Interesting use of horse liniment

Here's an interesting paragraph from Dale Ralph Davis' book, The Wisdom and the Folly (pgs 142/3).   He's talking about disguising apostasy as something genuine, and brings in this anecdotal material to back up his comments...

Whether apostasy stinks depends on how it's pitched.  In the 1930s, a horse liniment named Absorbine was plummeting in sales.  An advertising man named Obie Winters had the liniment lab-tested, and they found that it would work on ringworm of the foot.   With a stroke of genius, however, Winters conjuered a whole new name for such ringworm - athlete's foot.  There is such a difference in the way the malady is marketed.  Who would want to admit having ringworm even if there was a cure?   But "athlete's foot?"  One would almost be disappointed if one didn't suffer from it periodically!  It carries such positive associations. 

Davis is a great writer, scholarly, but without laying on the footnotes too heavily (though there are footnotes and in them he often takes other scholars to task).  He's now the Pastor at Woodland Presbyterian Church in Hattiesburg, MS, and at the end of the introduction on the opening page of their website, he writes: Now I must warn you. This church is full of sinners. Everyone who comes here is one. You'll need to remember that if you associate with us – or you may be unnecessarily disappointed.