Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-11-06
FAKE DRUGS.
How Names Of Patent Preparations
Are Often Sent Abroad.
Anne Ca Is Rapidly Eeconirg a Quinine Eat.
ing Place. They Say.

Have you heard of such and such'?''
the Journal man asked several drug
gists, the other afternoon, about a So
called drug that had been heralded by
est thing to take the place of NOR
phine.
In every case where the Journal in
uuired no one had heard of the drug
and all their latest literature, with the
names of the latest discoveries and all
that. had never heard of the article.
This looked strange when an article
in paper but day or two ago gave
lengthy description, giving the
chemical analysis and all the particu-
lars as regarded the administration,
the effects and the dose.
1t was claimed of this drug that it
could be administered as in hyperder-
mic form or internally. half as much
of the drug accomplishing the work of
morphine. while none of the after eff
fects were felt.
another advantage of this new drug
is that, though it is 50 powerful for
good" claims the paper, 1T requires
10 times as much of it to poison a per-
son a person as it does or morphine, or
100 times as much of it as cocaine.
Another, and the greatest, quality pos
sessed by it is that, unlike caf-
feline and morphine, Indulgence in it
cannot become habitual. In fact, 1t
has been used with success in curing
those addicted to the use of these
drugs The growing tendency to NOR
phinism is we'll illustrated in some
late German statistics. 1t appears
from these that of 100 morphine fiends
% were women, As of the men We're
physicians, Is We're workmen, seven
scholars, three apOthecaries and two
officers OF the 25 women 10 were
either the wives or daughters of ply
sicians. Here is proof of the ease with
which the morphine habit may be con-
tracted by those who have much to do
with drugs"
II think perhaps | can explain that,
suggested Mr.. F. r. Partridge. There
are many fake stories started in some
manner regarding new drugs and the
public cannot help but swallowing
them, as it requires man of great
reading to keep up with the new prep
arations. There are numberless
number of them and to keep up abreast
of the times one must study carefully.
This gives the fake remedy man
chance to work.
Not long ago one of our drug maya
zines gave an exposure on the morphine
treatment advertisements. A man will
get out some new treatment. He will
secure the aid of a chemist or a doctor
and that man will write out an article
that will find it's way into print. This
is copied by paper after paper until the
name of the trticle is carried to all
over the country. When it has such
a reputation the public is ready to ac
cept it as a fact and it is possible that
there may be good call for the arti-
Gle, when the people are unaware they
are being led on by a fake story that
was made purposely to catch them.
Then another thing. these new
n a. yic.t oil
but are the mere fabrications of some
persons brain, as they make up a good
story and not one reader out of a thou
sand knows the difference
The druggists are talking about qui
nine. 1t is thought that possibly the
people of this country are becoming
quinine eaters, as one-third of the
qunine Of the world is consumed in
America.
THE official figures in the report of
the bureau Of statistics of the treasury
department of the United States shows
that there We're imported last year, in
to this country 1883, O56, $50 grains of the
drug" said one druggist. More than
$4,000 grains of it We're consumed by
our soldiers, last year.
"Quinine peruvian and Calisaya
bark is the product of the chincona
tree, which is a native of western South
America, more especially in Peru,
though about two-thirds of the crop
now comes from the island of Java.
THE price of the drug has decreased
wonderfully in the past few years. At
one time it was away up with the
clouds, but of late years it has come
down. / can remember when the little
pills We're sold for five cents apiece,
and now they are 10 cents a dozen for
the two-grain variety.
Many of our customers think no
more of taking quinine than they do of
drinking water, as some do not obtain
the same results as others. With some
there is said to be no after effect, while
others have a dizzy head of a slight
deafness. l know many people who
do not dare to take quinine on account
of its effects upon them. Yet, l believe