Some selections from Wikipedia:<p>&gt; Later in his life [before 200 BC], Qin Shi Huang feared death and desperately sought the fabled elixir of life, which would supposedly allow him to live forever. He was obsessed with acquiring immortality and fell prey to many who offered him supposed elixirs.<p>&gt; The ostensible goals of alchemy are often given as the transmutation of common metals into gold (known as chrysopoeia), <i>the creation of a panacea</i>, and the discovery of a universal solvent.<p>(emphasis mine)<p>&gt; Plant extracts, including willow bark and spiraea, of which salicylic acid was the active ingredient, had been known to help alleviate headaches, pains, and fevers since antiquity. The father of modern medicine, Hippocrates (<i>circa</i> 460 – 377 BC), left historical records describing the use of powder made from the bark and leaves of the willow tree to help these symptoms.<p>All of that is drug development. In the case of willow bark extract, it was <i>successful</i> drug development. But I&#x27;m not going to blame the people of 200 BC for being technically less adept than the people of today. If they&#x27;d had the knowledge and tools we have, they would have done their development from that base.<p>Snake oil was named &quot;Dr. Smith&#x27;s Patented Flu Medication&quot; to give the impression that the government officially vouched for its effectiveness, not in gratitude to the patent system.