Power of Persuasion

02 Jan 2024

Among the stories which feature in the exhibition are the fraudulent claims made by Leeds firm C.E. Fulford Ltd, whose appetisingly named Bile Beans were on sale in the early 1900s. Supposedly capable of helping with all manner of minor ailments, the beans, which acted as a laxative, purportedly owed their amazing curative properties to a mysterious secret ingredient discovered by a fictional explorer in the heart of Australia. But when the company was taken to court for fraud in 1904, not only were the miraculous medicinal properties of Bile Beans found to be false, but the company was also forced to admit their “secret ingredient” was in fact nothing more than humble, locally grown rhubarb and liquorice.

Power of Persuasion: Among the stories which feature in the exhibition are the fraudulent claims made by Leeds firm C.E. Fulford Ltd, whose appetisingly named Bile Beans were on sale in the early 1900s.

Supposedly capable of helping with all manner of minor ailments, the beans, which acted as a laxative, purportedly owed their amazing curative properties to a mysterious secret ingredient discovered by a fictional explorer in the heart of Australia.

But when the company was taken to court for fraud in 1904, not only were the miraculous medicinal properties of Bile Beans found to be false, but the company was also forced to admit their “secret ingredient” was in fact nothing more than humble, locally grown rhubarb and liquorice.

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