The log cabin Democrat., 1907-09-26
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.

The press committee of the Proprie- tary Association of America will pre- sent at the next meeting of that body report showing the number of acci- 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, 1884 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 un- 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- licity. 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 4,295 cases of poisoning, of which 1,753 were fatal The great est number of cases, 1,636, with 803 deaths, is attributed to medicines other than proprietary remedies. There are on the list 90 cases of sick ness and 43 deaths. due to patent medi- cines.
 Analyzing its statistics, the commit. tee finds POI cases of sickness, with 143 deaths. due to strychnine tablets, which are among physicians favorite remedies and are often left within the reach of children.
 Under the head of miscellaneous prescriptions are grouped A cases where, the report says, 1t has been i'm possible after diligent inquiry to as- certain the name or the character of the drug or medicine which caused in. Jury or death, beyond the fact that the medicine or drug was prescribed by a physician. Of these cases IS were fatal. The committee says:
 Under the head of All Patent Medicines are grouped all those rem edies which are recognized as patent medicines and which are advertised direct to the public for internal use Competent authorities say that at least one-half of the medicines taken in the United States are of the kind known as patent medicine and yet in two years among 80.0OO,OO0 people there have been but ninety cases (forty-three fataD that have been re- ported in the newspapers from the use or misuse of these remedies"
 Not in a single fully substantiated case is it ever charged that any pat ent medicine in recommended> doses was injurious. In this connection 1t should be understood that in making death certificates and in reporting cases of injury to the newspapers from which these cases were secured, a physician had the final word, and in this connection is there any prob ability that the doctor will hide his own careleSsnesS or neglect or that of a fellow practitioner whose support he may want at some time, and is there even possibility that he might hide any responsibility that could be thrown at patent medicine? Ask yourself these questions. Then when you have found the answer, consider that during all this most thorough and careful investigation covering period of two years, in not a single established case was it shown that patent medicine in recommended doses was injurious.
 The most remarkable case reported was that of an Italian laborer in New York who suffered from pains in the chest. A physician ordered a porous plaster which the patient ate, with fatal results.