DARK HISTORY: RADITHOR

Ninetoes takes a call back to an early DARK HISTORY and delves into the history of an “OG Energy Drink”. He thinks he will pass on this one and stick to coffee…

Hey there, history lovers! It is your old pal, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes HQ. Today, I am looking at the OG energy drink, RADITHOR. I have coffee in my system and my thinking cap on, so let’s get to it! (Editor’s note, you may recall this column started with an essay on the Radium Girls by former staffer Deven VanKirk! – Blog Manager Tom)

Radithor was manufactured from 1918 until 1928 by the Bailey Radium Laboratories. This lab was owned by William J.A. Bailey. As well as being the owner, he also led the labs. Here’s the thing: Bailey dropped out of Harvard and was NOT a medical doctor.

Radithor was advertised as a cure for “the living dead” as well as “perpetual sunshine in a bottle”. It even went as far as to claim to cure impotence.

Radithor was comprised of distilled water and one microcurie of radium 226 and 228. You read that correctly. Radithor was made of water and RADIUM!

400,000 bottles of Radithor were sold from 1925-1930.

Radithor cost the consumer $1.00, roughly $15.00 in today’s money. Some sources say that it had a 400% profit margin.

Now, here is where it gets hinky. There was a socialite named Eben Beyers who started drinking Radithor. Beyers was also an athlete, industrialist, and a Yale graduate. He started drinking Radithor in 1927 after he injured his arm. His doctor recommended he do so, and he soon became addicted to the effects and was drinking three bottles a day. From 1927 to 1930, he had ingested 1400 bottles of Radithor.

When Radium is ingested, it accumulates in the bones and emits radiation that will damage the cells. This can lead to bone necrosis, cancer, and the disintegration of bones. In Eben Beyers’ case, it disintegrated his jaw. He stopped taking Radithor in 1930, but the damage was already done. He died in 1932 from various cancers attributed to the radium in Radithor.

Eben Byers was buried in a lead-lined casket.

His body was exhumed in 1965 for study, and his remains were STILL radioactive.

Byers’ death led to the strengthening of the Food and Drug Administration’s powers. It also led to the termination of any radiation-based patent medicines.

In 1990, the Wall Street Journal published an article about Eben Byers and the effects of Radithor titled “The Radium Water Worked Fine Until His Jaw Came Off”.

Until the next time, I bid you successful research.

Darren “Ninetoes” Perdue is a book and media reviewer. When he is not reading, he is watching true crime shows, cooking for his family, or working on a plan for universal domination. If you see him on his porch, say hi. He does not bite…much.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing, nor do the views or opinions of Crystal Lake necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or its staff. Thank you for understanding.