The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1903-02-20
A NEW MEDICAL BILL.
An Act tn Regulate the Advertiaing and
Sale OF Proprietary Medicines With
In the State of Kansas.

The following from the Memphis
Commercial-Appeal will no doubt
prove interesting to Kansas people.
A bill somewhat similar to that de-
scribed below, but of broader scope,
Is now pending in the Kansas legis-
lature. Should the Kansas measure
pass in it's present form it would af-
feet adversely the regular" medical
fraternity, the druggist and the news
papers carrying foreign" advertis-
ng:
Once more a bill has been intro
duced in the legislature Ito prohibit
the sale or offering for sale, or giving
away any patent or other medicine,
remedy, or composition or drugs with
out the formula being printed in legi-
BILE type on each bottle or package"
This sort of thing comes up promptly
at every session of the legislature
only to be killed, as it ought to be.
There isn't q State in the Union, SO
far as we are aware, that has ever
thought it advisable to put such q
law upon the statute books. A very
little reflection will reveal to any one
the widespread confusion that would
result from the passage of such a
law; and there is certainly no demand
among the people for the elimination
Of patent medicines. 1t is said that
some Of lnese contain morphine, AID
that they would not be so widely used
If this fact were known. But every
sensible person knows that not one
man in million acquires the NOR
phine habit from using a patent med
icine. Hence this danger is entirely
mythical.
There are unquestionably a number
of excellent family remedies which
are widely used by the people. These
are especially useful to poor people.
and those who live in sparsely settled
neighborhoods. The value of their
composition lies largely in the secret
thereof If every man who makes
a really valuable patent medicine were
compelled to print the formula on the
bottle, his patent would be at the
mercy Of every pirate IN the land, and
the business would be destroyed.
Some of the household remedies
have been in use for years. and have
been tested and proved by thousands
of families throughout the State. It
would certainly work hardship upon
these people, if a law were passed
which would compel the manufacture
ers of standard proprietary remedies
to withdraw all their business from
the State. The law introduced in
the Tennessee legislature would un-
questionably have that effect.
Moreover it would embarrass the
practice of medicine throughout the
State. Would not every prescrip-
ton also have to be placed upon the
box or bottle which contained lt7 We
all know that it is much better for
a patient to remain in ignorance Of
exactly what medicine he is taking.
There are people who imagine they
cannot take quinine. or morphine or
anti-febrine. The physician knows
that at times these drugs are neces-
sary. He prescribes them in disguise
as 1t were, and the patient never
knows the difference. That some
injurious patent medicines are placed
upon the market, is true; but il the
very nature of things they cannot last
long. They fail of their own accord.
There is no necessity for any such
measure as that introduced in the
legislature; there is no demand for
it; and it would deprive the grea;
bulk of the people of Tennessee of
something they want. There is hard.
ly person in the State who does not
use some particular patent medicine
at some time. He uses it because it
accomplishes what is claimed for it.
He has tried it and knows. Certain
ly then it would be a great injustice
not only to the manufacturers of
proprietary remedies, but to almost
all the people Of the State, to cause
the withdrawal of this business from
Tennessee.-Memphis (Tenn.) Com,
mercial Appeal, February S, 1903.