The Wilmingtonian., 1885-03-07
THAT DOCTOR BILL
A SHAMEFUL ATTEMPT AT
MONOPOLY.
A few Physicians Want 20 Legislate
Patients Into Their
Doctor Shops.

out the exact formula and proportions oi
each ingredient of such proprietary medicine
or cure or remedy appearing by printing oil
writing on each bottle or package, SO that il
can be seen and read openly, and every per-
son so offending, shall be deemed gnilty
of q misdemeanor, and shall upon conviction
thereof by indictment, be fined not less
than fifty nor more than one hundred dol
lars for the first ofense, and for every sub
sequent offense-dollars and imprision-
ment for thirty days.
SECTION 2 Any pearson who shall know
ingly sell or offer for SALE any bottle or
package ofany proprietors medicine, cure
or remedy which shall have printed or wit
ten on the label any formula or statement
of any ingredients which shall not be exactly
true, and shall differ in any way from the
exact statement of the contents of said bot
tie or package, every such person so offend
ing, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor,
and, shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined
not less than five hundred dollars for each
and every offense.
The above is the context Of bill formu-
lated by coterie of physicians in Whining
ton, and in behalf of said physicians was
presented to the Legislature at Dover by
DR.. Cooper. Look at the bill, turn it over
and it will strike you as the most brazen-
faced piece of legislation, in the interests of
monopoly, ever asked for by any class of
mon.
1t is pertinent to the merits of this case to
inquire who asks for this extraneous legisla-
tionP Is it the people? No. no, but it is
the physicians, and their intentions are so
palpable that no amount of specious plead
ing can disguise their motives. Between the
lines of the above bill it can be read that
there are some hysicians in this community
who are not supported by the public as they
imagine they should be, and they as that
every avenue of medication for the afflicted
shall be shut off except tile avenue which
leads direct to their doctor shops.
Suppose for moment that the bill should
be made law and oil proprietary medicines
for man or beast should be debarred the
public, what would be the logical result
Simply this, if any member of this commu-
nifty should desire a little cough syrup OF a
laxative he must forsoooth go direct to
Doctors office, pay him dollar Cor what
ever else the doctor should care TO ask, as he
could extortionize at bis own pleasure), then
repair to an apothecary to be subjected to
the same bleeding process. Monopoly is the
parent of extorton, and as there were physi-
clans who could be found to demand that
they should have monopoly of the
sick, so they likewise would oe expected to
reap the advantages that such monopoly
would insure.
The bill demands that the formulae ofPro-
prietary medicines shall be written out in
detail and posted on the wrapper Of each and
every bottle, parcel and package. Right
well did the originators of that bill know
that the manufacturers of Proprietary medi
cine would not and could not instantly con-
form to this provision; for just as soon as the
formula is printed it becomes general pro-
perty, and is no longer source of profit to
the manufacturer; and If the progenitors of
the medicine bill had have been honest in
their declaration to benefit the public by
their demands, they would also have incsr-
porated i'll said bill provision compelling
physicians to wiite their prescriptions in
either decent Latin or plain English.
1t is claimed by the Parents of the Medi-
cine bill that the formula printed on the
wrappers would be an advantage to the COM
munity at large, while we recognize that it
would be an advantage for some to have
their physicians to copy the printed formulas
on the patent medicine wrappers and incor-
porate said formulas into their prescriptions,
yet we do not understand the moral right
doctors would have to build up reputation
at the expense of the manufacturers of Pro-
prietaTy medicine.
Section 2 of this remarkable bill says
"That any person selling or Offering for sale
any package or any bottle of medicine that
shall have formula printed thereon which
shall not be exactly true shall be fined not
less than five hundred dollars" Whoever
the man maybe who suggested or in any
way was responsible for Section ''2" must
be put down as a first-cass idiot. A drug.
gist does not guarantee the strength of any
Proprietary medicine, and Furthermore there
: is not druggist in the city of Wilmington
with the probable exception Mr.. F. Smith
who could give both the quantitative ant
= qualitative analysis of an average proprietary
Q compound.
] The concluding part of Section 2 is as
: astounding as the first part of said Section
1t says: "If any statements of the effects
are not strictly true as sscertained by trial
S then the seller shall be fined five hundred
/ dollars;' an answer to this Section can bC
0 made by asking, do the prescriptions Of
: these shining lights in the medical world
g. always prove inIallible2 For reply go tc