Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-19
POISON IN MEDICINES
LONDON ALARMED BY SALE OF
DANGEROUS CURES.
Patent Preparations Compounded Of
Unknown and Unwholesome
Ingredients.
From the Pail Mall Gazette.

From the Pan Mall Gazette.
1t is generally supposed that each sale of
such drugs as morphia or strychnia is
registered by the chemist in book kept
for that purpose, the buyers signature
and address are taken. and so forth. These
formalities are no doubt observed If a
scheduled poison be asked for under its
proper name. Caveat emptor is a good
maxim; here the seller must also beware.
AS a rule he takes some pains to ascer-
tain the bona fides of his customer. But
there are many nostrums containing poi
son. so-called patent medicines. which are
easily obtaipable; Blanks syrup. essence,
or sedative mixture relies entirely upon its
poisonous constituents to produce the de-
sired effect, and 1t can be purchased with
out question at any drug store. Although
the chemist may refuse to sell a grain of
morphia without a prescription, he will
readily hand over a bottle of somebody's
patent pain destroyer. knowing full well
that this contains large quantity of that
same drug. Can there be a better exam
pie Of straining at a gnat and swallowing
a camel.
Too Much Choral.
A case in point occurred not long since.
In this instance an American compound
much in use was purchased, and an over
dose taken with fatal effect. 1t was proved
at the inquest that each fluid dram of
this mixture contained: Choral hydrate,
Is grains; bromide of potassium, Is grains;
extract of cannabis indica, Is grain, and
extract of hyoscyamus, l-S grain. Four
hundred and eighty grains of choral in
that four-ounce bottle; sufficient to kill
half a dozen men. This was secret rem
edy. sealed with a government patent medi-
cine stamp. The chemist did not know I'M
til afterward that # was anything but a
harmless mixture.
The Poison Schedule.
In a trade price list recently issued by
wholesale firm of druggists sundries men
there are no less than 22t patents contain
ing posons mentioned in the poisons sched-
ule Of the pharmacy act. 1t is safe to say
that all of these preparations may be
bought for the asking any day in London.
The law for regulating the sale of poiSons
Is clear enough; the posons mentioned in
part Of the scheduled list must not be
sold unless the purchaser is known to the
seller. A full entry of the transaction must
be entered in special book, and the article
properly labeled. The poisons in part of
the lists need only be labeled. These regu-
lations are not complied with in the selling
of poisonous proprietary medicines.
Revenue From Stamps.
The revenue derived from the sale of pat
ent medicine stamps exceeds quarter of
million per annum. A threepenny stamp
must be affixed to an article of the value
Of a shilling, two-shilling stamp for
ten-shilhng value, and SO upward. On
each one is printed, This stamp implies
no government guarantee" Some people
read this warning and understand il, but
the ma jority do not; they have quite mis-
taken idea to the Importance of this
little pink inland revenue label, and actual
ly believe that the government is in some
rcC - a -
suits are unsatisfactory, it is likely that
they are indignant with the powers that be
for misleading them
Cures come in ever-increasing numbers
from France, America and Germany, and
the English retail druggist is unacquainted
with their composition. At best he has but
a vague idea; he cannot therefore instruct
his customer as to their use, and when the
nostrum is ordered in a prescription such
interference would be resented by both
doctor and patient.
Ready Made Nostrums.
Medical men are in some measure respon-
sible for the popularity of these nostrums.
Instead Of writing a prescription contain
ing half dozen ingredients to be dispensed
secundum artem, they frequently prescribe
one of these compound proprietary medi-
cines. In the first place, the word pat
ent" is a misnomer; no visit is paid to the
patent office, no specification or anything
of the kind is submitted. Any ignorant
person with a fad an idea of making
money is at liberty to exploit his own Sc
cret remedy, harmless or otherwise He
may fill pill boxes with dried peas, wrap
these up neatly. affix patent medicine
stamp and advertise them, say, a cure
for corns, to be swallowed three times
a day. The demand for these pills would be
proportionate to the money spent in jul
diciously advertising them.
To remedy this state of things it has
been suggested that the formulas of all
secret remedies should be sent to a gov
eminent expert for examination and report,
while those compounds containing poison
Gus drugs must be put up in colored bottles
of a distinctive shape, and the nature of
their active ingredients plainly indicated in
red letters on a label marked Poison