The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1907-05-03
GETS ILL ON PURPOSE
Boston Man Is Dog on Whom
Certain Medicines Are Tried.

suburb who makes himself sick III a
variety of ways in order that he may
test the healing powers of the medi
cines manufactured by the company
yaloa employs him.
Instead of being shaky wreck
from constant Indulgence in foods
taken purposely to provoke disorders,
this vindicator OF infants soothing
syrups, headache cures, indigestion
medicines and cold cures is hale and
hearty, a stout German past middle
age, of studious, phlegmatic temper
ament
His office is one of the best of all
at the headquarters of the company
that employs him. There are oil paint
ings. soft carpets and Turkish rugs;
he has a library of medical volumes,
windows filled with flowers, and pro-
fusion Of bottles, glasses and crucibles
distributed in the apartment.
He has variety of duties. Accord.
ing to the Boston Herald he sits in
draught or wandsrs coatless to entico
a cold, and then doses himself with
cold cures lie contracts a violent
headache in order to try the efficacy
of a headache cure which is to be put
on the market.
He acquires the headache by con.
centrating his mind so closely upon
one subject that at the end of few
hours the nervous strain produces tho
pains in the head he has set out to
obtain. Then he takes a dose of tho
medicine that is being experimental
with. ard watches results carefully,
noting every effect in a book in or
der To make his report upon It.
Often he has to contract aches that
aren't headaches. II may be that o
new medicine 10 to be brought out
for Indigestion or the scores of dis.
orders resulting from dyspepsia.
The manufacturers desire to mako
a practical test of the formula for
their own satisfaction. The German
tester goes to a restaurant late in tho
evening and gives an order that makeg
the walters eyes bulge.
II eat a lobster salad, then drink
milk, which is usually prohibited with
such salad" be says, cheerily. in
telling about It. ITO make it moro
certain have vinegar mixed with tho
milk, and follow it all with Welsh
rabbit. After that, the only thing
have to do is wait for the results.
They are usually not long in com.
ing. Soon ] have violent pains in the
chest. feeling as of heavy weight
lying upon 1t. with sharp pains shoot.
ing across my body every second. OF
course it is agony while it endures,
but ! take Q dose of the remedy to re
lieve 1t.
"If it gives me relief, note all the
circumstances of my sensations TO the
mlnutest detail, and If it doesn't
do the same. You have no conception
of what a delightful feeling It is to
experience the contrast of intense
pain and quick relief. l know that
feeling we'll"
There are from rs to 100 drugs
mentioned in materia medica for dis
orders of indigestion. and the German
tester has tried them all
For an eyewash, he has more thar
once thrown sand into his eyes tc
produce Inflammation in order to test
the wash as to its relief giving prop
critics. He even imaglnes himself a
baty occasionally in order to try the
infants medicines. He drugs himself
by compounding sleeping potion o,
infants soothing syrup.
"You may say" he explains, "thai
because a thing soothes me it does
not necessarily follow that 1t would
soothe baby Nevertheless, my re
suits have invariably proved tha
what was good for me was good fol
the infant: but of course in mildel
doses.
"You see. we cannot get baby t
experiment on. even II we desired one
which we don't A baby could no
tell its sensations or impressions afte
II took the medicine. which is neces
sary to the success of the expert
ments."
The man who voluntarily submits
to trying it on the dog" is not at al
dense animal, so robust that moth
ing can harm him. and willing from
Ignorance to sacrifice himself in thi
strange way. He is himself chem
list, skillful one.
That makes him all the more avail
able, as he can record with accurac,
the sensations before and after tai
ing a medicine and the results oh
tanned And OF course he knows quit
well the properties OF each remed
he takes. what its effect should be
how great dose Is required and hoy
violent his ailment is.
How came such man to embrae
an occupation that carries with II s
many disagreeable features? He wi
tell you himself that before he GO
his present berth he was a wreck,
victim of chronic indigestion.
wasted shadow OF the man he ha
been IN early youth.
u nave been in the manufacture
drug business myself for "a years.
he says. But things went wrong; m
health gave out. my stomach wa
gone and soon had not even employ
ment.