Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1914-11-14
DEFENDS POPULAR REMEDIES
Speaker Says Newspapers Should In
Nestlgate Merits of Medicines Be-
fore Barring Advertisements.

! '''A
That an organized attempt has been
made to blacken the reputation of the
1 popular family remedies Of this coun-
try and to mislead the newspaper
/ publishers into rejecting the adver-
using of such medicines. was the
charge made by Carl J. Balliett. OF
BuHalo N. Y. at the convention of the
/ advertising AhiliatiOu at Detroit.
Mr. Balliett is a director of the Pro-
prietary Association of America, which
includes in its membership two hun
ored firms which make the popular
prepared medicines of America.
Mr.. Balllett pointed out that II is
the duty of the newspaper publisher
10 refuse the advertising Of any fake
or fraudulent medicine, just as 1t is
his duty TO refuse any fake or fraudu-
lent advertising, but it is not right to
smut down on all medical advertising
because there have been some takers.
any more than it would be right to
refuse to publish all department store
advertising because certain stores
nave made n practice of lying about
bargain sales.
Disease and death are mysteries.
People who are perfectly well are
skeptical. They laugh at the time
worn patent medicine joke, just as
they laugh again and again over the
many variations OF the operation joke
The operation was a success but
the patient died" This so-called hu.
NOR has perhaps hurt the medicine
business with we'll people. but when
tho hitherto healthy man feels Sc
we're pain or Illness. he Immediately
wants medicine. and will bless the
cure whether it be at the hands o. n
regular doctor, homeopath, an osteo-
path, Christian Scientist or patent
medicine. There is nothing more
deadly than disease: nothing more
honorable than 70 cure 1t.
Mr.. Balliett refuted the idea sought
to be spread about that patent medt-
cines are unpopular by showing that
from 1900 10 1912 the amount of pre-
pared medicines consumed IN America
increased from $100O00,000 to $780,
100000 annually. He showed that, al.
though the American Medical Associ-
WIN 10 - AtAh 90 al OtEuAAAdAiOu W
exte rminate so-called patent medi.
TiDos. the family doctor. individually,
is not fighting them but prescribing
them. He estimated that 400 of the
prescriptions written by doctors today
include proprietary medicines.
The writings of DR.. Harvey w. WI
ley. he said, have also aimed to de-
stroy confidence in proprietary medi-
cines; but that DIR. Wney's ideas are
not infallible is shown by cases where
his analyses were entirely wrong. Mr..
Balliett mentioned case where, with
all the power of the Government, he
fought a preparation as being danger
GUS to health. and was ingloriousIy
wallOped
There has been spread the Idea that
clever faker can mix a few useless
ingredients and by smart advertising.
sell tons Of it and win sudden wealth:
whereas. as a matter OF fact. the medi-
cine business is VIGOROUSLY difficult,
and. where there has been one success
at it. there have been a hundred fail.
ures. Any medicine which has no
merit cannot live, because persons
WHO az uufGu iHAu butluE u once VIII
not buy It again, and the profit from
advertising a medicine can only come
from repeat sales to the same, salts
fed people. Therefore, any medicine
which has been on the market for a
number of years. and is still adver-
tised. must have merit behind 1t TO ac-
count for its success.
In cOncEIsiou Mr. Balliett declared
that no newspaper is doing justice to
its readers In the matter of medical
or other advertising, unless it investi-
gates. not only the wording of the adj
vertscment offered for publication.
but the merits OF the article adver-
tised He pointed out that the few
newspapers who have been deluded
into the policy of barring out medical
advertising have adopted this general
policy. rather than to form an inses-
tigation bureau of this kind which
could, In a constructive and useful eff
fort, investigate and decide what is
a good product and what is a fraud.
in not only the medicine business, but
in every other business which adyer-
tises its wares to the public.
The audience seemed to agree with
Mr., Balliett's ideas q the subject and
the chairman decided the question at
issue In his favor.
Guilty.