The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1907-09-27
PROPRIETARY REMEDIES VS..
PHYSICIANS PRESCRIPTIONS
Statistics Show, Of the Deaths from
Misuse Of Drugs in Two Years, Only
Three Per Cent. Were Due to Patent
Medicines, According to Figures
Based on Medical Certificates.

4
Based on Medical Certificates.
| The press committee of the Proprie
tary Association of America will pre-
sent at the next meeting of that bod!
report showing the number of acct
dental deaths caused by patent medi
cines in the two years ending June 30
1907, as compared with deaths from
other causes.
| Almost Immediately after the begin
ming of the latest crusade against
| proprietary medicines this committee
was instructed to collect data This
work was done through the clipping
bureaus, which furnished accounts of
all deaths, exclusive of suicide, due to
the misuse of medicines, drugs or
poisons. The result showed that only
three per cent. could be traced di.
rectly to the products made by the
members of the association.
The greatest care is said to have
been exercised in tabulating the fig.
ures received Whenever the cause
of death was doubtful, special inves-
tigation was made, no matter where
the case might have occurred. The
work Of asserting and preparing the
record was done in Chicago, and the
original clippings and correspondence
are in the possession of Erwin F,
Kemp, 1874 La Sale street, that city,
the associations publicity agent. The
report says, in part:
"a large number of accidents. re.
sulting fatally or otherwise, were
caused by the carelessness of persons
who left drugs, medicines or poisons
within the reach of children. A large
number, also, were caused by persons
going to medicine cabinets in the dark
and taking down the wrong bottle.
In no case reported was any medicine,
patent or otherwise, held responsible
for injury or death except when left
within the reach of children or taken
or administered in gross overdose"
The committee says that it is I'M
likely that any cases of death from
the use of patent medicine ESCAPED
the newspapers, but that it is prob
able that death from the causes tabu-
lated did occur without receiving pub
llclty. Physicians, of course, report
the causes Of death. The committee
says that they would be the last to
suppress the cause if due to the use
OF medicine not regularly prescribed
A recapitulation of the committees
findings show 1926 cases of poisoning
OF which 1853 were fatal. The great.
est number of cases, 1895, with 500
deaths, Is attributed to medicines
other than proprietary remedies.
There are on the list 80 cases of sick.
ness and 43 deaths due to patent mediSl
cines.
Analysing its statistics, the commit.
Tee nnds 2O1 cases of sickness. with
l45 deaths, due to strychnine tablets
which are among physicians favorite
remedies and are often left within tho
reach of children.
Under the head of miscellaneous
prescriptions are grouped A cases
"here, the report says, it has been i'm.
possible after diligent inquiry to as.
certain the name or the character Of
ne drug or medicine which caused in
ary or death, beyond the fact that
ne medicine or drug was prescribed
~ physician. or these cases 10
we're fatal. The committee saws.
under the head of All Patent
dediclnes' are grouped all those rem.
'dles which are recognized as patent
medicines and which are advertised
llrect 10 the public for internal use
competent authorities say that at
east one-half of the medicines takon
n the United States are of the k;rd
hoWn as patent medicine and VET
TWO years among SO,OO0,OOO people
nere nave been but ninety cases
forty-three fataD that have been re-
orted, in the newspapers from tbe
Sc or misuse of these remedies"
Not in a single fully substantiated {
ase is it ever charged that any pat "a
mt medicine in recommended doses
vas injurious. In this connection it s
hould be understood that in making /
cath certificates and in reporting S
asses of injury to the newspapers t
rom which these cases were secured,
physician had the final word, and {
this connection is there any prob. I
bility that the doctor will hide his t.
wn carelessness or neglect or that of Il
fellow practitioner whose support p
e may want at some time. and is il
lere even a possibility that he might n
Idle any responsibility that could be e
lroWn at a patent medicine? Ask Il
ourself these questions. Then when
gu have found the answer, consider b
lat during all this most thorough T
nd careful investigation covering a a
eriod of two years, in not a single a
established case was it shown that $
atent medicine in recommended II
oses was injurious. q
The most remarkable case reported h
as that of an Italian laborer in New O
DIRK who suffered from pains in the
lest. A physician ordered a porous h
aster which the patient ate, with n
tai results. Q