, 1907-09-26
PROPRIETARY REMEDIES VS..
PHYSICIANS PRESCRIPTIONS
Statistics Show, of the Deaths from
Misuse of Drugs in W 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
a 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 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 inc 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 p~oisons
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 cast 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
he 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. 1876, with SO3
deaths, is attributed TO medicines
other than proprietary remedies.
There are on the list 80 cases of sick
ness and 40 deaths due to patent medi-
zines.
Analysing its statistics. the commit.
tee finds POI cases of sickness. with
l43 deaths, due to strychnine tablets.
which are among physicians %favorite
remedies and are often left within the
each 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 a physician. of these cases IS
were fatal. The committee says:
Under the head of All Patent
Medicines are grouped all those rem
eules 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 vet
IN TWO years among so, 10000 people
there have been but ninety cases
tforty-three fatal) that have been re-
ported in the newspapers from the
use or misuse of these remedies"
Not in a single fully suDstantiated
case is it eve 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 IA the final word. II
in this connection is there any prob
ability that the doctor will hide his
" carelessness or neglect or that of
a fellow practitioner whose support
he may want at some time. and is
there ever Il 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 a single
established case was it shown that
patent medicine in recommended
doses was injurious.
The most remarkable ease 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.