The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1905-03-25
Patent and Proprietary Medicine
A Reply to Mr.. Box.

am not a maker Of patent medi
cines, nor have any interest in the
sale Of them. am simply user like
the rest Of you.
Patent medicines are the friends OF
my youth, and friends Of my family.
They have helped me when ! needed
help; and if they need help now | feel
like defending them, 1t is only fair
reciprocity.
The fact is that the term patent
medicines" as applied TO advertised
remedies, il misnomer. Very few
VI the remedies advertised TO the lai-
ty are patented. The real patent
medicines are advertised to physi-
clans alone. They are brought into
use almost solely through physicians
prescriptions.
Practically all the synthetic chemicals
produced in la:e years are protected
by patents, The most valuable pro-
duets used by modern physicians are
patented. The coal tar preparations
which are most widely used, and the
most effective germicides, are among
them All physicians prescribe these
remedies, yet they know that their
owners control monopoly.
The greatest 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 these remedies absolutely by
patent or trademark If the medi
cal profession ceased to use these pat
ented remedies, half the prescriptions
which are written would need to be
altered
This does not bear out Mr.. Bok's
theory that the discover of remedy
of real value gives 1t freely to the
world The custom with those who
invent such remedies today is to pat
ent them and control them, lust ~
does the man who invents a new ma
chine. And tho medical profession
recognize and approve the method,
for every modern physician prescribes
patented rcmslies more frequently
than any others. Aud enoromous en-
t"rprises are built solely on this fact
The mere fact, therefore, that q
man controls a remedy, either by q
patent or trademark, does not ARGUE
against Il. 1t ia rather evidence that
the man has something which he con.
sidcrs worth controlling.
II the man, in addition, spends large
sums OF money in advertising, wheth
ar to physicians or to the iaity. II
fotma to e evidence OF value No
thing Is more certain than the fac
phat worthless article cannot he ad
vortisod prolitahly.
Those who know Advertising know
that the cost of selling bottle o
package TO a new customer il severa
times the profit made on il. The onl,
hope OF profit comes through Contiu
ued use; and, without merit, cuntin
ucd use cannot bo expected, When
man has made a succea in advertis
ing medicine, ii il to me the hes
evidence possible that he has some
thing good,
\ physician may put up prcscril
ton FIR some individual case withou
giving much thought to it. But If tina
physician is going to spend II forum
on advertising, with no possibility {
getting his money back unless he sat
istiies millions OF users, he is natural
gong to put mp the best prescriptio
he can make,
Then thorv is the question OF alec
hul which Mir Box seems to cunside
eu,h u peiiloue one All the fluid e>
tracts and tncturcs used in mcdlrin
wust employ alcohol as rosoNeut an
pr,s,ryWlNr Prohibit a physiciu
from using alcohol In his prescription
and YOU would mako the practice ,
medicine impossible II physical
must Us, alcohol Ia certain prescril
tons, shall We complain that read
made medicine employs 1t for Il
same purpose