The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1905-03-29
Potent Q1d Proprietary Medicines.
a Reply 70 Mr.. Box.

n we are going 10 avoid the use ot
alcohol We must Danish the extracts and
essences used i'm our kitchen. Fluid ex-
tracts. whether they are medicinal or Gull.
nary, cannot be made or preserved with
out alcohol
The use of alcohol In medicine is ap-
proved by the pharmacopoeias OF all ma
tions. IL is in accord with the practice
OF all medical authorities I'm the world.
The abuse OF alcohol is mother mat
ter, but the cost alone is enough TO pre-
vent abuse. Alcohol costs about s2.eO per
gallon. II is too expensive for any medi-
cine maker 20 use more than he needs OF
H. And he cannot hope that people are
going take the medicine because OF the
alcohol when good whisky can be pur-
chased for one-ffth as much.
A dose OF medicine which contains even
20 per cent of alcohol does not seem to
me very dangerous matter. That means
one-fifth OF a teaspoonful OF alcohol at a
time. Physicians do not hesitate 20 give
brandy to a child in ieaspoonful doses,
and brandy Is half alcohol. When one
compares medicine with wine or beer he
should also compare the dosage. One
takes more alcohol In a glass OF wine than
he takes i'm a great many doses OF medi-
cine.
Mr.. Box IS also most unfair in his ref.
erence TO posons used in proprietary
medicines. 1t is true that some medicines
contain poisons In small percentages. but
the use Is not nearly as general as physi-
clans prescriptions. A great many drugs
which are recognized by every physician
as helpful in small doses are poisonous
when taken in excess
An elderly druggist told me a few
days ago that he had personally exam
ined more than 10000 physicians pre-
scriptions, and, by actual count, 20 per
cent OF them contained an oplate Yet
analysts shows not a trace of opiate in
the largest sellers among the proprietary
remedies
Strychnine is another dangerous drug
largely prescribed by physicians. II IS
used as a tonic and stimulant. Yet this
is drug rarely found I'm proprietaries
The maker OF a proprietary medicine
must be more careful about the use OF
any poison than the physician. The physi-
clan Is In a position 70 direct his doses
and to watch the results. He is able 10
take chances which no maker of a gen
eral remedy will take. for fear that the
directions on the bottle will not be ad-
hered to.
There are thousands OF physicians
whose Interests are opposed TO proprie-
tary remedies. They are ready 10 de-
nounce a ready made remedy at the
slightest evidence of harm from It. Yet
how seldom we hear of any harm from
I have myself never heard
OF single authenticated case.
1t Is the lack OF poison. rather than its
presence. which forms the real objec-
ton 10 proprietaries II is by using
poison which the medicine maker avoids
that the physician often secures a great
er effect. The maker OF remedy has too
much at stake TO use anything which
will result in occasional harm. And this
caution leads him often to omit ingre-
dents which he knows 10 be valuable.
Proprietary remedies are used not alone
by the poor who cannot afford to call
a physician They are employed by those
to whom expense is OF no Importance
And I'm ordinary ailments. when a phyvi-
clan is called. he prescr-ibes ready made
remedy. Proprietary remedies are at
some time taken by all of us They are
found in nearly every home.
And know OF no business where fraud
has less chance of success than in meii-
cine. A worthless remedy Is very quick
ly found out. sick person will not
long continue a remedy which does not
help. The lack of merit in a food may re-
main long undiscovered but II medicine
lacks virtue the fact is at once appar-
ent.
When | need remedy for any ordinary
ailment, my choice goes to remedy so
good that II made its maker rich.
DEFENDER