Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-04-27
:. EpITOR,s BACK STAIRs.D
The Interesting Views of the lat
De. j. q. Holland.

DE. j. q. Holland.
The columns of the newspapers appear
to be flooded with proprietary medicine
advertisements. As we cast our eye
over them, it brings to mind an article
that was published by the late DIR. Hol-
land in Scribner's Monthly. He says !:
Nevertheless, it is fact that many of
the best proprietary medicines OF the day
were more successful than many physi-
clans, and most of them, it should be
remembered, were at first discovered or
used in actual medical practice. When,
however. any shrewd person, knowing
their virtue, and foreseeing their popu-
larity, secures and advertises them, then,
in the opinion of the bigoted, all virtue
went out of them"
Is not this absurd?
This great man appreciated the real
merits of popular remedies, and the abb
surdity of those that derided them
because public attention was called to the
article and the evidence. of their cures
If the most noted physician should an
nounce that he had made study of any
certain organ or disease of the body, or
make his sign larger than the code size,
though he may have practiced medicine
and been leader in all medical 'coun-
sells, notwithstanding all this, if he
should presume to advertise and decline
to give his discovery to the public, he
would be pronounced quack and q
humbug, although he may have spent his
entire life and all his available funds in
perfecting his investigations.
Again we say "absurd."
1 II an ulcer is found upon ones arm,
and is cured by some dear old grand
mother, outside of the code, it will be
pronounced by the medical profession an
ulcer OF little importance. But if treated
under the code, causing sleepless nights
for q month, with the scientific treat
ment, viz, plasters, washes, dosing with
morphine, arsenic and other vile sub
stances, given to prevent blood poison
ing or deaden pain, and yet the ulcer
becomes malignant, and amputation is
made necessary at last, to save life, yet
all done according to the ''isms" of the
medical code. This is much more graft
flying to the medical profession, and adds
more dignity to that distinguished order
than to be cured by the dear old grand
mothers remedy.
This appears like severe arraignment,
yet we believe that it expresses the true
standing of the medical profession in re-
gard to remedies discovered outside oi
their special ''isms." One of the most
perplexing things of the day is the popu.
larity of certain remedies, especially War.
ner's Safe Cure, which we find for sale
everywhere. The physician of the high.
est standing is ready to concede its merits
and sustain the theories the proprietors
have made-that is, that it benefits in
most of the ailments of the human sys.
tenn because it assists in putting the kid.
neys in proper condition, thereby aiding
in throwing off the impurities of the
blood while others with less honesty and
experience deride, and are willing to see
their patient die scientifically and accord.
ling to the code, rather than have him
cured by this great remedy.
i Yet we notice that the popularity oi
the medicine continues to grow year by
year. The discoverer comes boldly be.
fore the people with it's merits, and pro.
claims them from door to door in oul
opinion much more honorably than the
physician who, perchance. may secure 9
patient from some catastrophe, and il
permitted to set bone of an arm or 9
finger, which he does with great dignity
yet very soon after he takes the liberty
to climb the editors back stairs at
O'Clock in the morning to have it an
nounced in the morning paper that "Dr
So-and-so was in attendance" thus
occurring for his benefit beautiful and free
advertisement.
We shall leave it to our readers to say
which is the wiser and more honorable.