Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-06-22
TAFT MESSAGE.
Urges Amendment Of Pure
Food and Drug Law.
Fears New Flood Of Injurious
NOstTumS" and "Cure-a|IS."
Early Action Expected In Aouse---
Sherley introduces Bill.

prepared in New York and transmit
ted through the White House today
to Congress, President Taft seath-
ingly arraigned the manufacturers OF
what he denounced as dangerous
drug frauds" and urged Congress to
amend at this session the pure food
and drug law and to strengthen that
act in vital points of Weakness re-
Gently pointed out by decisions OF
the United states Supreme count.
The President believes that unless
the law is amended forthwith the
country will again be flooded with
Injurious nostrums" and cure alla"
which We're common before the pure
food law was first enacted.
The message was transmitted to
both the Senate and House and it
was said today that the latter body
probably would take the matter up
at an early date. Rep. Sherley OF
Kentucky already has introduced a
bill bearing ON the subject.
The Presidents message follows:
TO the Senate and House of Rep
resentatiyes
Your attention is respectfully call
ed to the necessity of passing at this
session an amendment to the food
and drug act of June 30. 1906. which
will supplement existing law and pre-
vent the shipment of Interstate and
foreign commerce and the manufac-
ture ana sale within the territories
and the District of Columbia of worth
less nostrums labelled with misstate-
ments of facts as % their physiologi
cal action-misstatemen false and
misleading even in the knowledge of
those who make them.
ON June go 1906, after an agitation
of 20 years. the food and drugs act,
passed by the 59th Congress, received
the approval of the President and be-
came a law. The purpose of the meas
ure was tWo-fold-first, to prevent the
adulteration of foods and drugs with
in the jurisdiction of the federal gov
eminent and, second, to prevent any
false labelling of foods and drugs that
viii deceive the people into the belief
that they are securing other than that
for which they ask and which they
have the right to get.
The law was received with general
satisfaction and has been vigorously
enforced. More than 1000 cases have
been prepared for criminal prosecu-
ton against the shippers of aduiterat-
ed or misbranded foods and drugs and
seizures have been made of more than
200 shipments of such articles. More
than two-thirds of these cases have
been begun since March A. 1909. OF the
criminal cases more than 500 have ter
minated favorably to the government
20
450 have been condemned and either
re-la belled or destroyed. In every case
i'm which the food seized was deleteri-
ous To health, it was destroyed
The supreme court has held in re-
cent decision Omitted States VS.. Q. A.
Johnson. opinion May 20, 1910 that the
food and drugs act does not cover the
knowingly false labelling of nostrums
as to curative effect or physiological
action, and that inquiry under this sal
utary statute does not by it's terms eX-
tend i'm any case to the inefficacy of
medicines to work the cures claimed
for them Oh the labels. 1t follows that,
without fear of punishment under the
law. INSCRIPTIONS persons, knowing
the medicines to have no curative or
remedial value for the diseases Tor
which they indicate them, may snip III
interstate commerce medicines com
posed of substances possessing any
slight physiological action and Ia
beIled as cures for diseases which, IN
the present state of science, are rec
ognized as incurable.
AN evil which meEaces the general
health of the people strikes at the life
II, the sale
of dangerously adulterated drugs, or
the sale of drugs under knowingly
false claims as TO their effect in di-
sease, constitutes such an evil ana
warrants me in calling the matter to
the attention of the Congress.
Fraudulent Misrepresentation OF
the curative value of nostrums not on
lv operate to defraud purchasers but
are a distinct menace to the public
health. There are none so credulous
as sufferers from disease. The need is
urgent for legislation which will pre-
vent the raising of false hopes of
speedy cures of serious ailments by
misstatements of fact as TO worthless
mixtures on which the sick will rely
while their diseases progress uncheek-
ed.
AT the time the food and drugs act
was passed. there were current in
commerce literally thousands of dam
gerous frauds labeled as cures for
every case of epilepsy. consumption
and lung diseases. cures for all kid
ney, liver and malarial troubles, cures
for diabetes. cures for tumor and cam
Ger, cures for all forms of heart di-
sease; in fact, cures for all the ills
known at the present day.
THE labels of many of these So
called cures indicated their use for
diseases of children. They We're not
only utterly useless in the treatment
of the disease. but in many cases We're
positively injurious. If 1.-THE of these
statements had been true, no one with
access to the remedies which bore
them need have died from any cause
other than accident or old age.
Unfortunately the statements were not
true, The shameful fact is that those
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