The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1905-11-03
ONE STARTLING EXHIBITS
OF the Danger From Much Advertised
Patent Medicines.

umns we have made more or less ex-
tended reference to the patent medi-
cine evil, and in illustrating the de-
~structive elements of which most of
these compounds are made we have
used beer as a comparative. Now we
have had no desire to offend our good
friends who think that in a glass of
beer lurk all the dreaded dangers,
such as Keeling men and crowded gut
ters and impoverished homes, nor have
We been trying to increase the divi-
dends of any brewing industry. We
have used that because it would be
most Ineligible and would appeal to
everybody who happened to read it.
In the last issue of the Ladies' Home
Journal there are some illustrations,
with a few words underneath each one,
that should do more to inform the hun.
dreds of thousands that look upon them
than all the editorials that have ever
been written. For the benefit of those
N hdNO hOt bctn LHcDH We eud11 lOuCU
on them briefly here.
The first exhit shows a testimonial
for "Peruna" from Congressman
White of Tarboro, N. c. Alongside of
it is a signed letter from Congressman
White, in which he denounces as an alb
%solute falsehood and forgery the pub
lished testimonial. That serves to give
some insight into the ways in which
the distinguished testimonials which
are daily Haunted in our faces are man
ufactured.
Next is shown an advertisement,
taken from a mail order journal. 1t is
headed "Letters for Rent 1t sim.
ply means hat the letters that you OF
your sister or mother might write to
those manufacturers of patent medi-
cines, letters which women are deluded
into writing because OF the promise
that they are to be held "sacredly
confidential are hawked about from
one company to another, so that they
might find good material to which they
might address their circulars.
The third shows a recent advertise
ment of Lydia Pinkham's Compound,
in which it is said that the good old
lady personally oversees all that is
done in the manufacturing process of
the connection. Alongside of this is
a monument erected to Lydia Pink.
ham, heaven rest her soul, in 1883,
twenty-five years ago. That will com
as a dreadful shock to the poor Great.
ures that imagine thar every drop OF
the compound that they take into their
system was personally overseen in the
making by a dear old lady who had
only one though in mind and that was
the alienation of the ills of her sex.
The fourth lesson shows a label Of
Mrs. Winslow' IS Soothing Syrup as il
is compelled to be marked under the
English laws. The word "Poison" il
there, so that all who buy might read
In this country the same stuff is sold
but with never a word to show that
the little child who is given it that its
crying might stop, is being given that
which in England must be labeled
POISON" before it may be sold.
The fifth and last exhibit shows a
test that was made of the comparative
Illuminating power of three patent
medicines and one beer. A tablespoon.
full from each of the medicine and from
the beer was poured into separate cans
and connection made so that any al.
cohol that happened to be in them
would be given full opportunity to
burn. The first can, in which a table
spoonful of Hostetter's Bitters had
been poured, burned for four minutes
The second, Peruna, burned two min
utes and forty seconds. The third,
Lydia g Compound, burned two minutes
and thirty-fve seconds. The fourth
into which a tablespoonful of bottled
beer had been poured, burned twenty
seconds.
1t would seem that lessons like these,
coming from a source whose integrity
is unquestioned, should tend to awaken
the American people to the danger OF
the patent medicine habit. And If the
truth of the tests and analyses that
have been made and. published were
doubted, it would seem tnat since the
question had been raised it was suf-
ficiently serious to result in those per
sons addicted to patent medicines hav-
ing tests made for themselves. 1t Ger
tainly is a serious question to consider
when you see millions of people in
dulging in poisonous compounds when
they imagine that they are benefting
themselves. 1t is more tragic in a way