il ion ▁Par ish ▁in ▁south western ▁Louisiana . ▁He ▁was ▁not ▁a ▁medical ▁doctor , ▁nor ▁a ▁registered ▁ph arm ac ist , ▁but ▁had ▁a ▁strong ▁talent ▁for ▁self - prom otion . ▁Time ▁magazine ▁once ▁described ▁him ▁as ▁" a ▁stem - w inding ▁sales man ▁who ▁knows ▁every ▁ra zz le - d azz le ▁switch ▁in ▁the ▁pitch man ' s ▁trade ". ▁ ▁Orig ins ▁In ▁ 1 9 4 3 , ▁Le Bl anc ▁conce ived ▁the ▁idea ▁that ▁became ▁" H ad ac ol " ▁in ▁New ▁Orleans , ▁when ▁he ▁had ▁persistent ▁pain ▁in ▁his ▁foot ▁and ▁elsewhere . ▁He ▁asked ▁a ▁doctor ▁to ▁give ▁him ▁medic ation ▁for ▁pain : ▁then ▁he ▁found ▁that ▁what ▁the ▁doctor ▁gave ▁him ▁was ▁a ▁B - v it amin ▁el ix ir , ▁which ▁he ▁proposed ▁to ▁duplicate ▁with ▁a ▁few ▁changes ▁and ▁sell ▁to ▁a ▁mass ▁consumer ▁market . ▁( Year s ▁later , ▁reports ▁arose ▁saying ▁that ▁Le Bl anc ▁had ▁offered ▁the ▁doctor ▁a ▁share ▁of ▁the ▁business , ▁but ▁the ▁medical ▁man ▁refused . ▁On ▁a ▁return ▁visit , ▁Le Bl anc ▁alleg edly ▁took ▁a ▁bott le ▁with ▁a ▁few ▁dro ps ▁remaining ▁of ▁the ▁medicine ▁when ▁the ▁nur se ▁had ▁left ▁the ▁room .) ▁Le Bl anc ▁said ▁that ▁his ▁research ▁showed ▁that ▁mult iv it am ins ▁taken ▁collect ively ▁would ▁yield ▁greater ▁results ▁than ▁a ▁single ▁vit amin ▁for ▁a ▁specific ▁problem . ▁ ▁D os age ▁The