Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1857-03-27
Nostrums and Patent Medicines.


l have just glanced over the daily
newspapers of this city, in which from
.wenty to thirty patent medicines are adj
gertised as specifics for a great variety,
,r ali diseases. The vendors Of these
nostrums being aware that vegetable
medicines are more popular with the
masses of the people than minerals and
announce their preparations
as purely vegetable!
While there are few valuable veget-
able medicines thrown into the market as
patent medicines, by far the greater
quantity are base cheats. Even those
that were originally genuine are soon
counterfeited, and a miserable, perhaps
poisonous drug or compound substituted.
But in all of those secret nostrums, the
cheapest and often impure drugs are
thrown into a heterogeneous mass, and
formed into pills, powders, tinctures or
syrups, and then sent out as panaceas.
To insure them market, they are put
into the hands of respectable druggists,
and a large per centage offered to the
agent for all he may sell. They are
mostly recommended by forged certii-
Gates from persons said to have been
cured, and Rev., Hon. and dozen other
appendages and prefxes attached to the
names on the certificates, as calculated
to give more weight to the testimony
Thus thousands of persons are duped
out of their money, robbed of their
health, and many of their lives, that some
base rascal may fatten on their misfor-
tunes.
1t is a fact, that where the greatest
quantities of patent medicines are used,
the physician has the most extensive
practice. In fact, the introduction of pa
tent medicines into community COM
paratively healthy, viii soon create prac-
tice enough for half dozen physicians.
Many of the syrups and panaceas de-
nominated vegetable, contain co7roSiUe
lSublimate, and the lozenges and vermi-
fuges contain mercury. A celebrated
remedy for fever and ague contains ar
senic and nearly all the cough medi-
Icines contain opium. Many other medi-
cines contain prusSic acid, croton OIL, and
a great variety of the most poisonous ar
Iticles to be found. There is not vel
read physician, chemist or pharmaceu.
fist, in the country, who does not or may
not know all / have said to be true, ant
yet how few of them have taken the
trouble to warn the community of theil
danger, and to expose these nostrum
mongers to deserved contempt.
But it is alleged by some, these paten
medicines as often cure as do the regula
doctors. This deny. Where ont
grain of medicine is administered by tn,
physician, pound of patent medicine i
taken; and although seldom produein!
instant death, they generally lay tn,
, foundation for premature decline.
Again, patent medicines are not reliet
on in severe and acute attacks of disease
They are generally taken when there i
, not much the matter, and while the pa
tent thinks he is not sick enough to jus
tify calling in a DOCTOR Thus disease
often tempered with, and the doctor nc
called in, until the patent nostrum ha
placed the poor victim beyond the reac
of remedy, or aggravated the disease III
til it becomes tedious and protracted.-
Also in chronic cases, after the regula
d practice has failed, patent medicines ar
e resorted to, but seldom, if ever, with an
o permanent benefit.
: Ibis Is an evil OF immense magnitude
and should be put down by legal enac
> ment, if public condemnation and justic
Il will not drive it from the land. 1t is Il
: duty of every physician to warn tho;
S with whom he has an influence, to shu
IS as they would a viper, those death-dea
i ing, health destroying compounds. E.
IS itors and publishers of newspapers al
: by no means blameless in this NATTER
Is They advertise and puff these nostrun
i because the authors of them pay we
1 know it is asking great sacrifice
/ their part, to ask them not to ADVERT
y for such mongers. They say they a
II not to be judges of these matters, al
u cannot sit as umpires where they are co
u, cerned only in husinesa transaction
70 Yet they need not directly puff as val
s. able an article of which they know not
Il ing. But the only real remedy for IL
IL evil is the dissemination of medic
I knowledge among the masses. This "