Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-06-21
A NATIONAL MENACE
Dangerous Drug Frauds"
Scored by Taft.
URGES LAW BE AMENDED
Sends Message to Congress With His
Views Embodied.
EARLY ACTION LOOKED FOR
President Fears Country Will Be
Flooded With "Cure-Allsn Unless
Act Is Strengthened.

Act Is Strengthened.
President Taft today sent 20 Congress,
a message recommending amendment 70
the pure food and drugs law
The sale OF dangerously adultera.ed
and willfully misrepresented drugs In
held by the President 10 he a menace
TO the general health OF the people. and
II Is TO prevent tho raising OF false
hopes of speedy cures of virulent dis
eases by misstatements of fact by un-
scrupulous manufacturers that he urges
upon Congress the necessity of imme-
diate legislation
me great good that has resulted from
the vigorous enforcement OF the exist
ing law is pointed out in the message.
which concludes with the recommenda-
tion that the amendment be enacted at
once as matter of emergency.
The message was transmitted both To
the senate and House, and il was said
To-Day that the latter body probably
would take the matter up at an early
date Representative Sherley OF Ken
lucky already mas introduced a bill
bearing on the subject
President Taft's Message.
The message is as follows:
To the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatiyes:
Your attention is respectfully called
10 the necessity of passing at this ses-
sion an amendment to the food and
drugs act OF June 80. 1906 (3i Stat.
1857, which Will supplement- existing law
ana prevent The shipment in intel state
and foreign commeIce ana the manu-
/ 1 -. MT t.fr Aslt4a
and the District o1 Columbia OF worth
less nostrumS lapeled wltn mNsst ate
ments of TACT as To their physiological
observation-disclosures false and mis-
les4ulag even III the know ledge OF those
vino make them.
June 80. 1906, after an agitation OF
twenty years, the toou and drugs act
passed by the Fitty-nintn Cong iess, re-
lceIved the approval OF the President
and became law. The purpose oI the
measure was twofold-tirst, TO prevent
the adulteration OF FOCUS and drugs
within the jurisdiction or the federai
gov ernment, ana, second, TO prevent any
ilaiSe Labelling OF FOODS ana drugs thal
will deceive the people into the oelleI
tnat they are securing other than that
Ior which they ask and Wnlen lhey nave
the right To get. - 4,
The law Was received wlth general
| satisfaction and has been Vigorously en-
| forced. More than 1850 cases nave peel
| prepared for CRIMINAL prosecution aeaiIsI
inc shippers of aduterated or nisDrdndeo
! foods and drugs and seizures nave Deen
made of more tAan 100 shipments % suea
! articles. More han two-tn.ius oi lhsss
! cases have been begun since MarSIi u
! l.sn OF the criminal cases more than
stp have term mated tavorably 10 the gov
! ernment and OF the shipments seiAe1
| more lnan 400 have been condemned anu
| elther rela beied or destroyed In every
| case i'm which the food seized was delete
! rious To health ii Was destroyed. la 80
number OF cases are now penoins
Cites Supreme Court Decision.
..The Supreme Court has held in recent
decision Omitted States agt. o. A. Jonh-
son; opinion May -, 1911 that the food
| and drugs act does not cover the KNOW
lngiy false labelling OF nostrums, as 10
curative effect or physiological acton, ana
! that inquiry under this salutary statute
| Goes NOT oy its terms extend In any case
! 10 The ineinciency or medicine 10 work tho
/ cures claimed for them on the labe4s.
| 1t follows that, without tear oI puhish-
| ment under the law unsciupulouS per
sons, knowing the medicines 10 nave no
: curative OF remedial value for the dis
| eases for which they indicate them, may
/ snip in interstate commerce medicines
/ composed Of substances possessing amp
| sliLnt physiological action ana ldpeiel
as cures for dis, ases which, In the pres
ent state Of science, are recognized as
| lncuraole.
| An evil wllCn nleDdGes the
| health OF the people strikes al the lie
| 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 disease, con-
! stitutes such an evil. and warrants me
! IN calling the matter to the attention Oh
/ the Congress.
"Fraudulent Misrepresentation OF the
curative value of nostrums not only
| operate 70 defraud purchasers, but are
! q distinct menace to the public health.
There are none so credulous as suffer-
/ ers from disease. The need Is urgent
! for legislation which Will prevent 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 unchecked.
Cures" Knowingly Mislabeled.
AT the time the food and drugs act
was passed there were current In COM
merce literally thousands of dangerous
frauds la beled as cures for every case
of epilepsy. sure cures for consumption
and all lung diseases, cures for all kid
ney liver and malarial troubles. cures
for abetes, cures for tumor and can
Ger. cures for all forms of heart disease:
in fact. cures for all the ills known at
the present day. The labels of many
of those so-called cures indicated their
use for diseases of children. They were
nor only utterly useless in the treat
ment of the disease, but in many cases
were positively injurious.
IL a tithe of these statements had beer
true, one with access 10 the remedies
which bore them need have died from anv
cause other than accident or old age. Tn
fortunately the statements were not true
The shameful fact Is that those who deal
in such preparations know they are de-
ceiying credulous and ignorant unfortu-
mates who suffer from some of the grav
..st Ills 10 M hich The flnSh Of this da,- q