New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-01-31
NO Monopoly IN HEALING.

One more for DR.. Darlington! There is some
thing particularly refreshing and inspiring in
his reported remarks upon the subject of an
"antitoxin trust" There have been unpleasant
rumors OF the formation of such trust and
it must be said that some circumstances seem
pretty strongly 10 indicate It, Antitoxin is n
remedy Of great value It's use against one OF
the most dreadful and destructive Of diseases
has come TO be practical necessity OF medical
practice. Reckoning and presuminG upon this
necessity, some Of the principal producers of it
are suspected Of having formed n combination
for the considerable increase OF its price, so as
TO extort additional profits for themselves out
Of all people afflicted or menaced with that
plague-a singularly literal application of the
highwayman's demand, Your money or your
life"
The New-YOrk Health Department is indie
pendent Of the alleged trust having its own
mandatory Of antitoxin, and 1t has been dis
posing of its surplus product to physicians IN
this city. To the latter practice the members
of the alleged trust" have objected, since 1t
interferes with their monopoly. But their eff
forts to stop IL have brought worse trouble
upon them. Dr. Darlington looked into the
matter and found, it IS said, to his own salts
faction, that there was "a trust, and an evil
one" which was going ito double the price OF
IAN article which to the consumer is literally
"a matter of life or death" The representative
Of the alleged trust protested vaguely that
such was not the case; and then defantly put
the old question, What are you going to do
about it?
DR.. Darlington's reply was straight to the
point. He would fight the trust" with all the
power at his command. II will double. treble,
'Or quadruple our output. 1 will sell It from
Go, rrg..
competition which the trust would have diff
ficulty in meeting; for the Health Departments
product would be sold at cost price, and 1t
would certainly be as highly esteemed for
purity and healing power as the output of any
other laboratory. Nor was the Commissioners
daunted by a hint that it might be unlawful
for New-York to go into such a business.
There is" he said, "a higher law than any on
"the statute book, and that Is the necessities
"Of the poor" Appeal TO higher law" is not
to be recklessly made, but with the utmost re-
serve and discretion, else we should have it IN
voked in behalf Of all kinds OF lawlessness.
But in such a case as this If the facts are as
Dr. Darlington is reported to be convinced, II
must be regarded as we'll made. A health de-
partment exists not for pecuniary profit or
for the worship of red tape but for the well
fare Of the health of the people, and it would
be monstrous TO say that the health depart
ment Of one city should not offer aid to a
plague stricken neighbOr city.
While applauding DR.. Darlington for his he
roic words, we must, it is true, hope he will
not have occasion to put them into practice,
but that the firms constituting the alleged
trust" will promptly recede from the position
they are said to have taken. They are among
the most highly respected and worthy firms In
the drug trade and it would be deplorable to
have the stigma OF such extortion placed upon
them, as it would be regrettable TO have to re-
sort to the waging Of such a war. The manu-
facturers OF drugs should feel themselves I'M
der some such obligation that which men,
bers of the medical profession place themselves
under when they take the HippOcratic oath.
That oath does not prevent physicians from
reaping pecuniary profits from their practice.
Neither would drug manufacturers lack profits
II they scrupulously put forth nothing but pure
drugs at reasonable prices. But if tie manu-