The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-04-04
THE METHODS BY WHICH THE SICK ARE
ROBBED, AND HURRIED TO THEIR
GRAVES.


A Few Words in Reply TO the Criti-
cisms Of SOme OF our EsfeemeG
Brethren.--The Press and Banner
by Refusing 10 Advertise Patent
Medicines. Means no Reflection
Oh Those who Take Such hdvcr.
tiselnents.
Editor Hugh Wilson, of the Press and Ban.
nc,., writes n column and a half article to tell
the people what he does not know about con
sumption, compound oxygen, and various
other patent medicine schemes. Editor VIII
son takes some very queer views OF some
things but for all that he gets up very good
wspaper-NcUbe,1'y Herald tt,td News.
The Edi or of the 1lGGcriSle Press ana Ban.
ucr, Mr.. Hugh Wilson, IS peculiar in more re-.
SpectS than one. He publishes an excellent
paper: there is none better. He is unaltcra-
SIy opposed 10 advertising what he terms
"patcnt medicines YET, strange to say, he
does good deal o! that kind OF business. IN
his last ISSUE under a large "horse-head,
with "Suilering Humanity" as the caption,
he dilutes to the extent OF a column and u
Quarter in small type, (his favorilc size) OH
Compound ONyccu. In that lengthy chuSlon
"Editcrs, Preachers and Patent Medicines
come in for full share of that ridiculc for
which the Press and Banner is SO peculiar.
The Press and Banner is especially caustlc on
ministers, and he would warn the people
against accepting for the truth any preachers
testimony as 10 the efficacy OF patent medl-
sine about which he knows nothing" &c.
But the "most unkindest cut Of all" is where
he tells the preacher who signs such certlll'
cafes that "he may he honest enough" but he
is a fool all the same; or rather that "he
doesn't know what he Is talking about AS
we have said, the editor OF the Press and Ban
ner is stoutiy opposed to advertising patent
medicines, yet in the same issue of that pa
Der in which appeared the lengthy free adj
vcrtiscmeut of compound oxygen, there ap-
Dearcd Il single patent medicine advertise
inent which occupied the space OF nearly
4
public patronage spread over the width OF
three columns and was adorned at The Top Dy
L beautiful G) female figure, III reclining pos
turc This was only one OF q dozen patalt
medicine advertisements appearing III the
same issue.-LanremscHte Herald.
III the first place, the Press and Bd'tner
wou!d thank the brethren for what they say
of "a good newspaper and 'an excellent
newspaper" We have the highest regard for
the brethren personally, and their newspn-
pers are not aXceled by any which come to
this office. Their labo1S in Journalism Is
most effective, and their careers are marked
by honor and conscientious conduct. For
this reason, we regret that they do not see ;Is
we do in the matter of patent medici
In the next place we hope that 1t may not
be out Of place for the Press and Banner to
rise to Il question OF privilege.
The Herald dnd NcWS is in error when 1t
saws that we write "a column and 4 half art-
Gle to tell the people what we do not know
abou: consumption, compound oxygen, and
various other patent medicine scheme
Friend, IL WOulQ take NOlulllcS 10 lCll UUU We
dO no. kRoW OH these subjects.
The patent medicines which the Lanuc'iS-
elite Herald finds advertised in the Press and
Banner are on the New York printed side.
We presume every reader except those of our
exchanges who are blind, are aware Of this
TACT But whether they are, or are not, II
matters nothing, we believe the medical adj
vertScmcntS are frauds and cheats Bclier-
ing rs we do and publishing our paper on q
patent inside that publishes them, it is the
more our duty to warn the people against
every advertisement which proposes to cure
the diseases which the best medical skill pro-
nounce incurable All advertisements of
medicines to cure fits are absolutely and posi-
lively at variance with the testimony Of
every medical writer OF decent Intelligence.
Tho fits cures are generally put no in ''one
dollar or 1.-TWO dollar bottles.
If the patient will take II prescription from
any decent doctor, ana Will accept the medi.
cine from the druggist, in q brown paper, and
furnish his own bottle filled with water, he
can get for ten cents, the medicine for which
he must pay two dollars-CtHd then ii rW not
curc fits. But the medical profession always
prescribe something, and they Often Settle
on something that Will not Kill outright.
All advertisements proposing to cure con-
sumption are deuSonS by which the sick are
robbed, and by which the victims are hurried
to the grave. No doctor worthy of the name,
would claim to cure consumption, and there
is not Il man On the face of the globe that
could satisfy u committee of medical mcu of
intelligence that he had been cured of
| men have been cured Of such diseases as Chill
and fever. typhoid fever, pneumonia, and
other kindred diseases, but did any man on
the face of the earth ever see Il maI who had
been cured of consumption? Consumption,
rs we understand, is 4 SiOuyhing OFT Of tho
| lungs. Amputation of the limbs we under
| stand to be cutting of of Il part Of the limb.
| Well, now, until we find L patent medicine
| that will cause an arm or Il leg TO grow out to
| its normal condition-lrom the stump" Of the
lamputated arm or leg-we need not poet TO
find patent medicine that will restore the
| lost lung.
Patent medicine men constantly herald
abroad instances where examinations after
death had proved that the alterations of the
! lungs had healed over, and where the waSto
| OF the vital part had been arrested. II is pos
siblr that there may be one CASE in Il million
where such Il result has been brought about,
| but Il greater mum Der of well authenticated
cases OF persons being buried alive can he pro.
duccd-if the after discovered position Of the
| body Is TO be taken as conclusive evidence.
| Some stories would lead us to believe that Il
great mass Of the human race are buried alive.
We all know that til is is not true. The I'M
mediate stripping and placing of the suppos-
ed dead person in the coolest place about the
| house would Kill hiin-eren II he were not
! already dead.
The physicians cannot cure consumption.
All that they can dO--;lnd that is nluch and
| OF the greatest impOrtancc-is to advise their
! patients to obey the laws of health. If they
| prescribe cod liver oil or emulsion 1t is mere
| ly To follow Il formula from which no living
! soul has been benefited. Cod liver oil Is Il
substance SO vile and so rcpulSivc, that not
| one stomach in q thousand will long tolerate
! it, and if cod liver oil could bs swallowed dali
! ly there is less nutrimcut in Il dose of ii than
! there Is In 4 single oyster or u spoonful of
| fresh butter-of course our brethren know
| that cod liver oil is given as Il nourishmcnt, t,
as food, and not because OF any medical pro-
| perties it may contain.
| AS to certificates. Many conscientious
men, no doubt, give and sign certificates to
| r;,ient medicines. But their certificates arc
worthless, and can deceive nobody except
the ignorant, or some poor unfortunate crea-
turc who may be struggling with the deadly
ussailant and who may be willing TO catch ut
| 4 straw. Let us cite an Instance of actual oc-
currencc. A lady who had been sick fer sew
eral months. and despairing OF getting well
| without medical treatment, sent for the best
doctor In the neigh borhood. One lung was
seriously affected, and as other members OF