The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-12-03


ingredients Of which they are as ignorant as
the man who sells it to them.
1t is astounding when we consider the
number and variety OF these venders. St
Lcuis, Mo-, alone, is said to hold over three
hundred of these vampires called medical
chemists. who issue from some hOle-in-the-
wall flaming advertisements, and all they
require is printers ink, vials and gall. The
drugs, bottled bige water, or whatever is
needed to ill the vials with, they procure as
per demand. Anything, no matter what, II
sufficiently advertised, will sell; and 1t is
reported that man In London, Eug.. struck
little fake on which he made ten million
dollars in as many months or weeks. 1t
was a very bret time at least, and still
there's more to follow.
1t ism the vulgus populi alone who are
rOped in, either. Physicians who ought TO
know better. allow themselves to use pro
prietary medicines the constituents of which
they are entirely ignorant, simply because
it's said to do so and so and 1t is convenient
and palatabe for their patients. There Is
no excuse for such things save the Incidence
or ignorance of the physician, coupled with
an unwilingness, perhaps, on the part of
some to patronize the druggist who Is en-
cased in law, as privileged character.
In this connection comes the various and
frequent fad across the water, so that the
younger practitioners vie with each other as
to which can make the most racket relative
to them, and the air is full OF microbes and
baccilli and germs of all kinds and condi-
tions. Biological products for the cure of
every all that flesh is heir to are pushed up
on the profession with persistency worthy
OF better cause, and they are too frequent
ly used to the detriment of the patient.
Take for instance Pasteur's hydrophobia
cure by inocculation of rabic poison, q
large institute for the propagation of which
was erected by government in Paris for the
late Louis Pasteur. when the fact exists
that since his death and the decline Of the
hun bug, Paris has been absolutely free
from hydrophobia, and the better part of
the profession are coming to the conclusion
that there is no such disease as idiopathc
hydrophobia That the ailment, so called,
is a purely nervous arrangement, having Its
origin solely in the imagination. People
die with simply mental Iecoil and they get
well occasionally in the same manner, la
Christian science, il we may be allowed the
expression.
The various anti toxins are followed up
with degree of pertinacity that admits OF
no dalliance and the occasional mishap that
follows their use is plastered over with the
assumed good said TO be derived 10 many. II
not most instances. But 1t must be remem-
bered that other and appropriate treatment
always accompanies their use, SO that 1t is
not easy to say with positive certainty In
any case that recovery would not have taken
place without them. One case Is In the
knowledge of the writer where thirteen
years old boy In the country was Induced
by his mother, who was nurse In diphthe.
ria hospital to come and take hypodermic
of anti-t0xin. He went back, had the dis
ease and died with 1t. The only conclusion
that we can arrive at is that the innocula-
ton killed him, as 1t did many OF Pasteur's
patients. 1t might be well right here to
note the following. DR.. w. M. Walsh, of
the Municipal Hospital, Philadelphia, In his
annual report for 1896 to the board of
health has this to say regarding the use of
anti toxin in that hospital: During the
past year anti toxin was administered alike
to mild and severe cases on admission, with
out regard to the duration of illness, the
only difference being that the severe cases
received repeated injections. or the 500
cases Of diphtheria, 553 received anti-toxin,
and Of these 142 died, giving death rate of
25.67 per cent, against 2s.l4 per cent the
preceding year; Sl6 cases did not receive
nti-toxin. and of these 81 died, death rate
of 13. 80 per cent"
1t Is undesirable for doctor to get into
rut and travel there when there is a good
professional bicycle track along the high
way of practice; neither Is 1t best to inyeigh
against all innovations respecting prehistoric
treatment, but when we come to know as
we do by recent geological discoveries that
bacteria have existed ever since the creation
of the world or since the first formation of
cell growth, at least, the idea of exterminat-
ing them with germicides seems altogether
too dIaphanous.
Another erroneous idea which is not con-
fined to the laity, is that medicine cures dis
ease, whereas the fact is that medicine cures
nothing, 1t removes obstacles, but nature