William J. A. Bailey | |
|---|---|
| Born | William John Aloysius Bailey May 25, 1884 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | May 17, 1949 (aged 64) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Boston Latin School |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Occupation(s) | Inventor, businessman |
William John Aloysius Bailey (May 25, 1884 – May 17, 1949) was an American patent medicine inventor and salesman. A Harvard University dropout, Bailey falsely claimed to be a doctor of medicine and promoted the use of radioactive radium as a cure for coughs, flu, and other common ailments.[1] Although Bailey's Radium Laboratories in East Orange, New Jersey, was continually investigated by the Federal Trade Commission, he died wealthy from his many devices and products, including an aphrodisiac called Arium, marketed as a restorative that "renewed happiness and youthful thrill into the lives of married peoples whose attractions to each other had weakened."[1][2]