Rocky Ford enterprise., 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.

Three Per Cent. Were Due to Patsni
Medicines. According to FIeurss
Based on Medical Certificates.
The press committee OF the Proprie'
tary Association Of America will pre-
sent at the next meeting OF that body
u report showing the number OF acct
dental deaths caused by patent medi'
cines In the two years ending June 80.
1907. as compared with deaths from
other causes.
Almost Immediately after the begin.
ming OF the latest crusade against
proprietary medicines this COMMITTEES
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 d..
rectiy to the products made by the
members Of the association.
The greatest care Is said to have
been exercised In tabulatinG the fi8.
ures received. Whenever the cause
Of death was doubtful. special inves.
tisation was made. no matter where
the case might have occurred. The
work o. asserting and preparing the
record was done In Chicago. and the
original clippings and correspondence
are In the possession OF Erwin =.
Kemp. 1874 La Sale street. that city.
the associations publicity agent. The
report says. In part:
81
suitinx fatally or otherwise. were
caused by the carcicssness 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 II Is I'm.
likely that any cases OF death from
the use OF patent medicine escaped
tho newspapers. but that II IL 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 II due to the use
OF medicine not regularly prescribed.
A rccapitulntion Of the committees
findings show i..95 cases OF poisoning.
Of which l.753 were fatal. The great.
eat number OF cases. 1886. with sos
deaths. is attributed to medicines
other than proprietary remedies.
There are on the list 30 cases Of sick.
ness and ~ deaths due to patent mcdi.
cincs.
Analysing It's statistics. the commit.
tee finds :0i cases OF sickness. with
ii3 deaths. due TO strychninc tablets.
which are among physicians favoritc
remedies and are often left within the
reach of children.
Under the head Of miscellaneous
prescriptions are grouped ~ cases
where. the report says. II has been I'm.
possible after diligcnt inquiry to Us.
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. or these cases Is
were fatal. The committee says:
Under tho head OF All Patent
Medicines are grouped all those rem.
edics which arc recognized rs patent
medicines and which are advertised
direct to the public for Internal use.
Competent authorities say that ut
least one.half Of the medicines taken
In the United States are Of the kind
known rs patent medicine and yet
IN two years among $4,000. 900 people
there have been but ninety cases
tforty.three fataD that have been re-.
ported in the newspapers from the
use or misuse Of these remedies"
Not in u single fully substanttnted
case is 1t 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.
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
n fellow practitioner whose support
he may want ut some time. and Is
there even possibility that he might
hide any responsibility that could be
thrown at a patent medicine? Ask
yourself these questions. Then when
you have found the answer. consider
that during all this most thorough
and careful investigation covering a
| period of two years. In not single
established case was 1t shown that
patent medicine In recommended
| doses was injurious.
The most remarkable case reported
was that OF an Italian laborer in New