The Detroit times., 1912-11-20
NATION WIDE net Is PUT
OUT FOR MEDICAL QUACKS"
Postmaster-G General Orders Cru
SADIE in Twenty-Five
States
USING MAILS TO
DEFRAUD, is CHARGE
Government Officials Have Been
Gathering Evidence for
Some Time

WASHINGTON, ID. c.. Nov. 20
Simultaneous arrest OF l75 manufac-
turers of alleged "quack' patent medi-
-eiaes- we're ordered by -PostmasteI-
General Hitchcock today in ~ diner
ent cities, scattering through %
states. The arrests are the result OF
months OF investigation by postottice
inspectors and are directed at firms
which manufacture medicinal prepar-
atoms" injurious TO the health, and
are using the mails. Neither names OF
the firms nor the cities in which the
arrests were to- be made, we're given
out at the postotfice department
The department dragnet is out for
every conceivable sort OF medical
quack-the specialist" maternity
doctors, "healers, and cure ven
ders
Postmaster-Genera Hitchcock has
been accommodating evidence for
months and inspectors have beer
probing the activities OF all medical
advertisers in the various newspapers
throughout the country. Ii was un-
derstood that chemists of the depart
ment of agriculture, have been CO
operating III gathering evidence in the
crusade. Practically all OF the in
dictments, II was stated, either charge
the sending of obscene matter through
the mails, or using the mails TO de
fraud. The coterie OF medical quacks
throughout the country have been
reaping a rich harvest ever since the
supreme court held that the pure food
law could not be used TO prosecute
patent medicine manufacturers for
"misbranding except when their la
bells made false statements as TO the
quality, quantity or materials used IN
their composition.
The government, which had been
proceeding against fakirs. for mis-,
branding" their product when they
made extravagant- claims for it's cura-
tive value, was therefore powerless.
Today's crusade was the new on
slaught devised.
One hundred and seyenty-three war
rants were Issued the arrests being
apportioned among the various cities
as follows
New York. 2: Chicago. 9; Buffalo. 3
Pittsburgh, Z; indianapolis, = ST.
Paul s.; Fort Worth. 4 Omaha. {;
ST. Louis, 3 Oklahoma City. 5 Port.
land. Ore. 9; Oakland, Cal. s; Los
Angeles. 3 San Jose. 3 Mobile, B;
Marietta, o.. 3; Dallas, 3; Denver s.;
Seattle. s; Spokane, s. San Francisco.
T.
Two each in Memphis. Washington
Albany, Birmingham. Duluth. Winona
Cleveland, Stubenville, San Antonio
Houston. Topeka. Alameda Cal. and
New Orleans.
One each in Minneapolis, Atlanta,
Cincinnati; Toledo; Ithaca. y. ".
Galveston: Salt Lake City; Elmira. y.
Y: Lancaster and Pine Bank Pa.
East Orange, y. j.: Cumberland, Md.
Charleston and Columbia. S. c.; Jack
sonville, Fla; Columbus. Springfield,
Mount Vernon, Dayton and Convoy,
o.: Fort Wayne and Terre Haute,
Ind; Peoria, H.; Kalamazoo and Iron
River, Mich: Holden, Mo-. Muskogee,
Okla: Wichita, Kan; Council Bluffs,
Ia. Beflinghanf, Crescent and 2Faee-
ma, wash; Sacramento, Petaluma,
Fresno and Glendale, Cal
II was stated in the local office OF
the United States marshal that there
are no orders for any arrests in De-
troit and the district attorneys Office
was equally shy OF information con-
corning any raid Of medical quacks
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