Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-03-28
l-EpIroR,s BACK STAIRS
The Interesting Views of the Late DIR.
JIG. Holland.

The columns Of the newspapers ap-
pear to he flooded with proprietary
I medicine advertisements. As we east
tOur eye over them, II brings to mind an
article that was published by the late
DIR. Holland in Scribner's Monthly. He
says: Nevertheless, it il the fact that
many of the best proprietary medicines
of the day were more successful than
many physicians, 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 fore
seeing their popularity, 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
absurdity 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 announce that he had made n
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 a leader
in all medical counsels, notwithstand-
ing all this, if he should presume to
advertise and decline to Ogive his discov-
cry to the public, he would be pro-
nouneed quack and o humbug, al
though he may have spent his entire
life and all his available funds in per-
fecting his investigations.
Again we say 'absurd."
Ifany 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 Sleep
less nights for month, with the scie-
tific treatment, viz, plasters, washes,
dosing with morphine, arsenic and
other vile substances, given to prevent
blood poisoning or deadened 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 gratifying to the medical
profession, and adds more dignity to
that distinguished order than to be
cured by the dear old grandmother's
remedy.
This appears like severe arraign-
ment, yet we believe that it expresses
the true standing of the medical pro-
fession in regard to remedies discovered
outside of their special "isms." One
of the most perplexing things of the
day is the popularity of certain remedies,
especially Warmers Safe Cure, which
we find for sale everywhere. The ply
sician of the highest 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 system because
it assists in putting the kidneys in
proper condition, thereby aiding in
throwing off the impurities of the blood,
while others with less honesty and ex-
perience deride, and are willing to see
their patient die scientifically, and ac-
cOrding to the code, rather than have
him cured by this great remedy.
Yet we notice that the popularity of
the medicine continues to grow year by
year. The discOverer comes boldly be-
fore the people with its merits, and
proclaims them from door to door in
our opinion much more honorably than
the physician who, perchance, may
secure patient from some catastrophe,
and is permitted to set bone ofan arm
or finger, which he does with great
dignity, vet very soon after takes the
liberty to climb the EDITORS back stairs
at o'clock in the morning to have it
announced in the morning paper that
''Dr. So-and-so was in attendance" thus
T1Or for n ic hAnnfit haa ft1l a,,1
free advertisement.
We shall leave it to our readers to
say which is the wiser and more honor
~