The Washington critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1885-1888, 1885-11-30
a DELUDEO PEOPLE.

[THE PHILADELPHIA MEDGCALJoURNAL.l
OF making quack nostrums, as Solo
mon said of books, there is no end,
each day bringing out some new
remedy, which, singuarly enough, rs
II is claimed, will take the place aud
perform the functions of all others
which have preceded It, OF course
we do not mean to intimate that all
these things are valuclcss. but yet
human credulity is so strong that some
INSCRIPTIONS person, trading on the
fears of hypochondriaCs or siCkly
people, only needs as the late lamcntcd
Spoopoudykc would have said, a bunch
of weeds and a gallon Of water to be
wholesale drug store. Among the
things which appeal most strongly to
this weakness are Bittcrs. The very
name is in their favor The mode of
life of the average American is of such
q character, that he is constantly
in need of tonic. lie is rushed
ut his business, swallows his meals
hastily and without any thought Us to
the capacity of his stomach for digcs.
ton takes little rest, and necessarily
feels hipped; is subject to headache,
and takes often gloomy view of
things generally. In such cases he re-
sorts to bittcrs, under the delusion that
they will act on the sccretions of the
stomach and give the system new
strength and energy. Men with active
brains, whose professions compel them
TO lead sedcntary lives, also long for
tonic. They may be opposed TO the
use of what are popularity called stimu-
lants, meaning fermented liquors, and
so they lay the ilattcring JUNCTION to
their souls, that a wine glassful of some
bitter dccoction will steady their nerves,
supply their brains with gray matter
and exhilcrate them without af-
ter depressing. A little thought
would show them under what a
fallacy they are laboring The writer
recently purchased samples of four of
the most widely advertised bittcrs in
the market, and the simple chemical
analysis to which they were subjected
showed that they contained about 30
per cent. Ohe amount the Government
allows of the most poisonous and
adulterated alchohol. and that the resi-
DUN consisted of various foreign sub
stances, which were simply added as
| ilavoring extracts, to disguise the taste
of the original compound. The poorer
the grade of the alcohol the more
vicious is the compound. The
value which such so-callcd bitters are
supposed to have is of purely
fictitious character. In fact, in time
they irritato and iniure the deli
cate membrane of the stomach
and so vitiate the taste that
the palate soon cannot distinguish be-
| tween good and bad. 1t is neither a
natural nor healthy excitement which
is produced by these so.callcd aids to
digestion, and the wonder is that the
sensible people who know little at
least as TO the operation of natural laws
should allow themselves to be so mis-
led as to what the system really needs.
These decoctions are consumed prin-
cipally by the debilitated, the GONZALES
cent, the depressed and particularly by
aged people and weak women and
Others TO whom a stimulant is indis-
pensable. Now, while alcohol, espe-
cially in the form of whisllcy, is
acknowledged to be the best-kuown
stimulant, and is prescribed and used
by physicians for this purpose every
where, we can't conceive why people
will insist upon taking this alcohol in
the form of decoction, the compound
ing of which they know nothing and
which, as shown by analysis, contains
fusel oil, vitriol, catechu and poisons
of the most deadly kind. 1t would be
far better for them to come out boldly
and use the pure article, something
made from malt, which combines both
food and stimulative qualities.