The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1911-10-19
The Abuse Of Drugs.

By ". c. Tan D.


~
probable combination he will sand
wich in the advice between bottles
of harmless medicine, (the so-called
placebos). But you can readily
see that if he is wise and not honest
he will often cater to the demand
and SOW a seed that very often has
for it's blossom a ruined home or a
blasted reputation.
More harm has been done by
these sometimes ignorant and some
times wise. but always dishonest
practitioners, in establishing an ap-
petite for insidious drugs than by all
the whiskey that was ever distilled
in Kentucky. The morphine or Co
caine in that first prescription has
helped to fill many a penitentiary
and no law could be drawn drastic
enough to punish the man who de-
liberately gives such drugs to pa
tient as a temporary brace, or the
company which offers such to the
public under the guise of a patent
nostrum.
Speaking of patent medicines: the
London Punch when it gave its eel
ebrated advice to young people
about to marry said, Don't" This
should apply to all patent medi-
cines. Leave them alone. Don't let
clever advertiser delude you into
thinking that you need bottle of
sarsaparilla in the spring, or little
peptanated tonic after dinner, or
still worse a little something like
Peruna before breakfast. It's a de-
fl.-ainn mira and ais,a ,aln- AHha4
probably do need is q little change
of some sort. That is, if you need
anything at all.
Remember this: If the practi-
tioner who sees you face to face
can't tell you (if he is honest) what
the effect Of single drug will be
after you have taken it into your
system, surely you are taking a long
chance when you buy bottle OF
something that is made by man
who never even heard of you, who,
i hundreds of miles away, mixes up
his dope by the car load lot and de-
pends on the advertising to sell 1t,
lit may not injure you. | under
stand that some of the worst fea-
! lures of the patent medicine trade
have been eliminated sine ce the
t"Pure Food Law" went into effect
but that is by no means a certainty
besides, by pandering TO your lmag
] mary ailment, you very often create
a new one.
The mind has far more influence
lover the body than the majority Q
us realize and the patent medicln
habit soon becomes fixed and per
: manent. Just as the patent medl
: cine advertisers delude ignoran
r and weak-minded people into be
n lieving that they have the ailmen
: that requires their particular bran
VI of fake; SO do medical quacks. b
d their subtly suggestive question:
d lead their victims into abnorm'
II conditions of mind which not Onl
% render them an easy prey but act'
G. ally create the very condition
is which they (the quacks) pretend
at remove.
a Mark you, too, that m e d ics
OF quackery is not only to be four
We where the man of average INTEL
ut gence can see it at a glance. 1t e.
if lists in high places and very often
%, veneered with many high soundil
ey AMI imposing titles. Many digr
or fed and respected practitioner
the fashionable world could gi
,st the sharpest crook you ever 50
an cards and spades and then beat hi
er- at the game.
on Success in the medical world b
a two different aspects, e: Dolls
ily and patients lives, and the t'
ar don't by any means lie always alo
nd the same road of practice.
lin 'rhe good old doctor who CARR
orlhis bottle Of calomel in one par
in pocket and his scalpel in the oil
ise has become almost memory
me laugh over. but he didn't do 9
M more harm than the modern Hsc