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By the eve of the first settlement of America, the Montebank had invaded every corner of Europe with his tonics and elixirs. Operating at fairs, on street corners, in market squares, or wherever a crowd was likely to gather, the traveling quack quickly learned how to capitalize on the ordinary man's ignorance and simplicity, on his fear of illness, pain, and death. In order to succeed as a street seller of medicine, or a corn cutter or tooth drawer, he was required not only to attract a crowd, but to hold it and convince some of its members that he possessed the power to relieve their real or fancied suffering. His real objective was to keep the audience interested, but uncritical; he required the spectator's attention, but not such close attention that the logic of his show would come under too careful scrutiny. Most found the answer in a free show which combined their lecture with tricks, demonstrations, music and comedy.

By the time these one-man shows made there way stateside - they morphed into something far more elaborate. These new "medicine shows" had absolutely nothing to do with the medicine, cheap soap, or smelling salts hawked by the doctor. But they were entertaining and distracting and intended to blind customers to the showman's real objective--his sales pitch to the assembled crowd.

To find out more about Montebank's or Pitchmen, click these links.

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