The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-06-06
THE PATENT MEDICINE BUSINESS.

. recent report upon the manufacturing re
sources of Buffalo, contains some very interesting
facts and figures in connection with this business
Many, if not all these statements, have been Ions
familiar to u.s. but we have never before seen then
gathered together in body, as itwere, for the pur
pose Of encouraging the poor, who have no othe,
capital upon which to commence business thar
energy and enterprise. We can remember the time
when the business Of making and selling patent
medicines was not deemed very respectable, but
those fine blocks Of houses that TOWNSEND, SWAIN
and BRANDRETH built in New York and Philadelphia
and the princely returns made to the In.
ternal Revenue Bureau by these grandees oi
quackery, have wrought great change in
public opinion. Tho time was when nc
regularly educated apothecary would either
make or sell these nostrums. Regular physi-
clans, the greatest stlcklers for orthodoxy and
conservatism, to this day discountenance their
use, both in precept and in practice. Within the
last fifteen years. distinguished professor at one
Of the Philadephia Irregular" medical schools, in
stigated thereunto by the love Of filthy lucre, ap
pended his name to prescription, which was
manufactured, advertised and sold as patent
medicine. He was at once expelled from all the
medical societies Of which he was member; had
to resign his chair at the college, and has since
taught and practised with the 'irregulars." He
lost caste, and became medical pariah.
They have patent medicines in Europe to q
limited extent. The @gis Of the law there protects
the subject against danger from incompetent
physicians and ignorant apothecaries. Owing to
these numerous restrictions, it is difficult to OBJ
tain o patent Of this kind, and the eye, in conse-
quence, meets bu5 few advertisements OF this
character in English and still fewer in continental
papers. America is the paradise Of patent medi-
cine manufacturers. Here competition in this
irregular and by the code Of social morals scarce
ly lawful traffic is open to all. The Government
derives very large revenue from this branch OF
national industry; probably ten per cent of the
gross amount of sales when the heavy duty Of "a
per gallon on alcohol g taken into consideration.
The mere stamps are four per cent. on the retail
price Of the articles thus manufactured and sold
The newspaper press has done more for therapid
and gigantic development Of this trade than per-
haps all other agencies or circumstances. No
other business men so thoroughly comprehend the
importance and the value Of advertising and as q
rule, no others pay so literally or 30 punctually.
One Of the axioms Of the patent medicine business
is, that without advertising no remedy, whatever
it's merits, can be brought into general use among
the people. To make money it il necessary to
spend money-an1 this is done on scale, and
with q confidence Of proportionste returns, alto
gether unknown in any other branch Of industry in
the land. THUS we know Of one single house in
New York, which, in 1866, expended $3.50, 900 for
printing and advertising. We cannot see why
other lines Of business should not reap similar ad
ysntageous returns, if they would make use Of
this same means to introduce their wares to the
public.
AS this article ia not designed as an advertise
ment, we refrain from publishing the names Of the
leading grandees, who have made their millions
by selling patent medicines. Any one curious in
such matters, can find them in the last number Of
DeBoao's Reuie,o,
We will conclude these desultory remarks by
giving an incident from our own experience. We
were in New York about seven or eight years ago,
and &C ,identally becams acquainted with manu-
facturer Of patent 'plaster" Of the very name Of
which We had until then been in hlisaful ignorance.
We were invited to dinner and accepted. Our ma
bob bad large and very stylish establishment in
one of the fashionable streets in Brooklyn. The
furniture was very showy and expensive. Books
and pictures in profusion. We dined at P. NJ,
and if the company was not as recherche as that
found at an English ncSlemans table, the dinner.
the plate and the wines were all Of the best, and
left nothing to be desired il only We could have
divested ourselves Of the idea, that those truaes,
that boned turkey, and the ehGeau Rorgauz all had
flavor Of G. Plaster" Qu,d rides was the
toast which suggested itself to us. This was be-
fore tho days Of "shoddy"-but, we suppose, in its
essence and nature somewhat akin to that more
modern order Of nobility.