National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-12-03


or making quack nostrums, as Solom m
said OF books, there Is no end, each day bring
ing out some new remedy, which, slnguarly
enough, rs II ia claimed, will take the place
and perform the functions of all others which
have preceded IL. OF course we do not mean
TO intimate that all these things are valueless,
but yet human credulity is so strong that some
interruptions person, trading on the fears OF
hyp0ehondriacs or sickly people, only needs, rs
the late lamented SpoOpendyko would have
said, bunch Of weeds and gallon of water
70 be wholesale drug store. Among the
Things which appeal most strongly to this
" are Bltters; The, very name Is In
American is of such character that he is CON
SANITY in need Of tonic. He is rushed at his
business, swallows his meals hastily and with
out any thought us TO the capacity of his stom-
ach Tor digestion, takes little rest, aud neccs-
sarily feels hipped; is subject to headache, and
taxes often gloomy view OF things generally.
In such cases he resorts to bitters under the
delusion that they will act on tho seerotlons OF
the stomach and give the system new strength
and energy. Men with active brains, whose pro-
LESSONS compel them 70 lead sedentary lives,
also long for q tonic. They may be opposed TO
the use of what are popularity called stmu.
iants, meaning fermented liquors, and so they
lay the tiattering JUNCTION to their souls, that q
wine glnsslul of some bitter decoctlon will
STEADY their nerves, supply their brains with
gray matter, and exhilarate them without.after
depressing. A little thought would show them
writer recently purchased samples of four of
the most .widely.advertscd blttors In the mar.
ket, and the simple chemical analysis to
which they were subjected showed that they
contained about 80 per cent. Qhc amount tho
government nllowsl of the most poisonous and
ndulternted alcohol, and that the rcsidnum
consisted of various foreign substances, which
were simply added as fayoring extracts, to dis
guise the taste of the original compound. Tho
poorer the grade of the alcohol tho more
vicious is the compound The value which
such so'called bitters are supposed to have Is
OF purely fCtictious character. In fact, I'm
time they irritate and inlure tho delicate
membrane of the stomach, and 30 vitiato tho
taste that the palate soon cannot distinguish
between good aud bad. II is neither natural
nor healthy excitement which Is produced
by those so.called aids to digestion, and the
wonder Is that the sensible people who know
Q little, at least as to the operation of natural
laws, should allow themselves to be
so misled MS TO what the system really needs.
These decoctions are consumed principally by
the debilitated, the convalescent, the depressed,
and particularly by aged people and weak
women and others TO whom a stlmulant Is in.
dispensnble. Now. whit alcohol, especially
IN the form of whiskey, is acknowledged to be
and used by physicians for this purpose every.
where, we can't conceive why people will In
sist upon taking this alcohol In the form of II
detection, the compromising of which they
know nothing and which, as shown by analysis,
contains fusel oil: vitriol, catechu, and poisons
OF the most deadly kind. II would be far bet
ter for them to come out boldly and use tho
pure article, something made from malt which
combines both food and stimulatiyo qualities