Chamber of Horrors

In the early 20th century, Americans were inundated with ineffective and dangerous drugs, devices and cosmetics, as well as adulterated and deceptively packaged foods. Although the FDA sought to remove these unsafe and misleading products from commerce, it was severely limited in its efforts by the 1906 Pure Food and Drugs Act. In an effort to inform the public about the 1906 law’s shortcomings,
the FDA led the creation of a traveling exhibit in 1933 to highlight these dangerous and worthless products. The exhibit, which was so shocking that it was dubbed the “American Chamber of Horrors” by a reporter who accompanied First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to view it, played an important role in moving Congress to enact a stronger food and drug law - the 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.