol as a building, is under consideration by a publisher. He is a frequent visitor to a Jeff erson City pharmacy.
irritating song about “a vegetable compound with a big stor-ree to tell,” or with the guy on the label of Dr. Kilmer’s blood purifi er, with George Clooney’s synthesized voice? And with a person in a white lab coat hinting at doctorhood or someone in Wal-Mart clothes denoting common fellowship with middle class viewers extolling the wonderful benefi ts of their products. One of the fun things about poring
Imagine how AI technology could bring
Lydia Pinkham was a Quaker defector, as an abolitionist and feminist. Although her
Lydia to life in a yellow pantsuit, dancing through a park or an offi ce singing in a computer-synthesized Taylor Swiſt voice an
through microfi lmed pages of old newspapers is looking at the patent medicine testimonials. A quick review of them shows the approaches haven’t changed much although federal regulations do require a lot
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THE LEADING VOICE FOR THE MISSOURI PHARMACIST |
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