The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-05-03

proclty
The fact is that the term patent
medicines as applied to advertised
remedies, is misnomer. Very few OF
the remedies advertised to the laity
are 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-
calls produced in late years are pro-
tected by patents The most valuable
products used by modern physicians
are patented. The coal tar prepare
tons which are most widely used, and
the most effective germicides, are
among them All physicians pre-
scribe these remedies, yet they know
that their owners control a monopoly.
The largest pharmaceutical houses
are not those which make remedies
advertised in the newspapers. They
make the remedies which are adver-
tised to physicians alone, and they
control those remedies absolutely by
a patent or trademark. If the medi-
cal profession ceased to use these pa
tented remedies, half the prescriptions
which are written would need to be
altered.
This does not bear out Mr.. Boks
theory that the discoveref of a REM
edy of real value gives it freely to the
world. The custom with those who
invent such remedies today is to pat
ent them and control them, just as
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-
t1a1 r,Y.icsf lA11i1 l.a1tr
The mere fact, therefore, that
man controls remedy either by a
patent or trademark, does not argue
against it. 1t is rather evidence that
the man has something which he con-
siders worth controlling.
If the man, in addition, spends
large sums in advertising, whether to
physicians or to the laity, it forms to
me further evidence of value. Moth
ing is more certain than the fact that
a worthless article cannot be adver-
tised profitably.
Those who know advertising know
that the cost of selling a bottle or
package to a new user is several times
the profit made on it. The only hope
of profit comes through continued
use and, without merit, continued use
cannot be expected. When a. man has
made success in advertising a med
icine, it is to me the best evidence pos
sible that he has something good.
A physician may put up a prescrip-
ton for some individual case without
giving much thought to it. But if that
physician is going TO spend a fortune
on advertising, with no possibility of
getting his money back unless he sat
isles millions of users, he is naturally
going to put up the best prescription
he can make. If he is wise he will
get the best prescriptions for his pur-
pose that any man can make.
Then there is the question of alco-
hol which Mr.. Box seems to consider
such a perlous one. All the fluid ex-
tracts and tinctures used in medicine
must employ alcohol as q solvent and
preventative. Prohibit a physician
from using alcohol in his prescrip-
tons and you would make the practice
Of medicine impossible. If a physi-
clan must use alcohol in certain pre-
scriptions, shall We complain that a
ready made medicine employs it for
the same purpose?
If we are going to avoid the use of
alcohol we must Danish the extracts
and essences used in our kitchen
Fluid extracts, whether they are medi-