The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-05-24
EDITORS BACK STAIRS"
The Interesting Views Of the Late DR..
J. G. 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 Or. Hol-
land in Scribner's Monthly. He says:
Nevertheless, it is a fact that many OF
the best proprietary medicines OF the day
were more successful than many physl-
sicians, 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 alb
surdity of those that derided them be-
cause 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 a study OF any
certain organ or disease of the body, or
make his sign larger than the code size,
though he may have practised medicine
and been leader in all medical cOunsels,
Notwithstanding all this, if he should pre-
sumo to advertise and decline to give his
discovery to the public, he would be pro-
nounced a quack and a humbug, al
though he may have spent his entire
life and all his available funds In perfect
ing his investigations.
Again we say "absurd."
If an ulcer is found upon ones arm and
is cured by some dear old grandmother,
outside of the code, it will be pronounced
by the medical profession an ulcer of lit
tie Importance. But if treated under the
code, causing sleepless nights for month,
with the scientific treatment, VIZ, plast-
ers, washes, dosing with morphine, ar
senic and other vile substances, given to
prevent blood poisoning 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 gratifying to the medical profession,
and adds more dignity to that distinguish
ed order than to be cured by the dear old
grandmother 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 of
their special "isms." One of the most
perplexing things of the day IS the popu-
larity of certain remedies, especially
Warmers Safe Cure, which we find for
sale everywhere. The physician of the
highest standing is ready to concede its
merits and sustain the theories the pro-
prietors have made-that is, that it
benefits In most of the ailments of the
human system because it assists in put
ting the kidneys in proper condition,
thereby aiding in throwing off the inn
purities of the blood, while others with
less honesty and experience deride, and
are willing to see their patient die scien-
tifically, and accordingtO 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 pro-
claims them from door to door in our
opinion much more honorably than the
physician who, perchance, may secure a
patient from some catastrophe, and is
permitted to set bone of an arm or a
finger, which he does with great dignity,
yet very soon after takes the liberty to
climb the editors back stairs at 2 o'clock
in the morning to have it announced in
the morning paper that CDR. So-and.so
was in attendance" thus securing for his
benefit beautiful and free advertisement.
We shall leave it to our readers to say
which is the wiser and more honorable.