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A carriage reads "Baker's medicines. Fine extracts." and is pulled by horses. There is a man in the foreground and trees in the background.
Colorized photo of a medicine cart pulled by horses.

Settler-led medicine shows become a colonization strategy, mixing medicine and performance.

1600s

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Colorized photo of a medicine cart pulled by horses.

Medicine shows are touring acts that showcase "miracle cures," along with other performing acts. Most medicine shows showcase fake "Native" traditions and hire Native or fake "Native" actors to sell "Indian remedies." Many of these "miracle cures" are sold to settler-colonists for illnesses and maladies that are the result of European immune systems coming into contact with new ecosystems.