The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1881-06-29
Family Companion Literature Miscellany News Agriculture Markets.
NEWBERRY, S. c., WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 1881.

tary mcdicines-medicines which !
have been discovered by pbysi-
clans or chemists. and patented in
order to keep valuable propertyin !
the possession Of the person who /.
first found it ont. They are good, !
and it is we'll that we have them.
Merely because they have been
patented or copyrighted is no
argument against them.
But among these medicines
which you sec advertised are some
which in my opinion are nothing
more than slow poisons; aye; |
might say, worse than poisons. l
don't suppose any one, except a
man in my business, would see a
1.-THE of the harm they do ; that
is, others might see it, but not re-
cognize the cause. Look at it for
a moment. am duly qualified
druggist under the laws of the
State. By those laws | am for
bidden to sell certain drugs with
out a prescription from physician
More than that, | am expected to
know enough to be able to tell
whether physician, in writing
prescription, has combined drugs
in dangerous quantities and, if
be has, my business is to notify
him, in order that he may cor
rect the mistake. In addition
to the drugs mentioned in the
law, which are chiefly poisons, by
the way, there are others which
I would, in common with all drug
gists of my standing, refuse to
sell, except upon order OF a physl-
clan. But in these patent medl-
cines may be these very drugs,
and l know nothing about them.
l may suspect their presence after
noticing the effect the medicines
have; but the mischief is done
then. The position held by drug
gists in the community is little
peculiar. We are retail traders,
dealing in drugs as articles which
people buy; but, in addition to
that, we have to guard the people
and prevent them buying things
which we have to sell, but which
may do them harm. There is not
a day passes but what I am asked
for drugs which would be dan
gerous unless used intelligently
that is, with a clear idea OF the
danger as we'll as the benefit OF
them. When I sell such things,
1 tell the purchaser about them,
and in this way guard against
evil consequences. The greatest
danger in connection with patent
medicines is that the men who
sell them-the druggists,-do not
know what is in them. By that
lack of knowledge the community
is deprived of the safeguard which
it insists on having in other
branches of my business. Unless
1 have passed an examination and
shown myself qualified, l am not
allowed to sell drugs. Why ?
Because the people, through the
Legislature, require me to know
enough to guard the community
in which l live. How can l do
this, selling patent medicines,
when | know nothing at all about
their composition ? l have heard
! it said that the Patent Office will
refuse TO patent a burtful com
pound. Even if it does, there is
no such check on copyrighted
labels; and half of the medicines
are protected by these. But sup
pose the Patent Office should SO
refuse to patent a medicine if dan
gerous, thereby obliging the pat
entee TO send to the Office med
icine which is safe ; what is there
to show that these medicines are
, made according to the formula
sent IN ? Nobody examines them
the only analyst who tries them
, is the stomach, and its report is
, never published, unless it be in
the death-rate. 1t is not mere
, supposition on my part,-thIs 'de'
of medicines not coming up tc
formulas. l remember . case
where it was proved that a paten1
medicine-one largely sold, minc
r you,-had not one grain of the
drug which it was supposed to be
an extract of in it. Cheaper anc
t stronger remedies had been sub
e stituted; yet the formula in The
f Patent Office was all right. Where
q was the check on that manutac
q turer