Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1855-10-25

active and potent 10 uprOOt it. They are not
IPlaythiDgs that can be used by the ignorant
without danger. EVERYBODY knows how much
care and judgment the ph Jsician finds /. neces-
sary to employ in their use, and yet we daily
see persons swallowing patent pills. and 'syr-
ups and 'balsams,' without a thought of the
folly or danger Of so doing, or even rejecting.
that in almost every instance they ale prepar-
ed by men who know little Of medicines be-
yond their Names and nothing Of either the
physiology or diseases Of the system. How
few, indeed, look beyond the advertisement by
which they are induced to purchase the nos
trum, 10 inquire into the professional character
ofits assumed discoVersrl Did they do so,
they would be somewhat startled to 6nd that
in almost every instance, Lis medical educa-
ton is scarcely superior to their own.
The proprietors of patent medicines are of
two classes. By far the larger number are
wholly innocent of al! medical Instruction.
They have got hold of prescription--proba.
bly, purchased it from some ofthe many adver-
tisers Of "A certain means Of making a speedy
fortune for twenty-five cents With this val
liable document. and few hundred dollars of
capital. the embryo speculatOr lays the fOunda-
ton OF his future fortune by drawing up an
advertisement, in which he sets forth that bis,
or rather we should say DIS syrup
or ,decocton, or 'balsam,' or pills is AN iu-
fallible cure for at least twenty Of the most
prevalent aud fatal diseases to which mankind
are liable. He resumes the title of doctor. not
because medical college has conferred it up.
on him. for he has never been inside of one in
his life, but because he is engaged in doctor
ing
The other class are scarcely less scrupulous.
They profess to be engaged in Legitimate busi-
ness as druggists, but no sooner is new rem.
edy proposed by physician, and brought
prominently under the notice of the profession,
than they seize upon it as the basis for new
patent medicine. sarsaparilla is an example in
point Some twenty years ago, the use Of this
drug, which had previously fallen into disre-
Pute, was revived as very beneficial in certain
diseased. From this date, we find 'decoctions,'
compound decoctiOns,' and 'syrups' of sarsa-
parilla manufactured and sold as nostluns all
over the world. If we exsmine these prepar-
tions, in few of them do we find even trace
Of sarsaparilla. In one instance, bi-cholonde
of mercury has been detected as an ingredient,
and yet the chief object for which they have
been given has been to purge mercury from
the systemP
What we have said Of ssrsaparilla is equally
true Of wild cherry bark. DR.. Hastings, of
London, suggested naphtha as remedy IN
certain diseases of the lungs, and though it
was almost Immediately proved to be worth
less, if not injurious, We find 'syrups Of napb-
tha' sold as pateut medicine in almost all
the drug stores. A few years ago, medical
men began 10 use Cod liver OIL and immedi-
ately a dozen vianous mixtures were COM
pounded and sold as pure cod liver Oil, to the
injury of thousands. In the spring of 1851 we
lht'OouSSO Auhai0tiOh 90 SbSihotlASA LuOuC W
practice in the treatment Of diseases of the
lungs, and now, without any aid, instruction,
or countenance from US, there are persons in
this and neighborng cities, protesting to EN-.
ploy the same medicines and to perfectly
understand our practice Others are peram-
bulating over the country, We have heard
Of them ct Philadelphia, Plstsburg Cincinnati.
Chicago. Louisville, New Orleans, Boston,
Montreal, and several other places. Some
have had the coolness to refer TO US, but 10 ev-
cry instance before our reply could reach their
victims they had disappeared,
These are great evils. and not only sacri-
fee thousands of lives. but prevent fair iu-
vestigation of most medical discoveries. PLY.
sicians are cheated out of the honor, and the
afflicted deprived of the benefits which both
would otherwise enjoy. But are they evils be-
yond remedy? We think not. While laws
exist to punish swindling 10 the sale of bo-
gus watch, we cannOt.se why they should
not to punish the same act in. the sale of
patent medicine, or in the false assumption of
the title and functions of doctor. The pre-
tenCes are equally false and the motives equal.
ly dishonest. But we know It is useless to
talk of legal restrictions. The world has got
into its head the notion that laws to protect
health and life are unnecessary, and there is no
way of getting out. There is, however, a
means of efectually couuteracting these evils.
We live in an age when most people can read,
and in country where all that is necessary is
to clearly point out any fagrant imposition,
and the loud clamOr of public indignation will
at once correct it. Mankind have natural
reluctance to being deceived aud swindled and