The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-07-07
Patent Panaceas.

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! Patent Panaceas.
| "Well, sir; Yes, sir, I do recollect n
good mary patent medicines in my time. !"
said the old druggist, IS he glanced over
the .hottle.laden counters ''Some of
them have gone out of fashion, some of
them are no longer made, aud some of
them l have upon tho shelves still. It
is curious, though, how the use Of them
has increased. When first went into
business, and that's over thirty years ago
now; there were only two or three cold.
Most of the stuff people used to take
then was ordered by the doctor or given
by the vomen.foiks In the form of herb
teas Even the patent medicines were
more attempts to take the place OF the
herbs every woman had in the house
then, than regular compounds Of drugs.
Saisaparilla,' hich had run from 40
to 46, and then disappeared. Ayers and
Morris's extracts of the same plant came
in about the ne that Townsend's went
out, and sell them still. Wistar's
'Baisam Of Wild Cherry too, is one of
the oldest; and Pulmonary BaIsam'
dates from 1925, yet sell it to-day. But
most of them die out. They run for
about ten years, as rule, and theE we
hear little about them. As I lust said.
the first came to take the place Of the
homemade decoctions of herbs. Then
came the reign Of che bittes, about the
time the war broke out, and every one
took to drinking them, either as medi-
cine or because they liked them. OF late
years, notice that the proprietors OF
patent medicines talk less about what
they are made Of aud more about the
good they will do the purchaser. The
method of placing them upon the market
Is different. They used to leave them
with us to sell; thatis, we would take a
dozen bottles, and. when the agent came
rouno, would pay for what We got rid OF.
NOW, bless your soul, we have to pay for
them whether We sell or not-pay for
them when we get them. Why, I SUD-
pose l have got in the store over eight
hundred dollars worth of them that
never have been sold, nor never will be.
But what can do? A medicine comes
out; they advertise it heavily; people
ask for it; and SO I have to keep it.
Look at that paper of ours, and count
the patent medicine advertisements
nine and half columns out of twenty.
one, eh 2? Well, don't you suppose have
to keep those things: / tell you. people
will buy what is advertised It's only of
late years that this enormously extensive
advertising has been done; that is, when
say late years, mean in the last twen-
ty. Before that, medicines were allowed
to make their own way. But now they
have got tho advertising of the,u down to
q science.
"About the effect of them on consum.
era. it is somewhat difficult to give gen.
eral opinion. People nowadays have
| given up. the simples our fathers, or
rather mothers, were SO fond of, and their
place is filled by the patent medicine.
suppose these can be divided into two
classes-those for external use and those
you swallow. The former are generally
good. They consist of liniments, pain
killers, oils, salves and things like them.
which, if they do not do any good, will
rarely do any harm. But, aa said, thev
| generally do good. I have patent medi.
cines In this store which believe TO be
just as good liniments for cuts and bruises
as any doctor could get up. / use them
| myself, aud recommend them TO others.
But when you begin 70 look ct the other
class-those which are to be Swallowed
| it's horse of another color; some of
them are good, too. You take some of
the sarsaparillas, for example, and can
| get no better extracts from the manufac-
turing druggists. Then there arc other
things which / ind the physicians con-
stantly order and. give their patients.
iaey afe what might be called pfoprie-
tary neutrality-suspicious. which have
been discovered by physicians Or chem.
ists, and patented in order to keep val
uabls property in the possession. of the
person who frat found it out. They are
good, and it is we'll that we have them.
Merely because they have been patented
I them.
1t among these medicines which you
| sc. advertised are some which in my
| opinion are nothing moro than slow poi.
icons; aye, I might say, worse than poi
eons. don't suppose any one, EXCEPT q
man in my business, would SEQ 1.-THE Of
the harm they do; that ie, others might
tsee it, but not recognize y = cause. Look
at it for moment. / nnl duly euai;-
fed druggist u1der the lava of the State.
BY those laws / am forbidden to sell GER
tain druga without a prescription from
g physician. Moro than that, am ex-
pected to know enough to be ablo to tell
whether {, physician, in writing pre-
scription, has combined drugs in danger
| S'tSS - .e-hSatASSt tAAQs IL bd It-ct my Oue1-
ness is to notify him. in order that lie
/ may correct the mistake. In addition TO
~ drugs mentioned in the law, which
are chiefly poieons, by the Way, there are
otheis which would, in COM .on with
all druggists of nay standing, refuse to
sell, except upon order of d physician.
But in these patent medicines may be
these very drugs, and know nothing
about them. may suspect their pges.
| ence after noticing the effect the rnedi-
cines have; but the miachief Ia done
then. The position held by druggists 10
the community IL little peculiar. We
are retail sSaders, dealing IN drugs as
articles Rhich people buy !; but, In aiGis
tion to that, we have 30 guard the people
and prevent them buying things which
we have 20 sell, but which may do then,
hait1. There is not o, day passes but
what l am asked for drugs which would
be dnugesous unIess Iisel intellieently !:
that IS. with q clear, idea of the danger 80
we'll SO the benefis Of them. When I
sell such thingss i tell the purchaser
about them, and In this way guard
against evil corssqnenees. The greatest
danger in connection with patent medi-
cines Is that the men ssho sell them---the
druggists--do pat know what ia In them.
BY THAI lack OF knowledge the commu-
nifty 10 deprived Of the safeguard which
1t insists on having 10 other bYahehes of
4 my business. UrlessI have passed an