American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1858-10-29

DlJ" The following is the conclusion
Of the article commenced in our last
No., on Patent Rights &c. |
Akin to inventions, without parta.
king of any originality, is the patent
medicine business. Like the former,
tho success Of the few has excited the
cupidity Of the many. Men of oil
classes pronounce eulogium on the
"pill business" Mechanics contrast
1t with the results of their labor; tho
clerk signs for medical secret; tho
''regular" foams at the mouth; and
even the merchant has an idea that it
is mighty profitable thing"
Quackery is as old US tho profession
of which it is the offshoot, and will last
as long. Paracelsus, who hourished
in the sixteenth century, is regarded
as tho prince of quacks. The magis.
trates OF Basic engaged him, at high
salary, to fill the chair at their .ne;i;cal
university. At his first ',eotpre he
burned the works Of q len and Av;.
eenna, and asserted lat there was more
AsoMieuge IN MS cap than in the heads
VI oil 'ne pH. sicians, and more expert
ence IN HIS beard, than in all the uni.
versio'as. Great and learned men were
an' hg his patients; and the noted Eras-
mus Consulted him. He boosted that
nc had discovered panacea which
!, you'd cure all disease at once, and
even prolong life indefinitely; but, UNI
fortunately for his reputation, he died
at the early age of forty-eight, after q
few hours illness, with bottle of his
panacea in his pocket. We would,
however, by no means assert that all
prepared remedies are yalueless. Those
that pretend to owe their virtues to
great discoveries in medical science;
the universal remedies or "cure- alls, -
and those which require improbable
stories to bolster them up, are all prob
ably yaluelcss. There arc few, if any
specific remedies. Iodine has been
regarded as specific for scrofula; but
it will not hold good in all cases.
There is only one specific preventive
known, and that is vaccination for
smallpox. But many Of the remedies
are simply prepared prescriptions, in
daily use by the profession, and these
are salutary. Few that are valuable
contain any thing new. Patent medi.
cines are principally designed for coun-
try consumption. The idea is a good
one, though the mode of management
is wrong. 1t is certainly policy for
every family, where an apothecary is
not immediately at hand, to have q
medicine.chast Of simple remedies for
simple diseases. To make this selec.
ton wisely, requires some knowledge
and Judgment; and all remedies which
! pretend to too much, or which are adj
vcrtised too largely, should be avoided.
All powerful medicines should only be
administered by the profession.
J We think it would be we'll for medi.
cal practitioners to abate littlo in
their dignity, in regard to prepared
prescriptions. There can DO nothing
wrong in keeping common prescrip
tons prepared beforehand, or even
putting them into circulation; and GER
tainly there is nothing wrong in fairly
advertising them, for, when an article
Is good, the public should know it. A
set of remedies, agreed upon by col.
lege of physicians, and certified by
them as safe, and ordinarily used for
certain simple diseases, would probably
10 away with oil others, and prevent
imposition. 1t would be benefit to
the public; and as patent medicines
Fare now used where their remedies
would then be used, it would not be in
curious to tho profession.
DR.. Rush was once asked, What per
cont had been added to human life by
the art OF medical practitioners. lie
answered, that it depended upon
| whether old women are to be included
IN the list-if not, the addition would
| be much less. TIE same may proba.
bly, be said of patent medicines.
| AS pursuit the patent medicine
business IS not moro successful nor
profitable on an average, than any 9TH
or. n few men, Of distinguished tact,
like DR.. Wright, Of Philadelphia, pro,
prietor Of Wright's Indian Vegetable
Pills, have met with deserved success:
and few others, with moro boldness
than skill, have drawn splendid prizes;
but the majority Of those who under
take tho business without sufficient cap.
ltal or calculation, suffer the usual pen
alties of reckless speculation. A wri-
ter in the Tribune, some time since,
expressed what we regard as correct
sentiments on the subject. cit is much
oyerdone, even to ON extent beyond