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John D. Rockefeller, the US oil mogul, played a significant role in shaping the pharmaceutical industry. He redefined traditional medicines as alternative and promoted petroleum-based drugs as the gold standard. Rockefeller acquired a German pharmaceutical company that produced war chemicals for Hitler, and used his political influence to label natural healing methods as unscientific. He took control of the American Medical Association, funding medical schools that taught his approved curriculum, erasing references to herbal healing and diet. Dissenters faced media crucifixion, loss of licenses, and even imprisonment. Rockefeller founded the American Cancer Society to suppress evidence linking petroleum-based medicines to cancer. The pharmaceutical industry, thanks to Rockefeller's influence, wields immense power, spending twice as much as Big Oil on lobbying and shaping laws, policies, and public perception. This has made medical errors the third leading cause of death in America.