AOF Activities & Events

Holes in heads, squirmy leeches and radioactive springs -- these are a few of our favorite things ways people try to flee illness or cheat death. Hopeless of course. Still let's explore the dark side of desperation, the hilarious, bizarre, at times even deadly mithridates peddled by hucksters and shady doctors in the name of medicine and a quick buck. It might be fun. (Yogurt enemas, anyone?)

The AOF Speaker Series brings you collector, hobbyist and quack-watcher Chris Holland. He will follow tear-stained trails into the blind cul-de-sacs of pseudoscience, of Ptolemaic spheres and philosopher’s stones. He specializes in archaic and absurd medical practices and turns his gimlet eye on contemporary charlatans. On display will be his collection of vintage medical quackery curios, like the electric shock cures for dropsy.

By the way, Snake Oil was actually a thing, did you know?

The talk + Q&A will be about 90 minutes. Due to the CONVID-19 lockdown, this will be an online meeting via Zoom video conference. We tried this last month, we are trying again. (We're nothing if not persistent.)

• A bit before 2pm on Sunday, April 26, visit link https://zoom.us/wc/join/494450682?pwd=QUACK2020.
• (The meeting ID number is 494-450-682, the password is QUACK2020. The above link has these built in.)
• Zoom will take you to a "Sign-in Page". 
  • If you have a Facebook or Google account, or even an SSO account, just click one of the buttons for those, then sign in with your Facebook or Google info.
  • If you don't have any such account, please click the Sign Up Free link to create a Zoom account.  It's another damn password to remember, we apologize for that, but you need only do it once, and it will be good for future online Zoom meetings.
• The Meeting Page should immediately display. Speakers on, please!