The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1905-03-29

cines. nor have any interest i'm th'
sale Of them. | am simply a user
like the rest of you.
Patent medicines are friends of my
youth and friends OF my family. They
have helped me when | needed help
/ and " they need help now feel like
/ defending them. 1t is only fair reel
/ procity
/ The fact is that the term patent
/ medicines, as applied 10 advertised
remedies Is a misnomer. Very few OF
the remedies advertised TO the laity
arc patented. The real patent medi-
cines are advertised To physicians
alone They are brought into use al
most solely through physicians pre-
scriptions
Practically all the synthetic chemi-
Gals produced la late years arc pro-
tected by patents The most valuable
products used by modern physicians
are patented. The coal tar prepara-
tions which are most widely used. and
the most effective germicides, are
among them. All physicians pres
cribe these remedies. yet they know
that their owners control a monopoly.
The largest pharmaceutical houses
are not those which make remedies
make the remedies which are adver-
tised 10 physicians alone. and they
control those remedies absolutely by
a patent or trademark. II the med-
cal profession ceased TO use these pat
ented remedies half the prescriptions
which are written would need 10 he
altered
This does not bear out Mr.. Bok's
theory that the discoverer OF n rem
edy OF real value gives II freely 10 the
world. The custom with those who
invent such remedies today Is to pat
ent and control them. just Ak
does the man who invents a new ma
chine And the medical profession
recognize and approve the method.
for every modern physician prescribes
patented remedies more frequently
than any others. And enormous en-
terprises are built solely on this fact
The mere fact. therefore. that a
man controls a remedy, either 10y
patent or trademark. does not argue
against It, II is rather evidence that
the man has something which he con-
siders worth controlling.
II the man. in addition. spends
large sums IN advertising, whether 20
physicians or TO the laity. IL forms 10
me further evidence Of value. Moth
ing is more certain than the fact that
worthless article cannot be adver-
tised profitably.
Those who know advertising know that
the cost OF selling a bottle or package 10
new user is several times the profit
made on II. The only hope OF profit
comes through continued use: and, with
out merit, continued use cannot he ex-
pected. When a man has made a success
in advertising a medicine, II Is 10 me the
best evidence possible that he has some
thing good,
physician may put up prescription
for some individual case without giving
much thought TO II. But II that physi-
clan is going to spend a fortune on ad-
vertlsing. with no possibility OF getting
his money back unless he satisfies mil
lions OF users, he is naturally going TO
put up the best prescription he can make.
II he is wise he will get the best pre-
scriptions for his purpose that any man
can make
Then there is the question of alco-
hol which Mr. Box seems TO consider
such a perilous one All the fluid ex-
tracts and tlnctures used In medicine
must employ alcohol as a solvents and
preservative. Prohibit a physician from
using alcohol in his prescriptions and you
make the practice of medicine impossible.
II physician must use alcohol in GER
tain prescriptions. Shall we complain that
a ready made medicine employs it for the
same purpose?