Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 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-
cary Association of America will pre-
sent at the next meeting of that body
a 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
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 1926 cases of poisoning
of which 1873 were fatal. The great
> est number of cases, 1876, with 80;
! 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 medi
cines.
: Analysing its statistics, the commit
: tee finds POI cases of sickness, will
143 deaths, due to %strychnine tablets
=, which are among physicians favorit'
! remedies and are often left within tn,
{ reach of children.
: Under the head of miscellaneou
= prescriptions are grouped A case
where, the report says, it has been i'm
! possible after diligent inquiry to as
t certain the name or the character @
: the drug or medicine which caused il
jury or death, beyond the fact tina
l the medicine or drug was prescribe
I by a physician. OF these cases /
} were fatal. The committee says:
Under the head of All Paten
Medicines are grouped all those rem
=! edies which are recognized as pater
Ia medicines and which are advertise
= direct to the public for internal us,
y Competent authorities say that +;
u least one-half of the medicines take
., in the United States are of the kin
~ known as patent medicine and Y,
a. in two years among 80, 0O0,0 900 poop
" there have been but ninety cast
Qorty-three fatal) that have been r
ported in the newspapers from I'll
use or misuse of these remedies"
Not in a single fully ~substantiate
0 case is it ever charged that any pa
emit medicine in recommended dos
was injurious. In this connection
ed should be understood that In makil
IN. death certificates and in reportil
he cases of injury to the newspape
from which these cases were secure
We a physician had the final word, al
I'M in this connection Is there any pre-
an ability that the doctor will hide /
pc own carelessness or neglect or that
in. a fellow practitioner whose suppo
on he may want at some time, and
IS; there even a possibility that he mig
he hide any responsibility that could
ed thrown at a patent medicine? A
nix yourself these questions. Then VIII
you have found the answer, consit
to that during all this most thorou
ire and careful investigation covering
SITS period of two years, in not a sini
in established case was it shown Il
patent medicine in recommend
doses vas injurious.
The most remarkable case report
was that of an Italian laborer in N
ok York who suffered from pains in
ind chest. A physician ordered a port
ter plaster which the patient ate, W
hot fatal results.
gne