The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1873-01-30
"sundrY Humbugs. !"

Under this heading, the America', Agri-
cuLtUrist is doing good work in the
monthly exhibit of current humbugs and
swindlers. If all of the newspapers in
the country would copy its articles the
people would save millions of dollars an
nually The Agricult,trist has another
commendable feature; it will not adver-
tise quack medicines If all the news
papers would initiate this feature, more
millions would be saved.
The Science of Health has to deal spe-
cially with medical humbugs. But these
are as numerous as lying. We cannot
expose them individually, and so we will
do it collectively. Instead of raiding
alter them, we propose to educate the
people away from them. So long as people
believe there Is healing virtue in things
outside of the living organism, so long
will they patronize the quacks. When
they understand that all healing power is
inherent in the living system, they will
save their money for better uses.
The reason that people are more easily
duped by humbugs and swindlers in
medicine than in any thing else is, be-
cause disease is amystery and the action
of medicines an unsolved problem. The
world has always been taught erroneous
theories on these subjects. But, until
the people can be dispossessed of their
ingrained errors, they can have a recipe
for detecting advertising knaves of all
kinds that is infallible. 1t is this: When
ever any person proposes to give you in
property or money, by gift enterprises,
lotteries, or otherwise, more value than
he asks you to invest, put him down as
cheat. If he offers to sell you a watch
worth fifty dollars for twenty-five, you
may be sure it is not worth ten. If he
offers to distribute houses, lands. jjewelry,
or quartz claims" worth million of
dollars, when million dollars (more or
less worth of tickets are sold, you may
be sure the distribution will be "found
missing"
And SO in the medicine business, when
one advertises to sell you any thing that
will impart health, write him down an
ignoramus or worse. Health depends on
the uses of normal things. No one,
whether he calls himself university"
Howard Association" q native Indian,
or a Chinese Ti=Fum-Ding, can sell any
drug or combination of drugs that will
produce or impart health. Again, when
he offers to sell curatives for incurable
diseases, as consumption in its last stage,
you may be sure that he is not an ignora-
mus. He is a villain. If he advertises
any medicine as sure cure for any dis
ease he is know nothing, or worse.
AIly OiScdSc Hlttb OS AAlGO(iOlS GER
tain circumstances If he advertises the
medicine to cure ten or twpnty diseases,
he is a knave or fool If he offers you
medicine that will purify the blood, he
is either mistaken or dishonest. There
is no such medicine.
The cunning of quacks is marvellous.
Their game is to play on human igno-
rance and credufity. They not only sell
a multitude of poisons as specifics for dis
eases, but they make merchandise by
sophisticating air, water, and food; and
in pretending to make Hygenic agencies
more Hygienic, as though God and ma
ture had bIundered Some spectators
in this line are advertising Compound
Oxygen" and an enterprising individual
has Just introduced "Vitogen" as an i'm
provement on ordinary atmosphere
Beecher says (the Beecher we mean that,
in any system Of philosophy, it is always
a mistake to leave God out. And so in
any plan of medication, it is a mistake
to leave nature out. Nature has sur
rounded us with an atmosphere very well
adapted for breathing purposes. But
nobody can sell it. 1t will not bring a
penny a ton in the market. The sickest
man alive would not buy it at any price.
But fabricate something similar and give
it taking title, and, presto, it sells.
The exercise of a little common sense,
and knowledge of the A B C's of chem
istry or natural philosophy ought to pro-
tect all thinking persons against these
peculating adventures Science Of Health.