Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1902-10-17
THE QUAKER DOCTORS
HOW PAlPABlY THE PEOPLE
HAVE BEEN SWlNDLED,

HOW PALPAeLY THE PEOPLE
HAVE BEEN SWlNDLED.
When Rogues Fall Out, Honest Men Should
Learn to Avoid Such Impostions; But will
They?-tiow "OiI Of Life" and Catarrhal
Salts" Are Made-Thsir Specially Prepared
Soap and Salve Were Made From the Ordi.
nary Commercial Article in Both Instances
The Tape Worm Was a Scared Banjo String
The street fakirs and quack doctors
are always in evidence at fairs and
carnivals where many people congre-
gate. Men live by their wits and con-
slider that they show wonderful abili-
ties in robbing the people. The only
way to prevent an increase of this sort
OF robbery is through proper municipal
legislation. 1t was only short time
ago that many Olympia people were
swindled by these same "Quaker Doc
tors" The following story taken from
The Dalles (Ogn.) Chronicle, is an il
lustration OF the trend OF fakirism and
its results when disputes get into their
ranks:
"There was fun to burn in show
town last night, and people who visit
ed the quakers were given a double
dose of medicine, the genuine article
and dose that had fermented. The
latter was given by Brother Frank,
who, it appears, had had trouble with
the aggregation the night before, and
with bis wife had been discharged. He
spent yesterday in hunting up flaws
in the charter and dealings of his
brethren, and last night posted him.
self on an adjoining lot and proceeded
to denounce them with all the fervor
of sore.head. So far as most Of his
assertions were concerned the think
ing portion Of the community had no
issue; it matters little to them wheth.
er travelling people of that kind are
humbugs, frauds, or what not; they
have no dealings with them, but pat
ronize the business men of tho city,
those whose interests are here and
who help to build up the town.
However, it seems to worry the
doctors somewhat, for they dismissed
the crowd, disbanded last night and
left on the early morning train, leav-
ing the Magician and his wife and the
comedian and his wife here. The lat
ter left this afternoon. A number who
patronized them and drank bottle
after bottle Of the healing balms' are
also said to feel somewhat cheap; but
let other similar aggregations come
along aud it will be the Same thing
over again.
Among the other things he said
was that Brother John had no license
to practice medicine, but was travel
ing on his brothers license. This is
thought to have frightened them.
The following is also taken from his
denunciations:
"Their herbs they get from Wood
ward & Clarke, at Portland, 81 per
gross and sell them to the people at
81 package.
"These herbs are composed OF bitter
aloes and licorice root, some chopped
hay and old leaves.
"The oil of life they make them.
selves. When they get to town they
buy five-gallon can of gasoline and
one gross of bottles. They pour the
gosoline into the bottles, add little
wood alcohol, some camphor. red pep
per and turpcntine to take away the
gasoline emell, and little root to
color it. This they sell for SO cents .
bottle.
The catarrhal salts the comedian
mixed himself under the direction of
the doctor and were composed OF equal
parts of r. s. v. P. salt, Arm and
Hammer brand Of coda and borax,
ground together and run through q
sieve. This they sold for so cents q
package.
"Their specially prepared soap was
nothing more than ordinary CASTLE
soap cut up into small bars.
"Their salve was the ordinary car
bolated salve that can be bought in
any drug store.
"Those who came to their Office
for treatments the doctors put through
q special course and gave them y
tonic OF specially prepared herbs. This
decoction was mixed by the comedian.
The last batch was made last Monday
at which time he bought 81 worth of
sugar from Browns grocery store,
half. filled 20 l6- ounce bottles with it,
poured in some water and let it dis
solve until it got clear, then added
one.half drachm phosphoric acid, two
drachms of hydrastus and one-half
drachm OF nux vomica. For the priv
ilege OF taking these special courses
the people pay from $50 to $3.50.
"Their plan of taking tapeworms
were the ordinary methods used by
giving dose of male fern and cascara.
This method generally removes most
OF the tapeworm but leaves the head,
so that the worm grows again. In
order to make the heads they take q
small piece of the 'H string OF a
banjo, chew it up and brown it in a
flame and drop it in bottle and il
cannot be told from the real head.
" There is no such man a. DR.