Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1882-03-07

tlChico yOuI ocii-ioNcj SN"eS J~
Importance in exaggeratipg that Of
your disease; comforts you with q
good, sympathetic scare, and de-
pletes your veins and your pockets
with admiral eeusnimity, and you
are satisfied Popular Science
Jour-, 1881, page 1881
In spite of the law these quacks
are so sure of their lies going un-
punished, that, If they are not ar
rested In their audacious course,
they may, some day, demand, In
the name of humanity and science,
the suppression Of regular physi-
clans.
10 the medical quacks we must
add another kind, not less hurtfui,
not less terrible; 1t Is the entire
class of "patent medicines" THESE
are to be found everywhere; In
town and country; in the rich
mans house as well as among the
poor; and everywhere they are
employed at random, and often
with great detriment to the sick.
Those who fabricate them are
quack druggists, outraging the
laws of nearly every civilized coun-
try that forbids the doctor to be q
druggist and the druggist to prac-
tice medicine.
In 1855 [ was called as witness
before a tribunal, at Oakland, IN a
case of malpractice. A child OF
two or three years old had fever,
caused by dysentery. A regular
physician from San Francisco had
been called, who prescribed for the
case. The following day, seeing
that the fever continued, the father
gave it strong dose Of patent med
icIne against fever, continuing at
the same time the treatment pre-
scribed by the physician. The day
after the administration OF the
patent medicine the child died.
Then followed suit for malprac-
tica. 1t was proved that the pat
ent medicine, which was an arsen-
ical solution, good for curing inter-
mittent fever, had been given In
too strong doses, and that the child
had been poisoned. The physician
was acquitted, but nothing COM
pensated him for his lost time,
money expended, and the injury
that this unjust trial would do to
his reputation; and yet the patent
medicine inventor, the grocer that
sold it, and the father who admin
isterad IL. and who were the only
culpsble parties, were never pros
ecuted.
One OF our most highly esteemed
colleagues in San Francisco was
consulted by person having
chronic scrofulous Inflammation OF
one eye, that had existed ABOUT
year. Our colleague prescribed 8
collyre and appropriate general
treatment. AT the end OF a week
the patient, thinking that he was
not improving rapidly enough,
employed patent liquid for sore
eyes. Two days later the chronic
Inflammation was replaced by
violent acute inflsmm alton, and
the fourth day, liberation ensuing,
the eve was lost. Two months
later the patient brought suit for
malpractice which lasted long
time. The physician was aequit-
ted; but what loss of time! Whist
money expended! and what snx1-
ETY.! 1t was shown before the
Court aud jury that the employ
msnt of the patent medicine had
been the sole cause OF the loss of
the eye. Here again the innocent
doctor was attacked, while the
maker and seller OF the patent
LIQUID, who were alone cuipable,
were in no way molested. Many
similar cases, too numerous to
mention, exist in the history OF
medicine.
DR.. Crosby, of New York, was
right in saying: ga groundless suit
should not be undertaken with i'm
punity, aud the plaintiff should be
properly punished, by iDfiction of
extra and unuusal costs upon him
by the Courts. If our courts could
go o step farther and infllct any
merited punishment on persons
who instigsted such suite, il would
be a great service to society"
In the meantime those who put
these medicines in circulation are
irresponsible, and yet they employ
for their introduction eli the re-
sources of publicity. All drug
stores end groceries are filled With
them, and, in pompous circulars.
they try to prove that all diseases,
of whatever nature and cause, are
cured by the same box of pills, by
the same bottle of liquid; and the
sick, who often have never learned
to understand their own constitu-
ton, and who do not know what is
the matter with them, swallow,
with confidence, the patent med
icine, without knowing that the
same remedy that cures one kind
of pain or fever can be very dread
full 10 others When the pills or
liquids prescribed by the quack
druggist OCCASION new torments,
that often mark the first symptoms,
q doctor is called, who then be-
comes responsible for the result of
q medicine the nature an compO.
siti0n of which he Is ignorant;
while the real culprit, the real pois-
oner, Is peaceful aud irresponsible,
several thousand miles away. The
quack doctor has always certain
responsibility resting on his con-.
science, and the law can sometimes
reach him, while the quack drug
gist is sheltered from every attack,
and his conscience is easy, for he
does not know aud has never seen
the patient, who, in fact, he has
treated, and whose life he has inn
periIed.
Duck doctors and quack drug
gists are always sure OF findiny &C.
completes; without them they
would remain unknown; without
them the public would ignore that
they were the greatest doctors in
the world; that they alone have
The power to cure all diseases and
that the most noted practitioners,
past present and future, have been,
4 l..