During the early part of the 20th century, the growing scientific knowledge that certain diseases were caused by vitamin and mineral deficiencies sparked public interest in products that touted these substances. But the public had little understanding of this emerging health care field and, as a result, was often easy prey for unscrupulous marketers who used phony claims that their products had therapeutic value.

One such charlatan was a man named E. Virgil Neal, whose past schemes included palm-reading and hypnotism performed under the name Xenophon LaMotte Sage; a mail-order health and self-improvement program, which earned him a conviction for mail fraud; and a French cosmetics company that marketed false hair regenerators and bust enhancers.