Los Angeles herald., 1905-03-29

have helped me when 1 needed help;
and If they need help now / feel like
defending them. 1t is only fair reci-
procity.
The fact is that the term patent
medicines" as applied to advertised
remedies, is a 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 prepara-
tions 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-
control those remedies absolutely by
patent or trademark. If the medi-
cal profession ceased to use these pat
ent remedies, half the prescriptions
which are written would need TO be
altered.
This does not bear out Mr.. Box $
theory that the discoverer of a rem
edy 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, 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-
terprises are built solely on this fact.
The mere fact, therefore, that a
man controls a 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, IL 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
cannot be expected. When a man has
made a success in advertising a medi-
cine, II is to me the best evidence pos
sible that he has something good.
A physician may put up a prescrip-
tion for some individual case without
giving much thought to it, But IL that
physician is going TO spend fortune
on advertising, with no possibility OF
getting his money back unless he salts
files millions of users, he is naturally
going to put up the best prescription
he can make. II 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 perilous one. All the fluid ex-
tracts and tinctures used In medicine
must employ alcohol as a solvent and
preservative. Prohibit a physician
from using alcohol in his prescrip-
tions 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 1t for
the same purpose?
II 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-