Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1905-12-01
Patent Medicine Discussed

Patent Medicine Discussed
That sair READERS may hare the op
portunity Of studying some features
of the Patent Medicine business
which perhaps ordinarily they could
not avail themselves of, we reproduce
am article which as correctly sums up
the situation, as ctln be done fairly,
and that by The Bulletin of Pharma-
cv ono OF the best and most reliable
drug journals published: 1t seems
evident to careful observers that
these several attacks upon patent
medicines may in time bring results
in two particulars In the first place
they may possibly, through both leg
islative compulsion and voluntary
action in self-defense, cause proprie
tors TO publish their formulas upon
the label. 1t is understood that this
question was rather warmly discuss
at a recent meeting in New York of
the proprietary Association of A
merica, and that DIR. r. V Pierce
and DIR. Stowell withdrew from mem
bership in the body because their
recent action touching publicity OF
formulas did not with general appro-
val. In the second place, more care
full and guarded claims will doubtless
be made in the advertisements of
proprietary articles. On this point
President VCegeli made the follow
ing comment at the recent Boston
convention of the N 4 r d:
Another subject of grave import
ance and worthy the serious consid-
Grafton of manufacturers is that of
advertising. Recent events indicate
a general attack on patent medicines
by leading magazines, due largely in
my judgment, to the unwarranted
claims set forth by some manufact-
urers for their several remedies.
These claims are in many cases so ex
travagant as to invite these attacks
upon them and to justify the public
in doubling the merits of many prep
arations exploited in the daily press.
| plead for greater accuracy and relia
bility in the advertising methods of
patent medicine manufacturers.
With reform accomplished in these
two particulars, patent medicines
will not present so vulnerable a
front for attack, for many of the
charges brought against proprieta-
ries articles by the reformers have
very little basis in reason. Barring
three or four well known products
admittedly made and sold as DISCUS
e6 tipples, it it almost ridiculous to
talk abo1ttKe danger of acquiring al
coh0fc habits from the consumption
1of patent medicines. Every druggist
knows that alcohol is used in large
percentages in the manufacture Of
nearly ever last pharmaceutical in
his establishment, and that as sol
vent and preventative there is ne
other agent that will take the plact
of 1t. And where forsooth, can any
harm be done? A tincture or an G
lixir, or even patent medicine, is TIA
ken in doses only of a few drops or ;
toaspoonful and what possible detri
ment can result from the ingestior
of half o.. third this amount of al
alcohol so disguised in taste
moreover that its presence is never
suspected? Mr.. Box and other re
formers do not seem to realize the
difference between this condition Of
things and the large amounts of beer
wine or liquor that are taken at a
time, and their comparisons as to al
coholic content are therefore wholly
beside the question. On the other
hand however, the catarrh snuffs and
similar preparations which contain
cocaine are in very different catego
Ery. That these articles are dangerous
admits of no discussion; and as we
see it, the greatest and perhaps the
only serious evil in connection with
the patent medicine industry is to
be found at tins point. Such actions
as have been taken regarding cocaine
bearing snuffs by the New York
Board of Health and such laws as
many people would like to see enact
ed compelling the honest labelling Of
these products, would go far to cor
rect this evil.
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