The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1905-12-28

Unwarranted Attacks Upon Rom
edies Of the Patent"
Variety.

II has been charged by one or two
eastern magazines that patent" med
lcines are injuring those who use
them, and, as these statements are to
be used as arguments for the passage,
at the next legislative session. of laws
prohibiting the sale of these medicines,
the figures of Chicago statistician
are of unusual interest and impor-
tance.
That less than one-twentieth az
many persons are injured by the use
of all patent" medicines. OF which 1t
has been possible TO learn the trade
name, or the name of the manufac-
turer as are injured by carbolic acid
alone, is one OF the facts proven. Car
bolic acid is never mentioned in the
attacks, probably for the reason that
1t is exclusively employed In medica-
ton by the regular schools of med
icine' and does not enter into compete
tion with them, as do the patent"
medicines.
The compilation covers 697 cases.
reported in the newspapers of the
country during the period between
June 20 and November l. AS the serv-
ices of numerous press clipping bu-
reaus were engaged to furnish clip
pings of cases of poisoning, there is
reasonable assurance that every poi
soning case that has occurred has en-
tered into the compilation.
None of the 697 cases is case of
suicide, or attempted suicide, or case
wherein drug or poison was used
with criminal intent. The cases are
those of poisoning by the use or acci-
dental misuse of medicines, drugs or
poisons, and death and injury by NAL
practice. or these cases 293 were
fatal; 1872 being adults and 1O1 chill
dren
or 40 cases of alleged malpractice,
IL were fatal and 20 involved criminal
operations. on six cases involving
patent" medicines, the trade name of
which could be learned after diligent
inquiry, five were fatal. Four were
cases where overdoses we're taken: two
we're cases where the medicines had
been carelessly left within the reach
Of children who, childlike, ate or drank
the contents of the package. There is
not recorded case where injury was
caused by use, according to directions,
OF patent medicines, but there are
recorded cases where prescriptions
have been written or filled wrong.
In 212 OF the 697 cases the wrong
medicine was taken, or poison was
cases bottles were left within the reach
Of children, and in SO cases overdoses
were taken by mistake.
Carbolic acid figures in 141 of the
cases. or in one case in every Ave. II
was fatal in 50 cases. or these fatal
cases 80 we're adults and 20 children.
1t was administered by mistake of
nurses three times.
Morphine ranked second with &C
cases, 46 of which were fatal; 3s adults
and eight children. 1t was taken by
mistake six times, and left within the
reach of children 20 times Overdoses
were taken 40 times. % of the persons
included in the 40 being habitues 1t
was administered, direct, by physL
clan once; was administered to
child by an older child once, and ad-
ministered by medical student three
times
Laudanum ranks third with 43 cases;
l6 fatal; II adults and four children.
II was taken by mistake 16 times, left
where children could get It ten times,
aud overdoses were taken II times.
Strychnine ranks fourth with "a
cases; IS fatal. five to adults and ten
to children. Ii was taken by mistake
seven times; left in reach of children
10 times and administered by mistake
of parent once.
Ammonia ranks fifth with IA cases;
none fatal. II was taken by mistake
for medicine ten times and left within
the reach of children four times.
Three deaths were caused by the use
of bay rum as beverage. Nine deaths
were caused by the use of Florida wa
ter as beverage.
Lye was taken by mistake for med.
icine five times, and was taken by chill.
dren eight times. being responsible for
three deaths. There were "a cases of
ptomaine poisoning, resulting in nine
deaths.
Practically every known poison en-
ters into the 697 cases, and the figures
show conclusively that patent" med
icines, while they are vastly ahead In
the number of times used In the aver
age household. are far behind when It
comes to poisoning. or injuring those
who Use, or accidentally misuse, them.
Exchange.