The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-06-21
President Taft Sends Special
Message to Congress
Urging That Pure Food and
Drug Acts Be Amended.
SEES GREAT DANGER.
Which May Follow a Recent Su-
preme Court Decision.
Bill Bearing on the Subject Is
Already In.

Washington. June 21.-In a message
prepared in New York and transmit
ted through the White House today
TO congress President Taft arraigned
the manufacturers of what he de-
nounced as dangerous drug frauds
and urged congress to amend at this
session the pure food and drug law
to strengthen that act in vital points
of weakness recently pointed out py
8 decision of the United States SUI
prems court.
President Taft believes unless the
law is amended forthwith the coun-
try will again be floode dby inJur-
1ous nostruns'' and cure ais which
were common before the pure food
law first was enacted. The message
was Transmitted to both the senate and
the house. Representative Sherley Of
Kentucky already has introduced
bill bearing on the subject The pres
1dent's message in part follows;
s'ro the Senate and House of Rep
resentatives:
your attention is respectfully
called to the necessity Of passing at
this session an amendment to the
food and drug act of June 30, 1910,
which will supplement existing law
and prevent the shipment in interstate
and foreign commerce and the manu-
facture and sale within the terrltor-
les and the District of Columbia OF
worthless nostrums labeled with mis-
logical action-misstatem false
and misleading even in the knowledge
OF those who make them.
Purpose Of the Law.
ION June 80, 1906. after an agita-
tion OF twenty years. the food and
drugs act passed by the fifty-ninth
congress- received the approval of the
president and became law The pur-
pose of the measure was two fold
first, to prevent the adulteration OF
food and drugs within the Jurisd1c-
ton of the federal government and
second. to prevent any false labelling
Of food and drugs that will deceive
the people into the belief that they
are securing other than that for
which they asked and which they
have the right to get
1.-THE law was received with gener-
al satisfaction and has been vigOr-
ously enforced.
The supreme court has held in a re-
cent decision (U. S. VS.. o. A. Johnson,
opinion May %. 1911) that the food
and drugs act does not cover the know
ingly false labelling of nostrums as to
curative effect or physiological action,
and that injury under this Statutory
statute does not by its terms extend
in any case to the inefhcacy of medi-
cine to work the cures claimed for
them on the labels. 1t follows that.
without fear of punishment under the
law, INSCRIPTIONS persons, knowing
the medicines 10 nave no curative or
remedial value for the diseases for
which they indicate them. may ship IN
interstate commerce medicines labeled
as cures for diseases which in the pres
ent state of science, are recognized as
incurable.
General Health Menaced.
IAN evil which menaces the general
health of the people strikes at the life
of the nation. In my opinion the sale
of dangerously adulterated drugs. or
the sale of drugs under knowingly
false claims as to their effect in dis
ease constitutes such an evil and war
rants me in calling the matter to the
attention of congress.
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 cpl
1epSy. sure cures for consumption and
all lung diseases, cures for all kidney,
liver and malarial troubles, cures for
diabetes, cures for tumor and cancer,
cures for all forms of heart disease; in