Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-17
AFTER PATENT DRUGS
Use of Nostrums in consump-
ton Cases Denounced.
CRUSADE AGAINST THEM
Emphatic Condemnation by Members
Of National Association.
RESULTS OF INVESTIGATION
Ratio of Consumptives Among the
Indians and the Effect of
Housing Conditions.


Patent medicines and the alleged evils Of
their use In connection with the treatment
of consumption was the main feature of
the discussion at the meeting of the Ma
tional Association for the Study and Pre-
vention of tuberculosis this morning The
sociological section met in one of the up
per halls Of the New Willard and the path
illogical and biological section in the other.
The pathological section dealt with the mat
ter from purely technical standpoint and
the papers were in large part unintelligible
to any one except physicians. Drs. E. r.
Baldwin and Hugh NJ Kingdom presided
ana there were papers from Drs. J. D. Nc
Carthy. Josephus Ullom, Joseph Walsh and
II. r. M. Lands. all of Philadelphia The
papers dealt with tubercular meningitis,
tuberculosis Of the liver and of the kidneys
and the clinical and pathological COMPARE
son Of cavities
On the other hand, the sociological sec
samuel Hopkins Adams of New York. who
mas been conducting q crusade against
nostrums and patent medicines in one of
Inc largest OF the New York weeklies, read
paper on Tuberculosis Nostrums" He
handled the patent medicine firms of the
country with gloves, but they were of the
punching bag variety. He said there are
TWO classes Of nostrums advertised in the
oaiy papers as consumption cures.
Describes Objectionable Glass.
one OF these classes might be described,
ne said. as comparatively harmless and
consisted mostly Of mixture Of inert drugs
that had no effect one way or the other.
But the most active class was made I'D on
q g., Sasis Q. OPIUM hasheesh. cheap whisky
oils %
saio. Is an active poison in any case but
especially SO In the case of a consumntive
parent. He said that one might Imagine
from reading the advertisements that the
secret Of curing consumption was an omen
one tnat the only man who could not do II
was reputable physician in good stand.
.ns' he then named four or five firms as
the most fragrant offenders In what he
termed the pernicious nature OF their CO.
caLieo consumption cures and said that the
pubic Old not seem to realize that there
~ no specinc for consumption and that the
only effect of the patent nostrum was par-
maps TO sooth the cough and lulI the ma
tients INTO false sense Of ease and secur-
ity after which there was a sudden and
awful breakdown Of the system and the
end was more rapid than IL the disease
had been let alone.
Referring to the ''effrontery" o, some of
the aoVertisers and their testimonials, he
SAD that IN the case Of one firm advertis-
Ing an absolute cure for tuberculosis he
mad written to the authors of seventeen
OK the testimonials Out of this batch he
got nine returns. Seven of them were In
the form OF his own letters indorsed by
the post Office, Party unknown" "No
such name in the directory" mo such
street number" etc. OF the other two
which were the only replies received, one
was from man who said he was almost
cured; that he had taken TWENTY-FIVE hot
ties of the remedy and had lust ordered
a dozen more DIR. Adams said he did not
conclude from this that the patient was so
well as might be expected. The other reply
was Endorsement. but SO illiterate as to
be almost unintelligible.
Threats Fail to Materialize.
DR.. Adams said that he and the periodi-
cal for which he had been writing had been
threatened with all sorts of libel suits from
the proprietary association and the tndi-
Vidual firms that he had been mentioning,
Dut that no suit had ever yet been brought
He said that he was of the opinion that
the consumption cure business fortunately
Is on the wane. There are not so MANY
firms In 1t, and they are not advertising so
extensively as formerly. He quoted In sup
port of this the remark made to him by one
Doctor, who was running a consumption
cure. I'm tired of this. There is no
more money In it The fact Is the public
are getting wise on consumption I'm going
In for something easier, like cancer"
This description of-cancer as Something
easier drew general laugh from the doc
tors present.
In conclusion DR. Adams said that
campaign Of education is the only line to
follow In fighting the nostrum evil. The
more people knew Of the real conditions
OF the disease and the remedy the less
they would be taken In by the adyerttse-
merts. He said there were a few papers
now that would print legitimate news about
patent medicines. but that up to within
about a year the famous red clause" in
the advertising contract of nearly every
Paper had debarred them from ever men
tiening a patent medicine other than in
coInmendatory terms either In their news
or editorial columns.
Indorse DR.. Adams.
Dr. Frank Billings of Chicago and DR.. j.
Willoughby Irwin of PhIladelphia took
part in the discussion that followed DIR.
Billings said he was willing to go farther
than DR.. Adams and declare that there are
none OF the nostrum compounds that ara
harmless. All he mentioned are harmful
In one way or another, either as active
pcisons or from their sense of false Sc
curity that they give the patient. He said
aiso tnat there are many proprietary medl-
clres manufactured by firms and sold TO
the medical profession as specific COM
pounds that are almost as bad as the
straight patent medicines themselves ne
sald ne had seen preparations sold over
ete counter which few years ago were
simply dispensed from the manufactnre.
to the physician
Inc manufacturers got the doctors to act
uneonsciousiy as their advertising and dis
trlputing agents. and then put the drug o,,+
on the popular market. o0.
1t Is true he said. the public is BECOMING
Slowly educated In the matter of tuber.
sulosis. but that 1t is very slow. Twenty
nve years ago the medical profession hon.
esfly believed that there was a sneciac
Tor consumption. and the symptoms were
treated and various drug remedies ware
given But now that the doctor has learn
ed better, the general public Is about where
the medical profession was a quarter of a
century ago. He advocated the spread q,
education In the nature and treatment OF
consumption among all classes OF the neo
pie and especially among the teachers Of
the public schools where such Informal tion
can be most widely and effectively dis
seminated.
Mr.. Leupp's Contribution.
There was paper on the program NV
Francis Leupp. commissioner of Indian ar
fairs. on Tuberculosis Among the In