The Republican journal., 1897-03-25
Garrulity About a Price List.


has been recently issued one of the most
CO mprehensive price lists ever compiled
for the use of retail druggists.
An examination of this book-which is
about by 10 inches in size and contains
120 pages-reveals many things of interest
to the general reading public.
The first 40 pages are devoted to legiti-
mate drugs, embracing every substance
used as a medicine, and all the various
preparations of each substance.
Confronted by such an immense num-
Der of drugs and chemicals, each possess
ed of power to produce an individual
effect upon the human organization, one
is led to recall the keenly sarcastic obser-
vation of the late DR.. Oliver Wendell
Holmes: "If all the medicine in the world
were cast into the ocean, it would be so
much better for men and so much worse
for the fishes.'' DR.. Holmes thrust, how
ever was directed at indiscriminate dos
ing. He never questioned the value of
medicine, in answer to rational indications.
substance, that when doctor began the
practice of medicine fresh from college
he had dozen remedies for one disease,
but after ten years he usually had one
remedy for a dozen diseases.
There are few instructors in materia
medica who have not at some time made
use of this saying in their lectures before
a class of students. And the investiga-
tions of a certain professor would tend to
show large increase of truth in the as
sertion. In 1895 27, 600 prescriptions taken
from DIR uggsts' files in various cities of
the United States were tabulated, showing
a total of 66, 673 ingredients; but only
LIT different articles were called for.
Far from rejecting upon the science of
medicine, this is but telling commen-
tary upon the limitations of the finest in
tellects when arrayed against the subtle
processes of nature. Directly in keeping
with the universal law of cause and effect
the practice of medicine is never more
than a rational attempt to assist nature,
!
own way and never discloses her ultimate
secrets.
The profoundest Imagination cannot
conceive of a physician with brain so fine
ly developed and so perfectly educated as
to know fully and accurately the need of a
diseased organism, and from the vast
store of medical substances select precise
ly the one best adapted to the case, and
administer it i'll the particular form and
exact quantity to effect the desired result
With all this in mind the remaining
10 pages of the price list form curious
study, being devoted wholly to pro-
prietary articles, generally known as
''patent medicines Under the system
of rational medication we seek the ser
vices of one who has skill and experience
to determine the nature of the trouble in
our exceedingly complicated mechanism
and aim to modify functions with drugs
only to our direct benefit But here we
have offered every possible combination
of more or less powerful factors and must
fit our disease to the remedy as best we
may, and make the struggling organism
labor still harder eliminating the medi-
cation for which it has no need, or to
overcome the effect of some ingredient
which only aggravates the existing
trouble.
/ This list embraces all "patents'' that
are carried in jobbing stocks in any sec
ton of this country, but naturally does
not include all that are manufactured. AS
/ each page averages over 100 titles, the
total gives an impressive idea of the mag
nitude of this business.
The majority of the articles come un-
der descriptive terms such as s'Remedy,"
/ col" )" ''Syrup," Extract" etc., each
combined with adjective modifiers to
form characteristic title. 'Pills'' by
! far take the lead, with over 600 different
names listed, while "cures' are a good
second. ''Sarsaparilla,' contrary to the
| general idea, is not the typical 'patent
medicine as only Is varieties are men
! toned. A large number of titles are
creations of the proprietors, and an
analysis of those built up from descriptive
words spelled phoneticly is a pleasing
pastime. Occasionally there is straight
forward declaration which is remarkably
suggestive, of which oliver Investigator
serves as an illustration.
Looking over this extensive list of pro-
prietaries, which have come into existence
for the paramount purpose of making
money for the owners, with the allevia-
ton of human suffering a secondary OBJ
ject to say the most, and rem embering the
colossal sums expended in advertising
(without which no ''patent'' will selD one
cannot fail to recall the familiar aphorls m
of the late and only Barnum relative to
the public.
A nation of drug guzzlers. A habit as
insidious and pernicious in its results,
and as far reaching, though less conspic-
uous in general effect, as many for which
legislation is demanded.
The conscientious physician of ripe ex-