Connecticut western news., 1885-03-25
DOCTORS FURIOUS
Shall n Phystcinn Toll Inc Truth o' Notl A Nicr Point In Ethics.
! .,clL.ihlc llealIh Onieinl. -,

| ~,ci,-ibic nealth Omcinl.
 BALTtMInH, MD.-A decided sur ms bcen
 caused here over the question as to tbe right
 of physician to certify to the merits of a
 remedy not in the modern pharmacopWla
 Dr James A. Steuart one ot the most emi-
 nent physicians in tho South, and healtn
 Commissioner of this city, had anelyned
 newly-diScovered article, and certified OH
 cially not only Co .ts efficacy but to the Tact
 that it replaced old-time preparations Of
 similar character which, analyses had proved,
 were adulterated and poisonous. The medi-
 cal and chirurgical faculty, of which he is a
 member, heli that he had violated the code
 of medical ethics, and much public interest
 was aroused because of the confidence
 felt both in his professional stand
 ing and official integrity.
 It was argued that to thus place'a limita.
 tion on the acts of physician and especially
 of a health officer, was opposed to the spirit of the age; that such reasoning might have
 been logical enough when it was to the inter est of rulers or societies to invest themselves with a supernatural halo but now when
 thought should be free and untrammeled such things savored of barharisn. It was the duty of Q physician, especially of health officer, to condemn publicly any remedy which he knew to be injurious, but 10 was not right 10 say that he should be debarred from testify ing to the merits of anything which he know to be good. If this wore 30, tho world would not receive the benefit of half the discoveries
 made in art or science. Thus the people ar- gued, while the faculty threatened expulsion and talked of time honorcd customs, ethics, professional courtesy and traditions.
 But the matter soon assumed new and surprising phase. A few days afterward
 certificate appeared in the daily papers bear | ing the autograph signatures Of Governor
 McLane, Attorney General Roberts, Mayor I3atrobe, city postmaster Adreon, chiefs of State and municipal departments, judges and | clerks of courts Federal officials and Con gressmen, emphatically endorsing the action | If the health commissioner, and concmTing in his opinion as to the efficacy of the remedy, | asserting that they did so from personal ex- porienee with it and practical tests and obser- | yationS ...
 There could be no gainsaying such evidence
 as this but sif Co cap the climax, shortly after
 ward there appearei another certicate with ! autograph signatures of leading practcing ! physicians from all parts of tho State, includ. | ing the physicians of all the leading hospitals | the physician 10 the city fire department, tho | port physician, vaccine physician and resident | physicians of inhrmaries all endorsing the | discovery and stating that it had been tested ' by them in hospitals and private practice Tor
 weeks with wonderful curative effect, 1 and that analyses had shown no trnce Of | opiates or poisons, prevalent n other cough mixturcs They further stated that they hal been induced Co take this step in
 view of tho many hurtful preparations which l contained narcotics and poisons and of the | dangers consequent on ther use. The rrme | dy in question is Red Star Cough Cure, Such | a conclusive answer as this Co the narrow ar | Rtiments of the few, nrrayed public sentiment | on the side of the Health Commissioner, ahd | 1t is significant that Dr. Steuart has nnce
 been appointed to office by the Mayor for | third term, and has had his appointment
 unanimously confirmed by the City Council.
 Owing to the high professional reputation | of the gentlemen who endorsed his action, as well as to the enviable standing of the owners | of the remedy, The Charles A. Nogelcr Com pany, of this city, widespread interest has | already been created i'm the subject, not only
 here, but in Philadelphia, Washington and other neighboring cities Tho feeling is | generally expressed by professional men that | Red Star Cough Cure, on account ot it's free | dom from narcotics and poisons, inaugurates | n most desirable new departure in medicine | This is tho pronounced opinion of authorities | like Dr. Fawcett, who has been for | thirty-three years resident physician of the | Union Protestant Infrmary, in this city, and | Professor John J. Caldwell, M. D., member | of medical societies of Baltimore, New York | and Brooklyn, and with long experience in | civil and military hospitals Both of these | gcntlcmen together with no less than fifty Il other practicing physicians of Maryland | have publicly put themselves on record ns Co
 inc evil of narcotic medicines and the conse. ouent value and importance of the new dis. covery referred to. 10 is conceded that pub lie opinion has completely vindicated pr, l S,euart in his action, and that in his whole course he was actuated simply by m earnest
 desire to benefit the community at large.