The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 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.

tarv Association of America VIII pre-
sent at the nett meeting of that BODY
a report showing the number OF acct
dental deaths caused by patent medl-
cines in the two years ending June 81,
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. Tms
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 d.
rectly 10 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, 1S4 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 1t 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 1,753 were fatal. The great
est number of cases, 1886, with SOB
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, 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, it 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 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 al
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 SO,000,0O0 people
there have been but ninety cases
(forty-three fatal that have been re-
ported in the newspapers from thi
use or misuse of these remedies"
Not in a single fully substanuate
case is it ever charged that any pa
ent medicine in recommended dose
was injurious. In this connection
should be understood that in MAXIM
death certificates and in reportin
cases of injury to the newspaper
from which these cases were secures
a physician had the final word, an
in this connection is there any ~
ability that the doctor will hide =
own carelessness or neglect or that
a fellow practitioner whose suppo
he may want at some time, and
there even a possibility that he mig
hide any responsibility that could J
thrown at a patent medicine? A
yourself these questions. Then VIII
you have found the answer, consit, i
that during all this most thoroui
and careful investigation covering
period of two years, in not a 80
established case was it show 49,
patent medicine in recomn
doses was injurious. -
The most remarkable case re Jrt
was that of an Italian laborer In NJ
York who suffered from pains in {
chest. A physician ordered pore
plaster which the patient ate. W
fatal results.
Orinin of Scotland's Motto.