National Republican., 1885-12-08
TIE DEATH or A POPULAR DE
LUSION.
What Dr. j. Clark siay, NJ. ID, Says in
the Philadelphia "Medical aud Sur
ofcuI Taport.v,s Of Yro,

What DIR. j. Clark Siay, NJ. ID, Says In
the Philadelphia "NIedicaI aud Sur
gical Reporter" of Iron.
| Long before medicine was entitled to rank
| rs a science iron in some form was given 10 the
sick. In the liist records simply metallic iron
in state of minute division was given.
| Whether the patient died or recovered a Ger.
tain virtue was attributed to its use. and Gus.
tom regarded II as one of the proper things to
| take With the advance in knowledge con-
| cerning the human body Il was found that the
manner in which the blood received its nOur.
ishment made It impossible for iron, in that
| form at least, to ever reach the blood. This
fact, however, did not deter many from still
| seeking TO know whether out OF iron could
not be obtained some good and apparent re-
| suit
The opinion of very largo number Of the
| members of the medical profession on this
| subject may be easily deduccd by the follow
| ing quotations from an article on Iron as
Medicine" by Clark Stay, NJ. d., which ap-
| peared IN the Medical and Surgical Reporter
| March q, 1886:
Some physicians have continued to give,
| while others have returned to giving, simply
| metallic iron In n state of minute division
| as being preferable to any of its preparations
| but these are very few in point OF numbers, for
| they soon reach the conclusion that iron plays
but little or no part In the healing art, aud II Is
| discarded entirely from their lists" The best
| that this frank author can say of other forms
| ie that they are very slightly astrngent."
| The argument is advanced that iron, like many
| other medicinal agents, must be taken In COM
| bin9tion with some other ngent 10 develop It's
| qualities Reasoning from the facts we have
| presented, why combine with any form of iron,
| or any other preparation, when by the use OF
| alcohol in the form Of a whiskey there cun be
| most certainly induced an appetite for aud an
| ability TO digest regular articles of diet known
| TO contain oil the elements necessary for the
| sustenance or repair of the body IN health aud
| disease? of course II Is essential that the
| whiskey should be absolutely pure free from
| fusel oi) and made from mnlt. Not only has
| iron iailed to show the advantages once
claimed, but startling evidence has been given
| which proves that in chronic lung affections
II is apt to produce congcstiyc trouble. With
| many II produces constipation in its worst
form, causing headache and distressing ncrv-
Gus effects, which make the use Of iron impos
slble In any form.
Error Is slow to die ana the popular idea
| must be met, and therefore 1t Is that the motto,
Beef, Winc and Iron" graces the by.pahs
and highways Of human travel
| The merit claimed for some Of these articles
| rests on the unqupstionable fitct TINT the iron
contained is so wonderfully combined that no
chemical test will show ITS presence. The fact
being that absolutely no iron whatever exists
in these preparations, the manufacturers pre-
ferring to rest their own chances for profit on
an article consisting but too often Of cheap
and deeterious whiskey, marked with the
flavor of some extract, which may induce an
abnormal appetite, giving. however nothing
TO aid digestion, and eventually leaving tho
disabled system weaker than at the beginning