Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-02-26
.QUACE DOCTORS
ARE AG|IA1ED
e.. ----
Proposed Bill Prohibiting Them
From Using Agents Stirs
1tinerant NJ. DIS
THEIR LICENSES THREATENED
TanoIe Arises Over Efforts to Restrict
Sale Of Patent Medicines-Thrse
Measures introduced, Some of Them
Very strinaent-Drussists Opposed
to Some Of the Provisions.

to Soma Of the Provisions.
| Special to Times Republican.
1 Des Moines. Feb. ga bill for an
act to repeal section 1878 of the code
and to enact a substitute therefor, re-
lating to the revocation Of physicians
certificates" introduced in the house
by DR.. Clarke, of Jefferson county. has
stirred UP all the quack doctors there
are In the country. They are liable to
move ennlasse to the legislature in the
effort to kill the bill, for, they claim,
III would prohibit them from adver-
Using in the newspapers. Whether this
Is true or not the bill does specifically
state that physicians license can be
revoked IL he solicits patronage by let
ter or by agents. In the belief OF reg
ular physicians, however, the bill, or
one OF its nature, is necessary before
the medical profession will be placed
on high standard. 1t is claimed by
4 \
them that it is only the quacks that
oppose the bill.
The bill was introduced some days
ago, but because of the innocent ma
ture of its title escaped attracting at
tention. 1t provides in brief that the
state board of medical examiners may
refuse to grant q certificate, or may
revoke a certificate, to amy physician
not of good moran character or who
solicits patronage by letter or agents.
or who is guilty OF fraudulent misrep-
resentation as to his skill or ability, or
for habitual intoxication or the drug
habit. The bill guarantees hearing
on twenty days notice to the person
interested, and at least five members
Of the board must vote for the revoca-
ton before the license can be revoked.
The paragraph that has the sting
in 1t is the first section, which Is as
follows:
THE board Of medical examiners
may refuse to grant certificate to
any person otherwise qualified, and
shall revoke any certificate issued by 1t
to any physician who is not OF good
moral character, or who solicits profess
sional patronage by letter or by agents,
or who profits by the acts OF those
representing themselves to be his
agents, or who is guilty OF fraudulent
representation as to his skill and abil-
ity, or who is guilty of gross unprofes-
sional conduct, or for incompetency, or
for habitual intoxication or drug habit;
or If the certificate has been granted
upon false and fraudulent statements
as to graduation or length Of practice,
the board OF medical examiners shall,
to safeguard the public health, revoke
the certificate in the manner herein
after set forth"
The portion that particularly hits the
quacks is the provision that they can
not solicit professional patronage by
letter or agent, and are liable to have
their license revoked for making fraud
ulent representations as to their skill
or ability. The bill will receive the
closest scrutiny, but its passage is not
an impossibility.
Quite a bit of a tangle has arisen
over the effort to restrict the sale of
patent medicines in Iowa. It appears
that Senator Newberry introduced a
bill which is substantially the same
as the new national law and which
requires branding medicines when they
contain a certain proportion of poisons
and giving the quantity Of the poison
Or alcohol, a bill which would be a
long step In the direction of giving
publicity to some features of the pat
ent medicine business About the same
time Senator McKlveen and Represen-
<sn&S ,,1y TIT. <1..- Il
drastic Ladies Home Journal" bill,
which requires the making known of
the formula of such medicines. Both
bills have been largely supported by
petitions and personally. The drug
gfsts generally have opposed the Nc
Klveen bill, with the result that Nc
Klveen and Clarke have made a tenta-
tive agreement to withdraw the bills on
condition that the Newberry bill be
amended SO as to include a clause
which declares that a medicine package
is to be regarded as misbranded eff
the package shall fail to bear a state
ment on the label showing the names
of all ingredients contained therein"
Immediately a loud protest came from
the druggists One OF their representa-
tives here said III regard to the mat
ter: ia s3t ass.s n
This Amendment would work a great
hardship 5;on the druggists, retailers,
jobbers and manufacturers. The ma
tional law contains no such provision
and IL the Iowa legislature passes a
bill to regulate the manufacture and
sale Of proprietary medicines it should
conform to the national law, if posi-
bic. "a law containing this amendment
would force many manufacturers
of proprietary medicines Of known
theraputic value to withdraw their
goods from sale in the state rather than
adopt separate label for Iowa which
would disclose all the ingredients of
their products and thus afford unscrup-
ulous parties an opportunity to expert
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