Jake Leg

Jamaican Ginger extract, known as "Jake" was sold for medicinal purposes, claiming to cure a variety of illnesses. It also happened to contain between 70-80% ethanol, which made it a convenient alternative during the prohibition days. The government soon caught on to this and required the ingredients to be changed, discouraging drinkers with its newly bitter taste.

Harry Gross and Max Reisman began to work on an alternative that would pass Department of Agriculture tests and be bearable to taste buds.
To acomplish this they used TOCP, Tricresyl phosphate. While thought to be non-toxic at the time, it was found out to be a neurotoxin that causes a damage to nerve cells, resulting an a type of paralysis.
In 1930, following this new mixtures release on to the market, many jake users developed what became known as jake leg or jake paralysis. Victims began to loose the use of their hands and feet. Those that could still walk were unable to lift up their toes, causing them to hoist their legs up high to pick up their feet. The toes would hit the pavement first, followed by the heels in an arrangement the became known as the jake walk.
The doctored Jake was soon found to be the cause of the paralysis, and while many recovered, a large number were left with the effects of the neurotoxin permanently. The victims numbering 30-50 thousand are remember largely as the subject of a number of blues songs such as "Jake Leg Blues" by Mississippi Sheiks.