The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-05-16
CHANGED THE FORMULAS.
Little Booze Now in Some Patent
Medicines-Tax Brought the Change
and More Drugs Placed in Well
known Remedies"

Washington, May 5.-There has
been great transformation in the for
mulas of some of the most widely ad-
vertised paten- medicines Of the coun-
try in the last six months" said Com
missioner Yerkes, of the internal rev.
nue. bureau, to your correspondent, in
talking about the orders he issued last
fall placing certain medicines in the
class of liquo:.. so far as license from
the government is concerned. Some
of the medicines that our grandfath-
ers and fathers had an acquaintance
with are no longer the same prep
arations except in name. Booze is no
longer the chief ingredient in many
of them and they are not warranted to
produce drunks in prohibition commu-
mites, which Commissioner Yerkes
says had been their greatset consum-
ers.
More than six months ago Commis-
sioner Yerkes had samples Of certain
patent medicines forwarded to him by
his agents through the country. He
found that many of them were little
more than straight whiskey, contain
ing so little medicines that they could
be drunk in copious quantities by the
sick and diseased without any more ef-
feet than to take away case of
"blues' and bring on lively animation.
All such medicines were at once
placed upon lists requiring the pay
ment of special taxes the same as
straight whisky, both the manufactur-
ers and retail dealers having to pay
whiskey licenses. There has since
been a great scramble to alter the for
'1nulas so as to meet with the objec-
tions Of the United States and escape
tax liabilities. One by one those med
icine manufacturers who had stirnu-
lated the public with alcohol and not
with medicine have changed their
compounds until comparatively few
remain ca the black list.
Commissioner Yerkes gives notice
that his agents will frequently send
in samples of the revised medicines
for analysis to discover whether the
alc6hol bug is cutting too prominent
figure in their make up. He declares
that there must be ansolute adherence
to the formulas filed in his office.
An instance Of the change in the
formulas is shown in the case of a
medicine of many years standing that
has just been permitted to escape spe-
cial taxes. It had about 60 per cent.
Of alcohol in it prior to six months
ago and was guaranteed to put the
stomach in prime condition When TAX
en- before, after or between meals.
There is not man, woman or child
in the United States abl to read who
has not at some time heard or read of
this preparation. The manufacturers
have made millions from it. The
amount of drugs has been increased so
as to bring it within the classification
of a medicine and not beverage and
goodly quantity Of ipecac has been
added so as to produce sickness in
the event of an attempt to take doses
Of it too often. 1t is stated that ipe-
cac has been added to a number Of
the preparations This insures bad
case of nausea with every attempt to
bring on jag.
Commissioner Yerkes says that pat
ent medicine drugs in some parts of
the country had become menace to
the morality and health of the people,
and he believes the change that has
been wrough will be good one all
along the line. The medicines that
have been added to most Of the prep
arations are harmless, and this is es-
pecially so where the dose has been
reduced.