Mrs. Grundy. (Tracy City, Tenn.) 1903-1930, 1914-08-06
NO. SO
Headache Remedies.

1 y
at large than proper knowledge
Of the composition of materials
so widely sold as the so-called
Headache powders" used for the
alienation of headache. Within
the past ten years great trade
has sprung up In these products.
They are represented as curing
headaches, no matter to what
cause due. 1t is stated that they
are quite as eflicacious for head
ache due to eye strain as for that
peculiar variety which has its
origin only in 1.-THE cold gray
dawn of the morning after" Ev-
erybody has headache at some
time or other. Usually, of course,
these headaches are due to digest
i've disturbances, because appar-
emily there is for most people
nothing that will produce a head
ache so quickly as Indigestion.
But when the enforcementof the
Food and Drugs Act was proceed
ed with, calling for statement
upon the label of the proportion
OF certain drugs contained in
medicines, the general consumer
found that the effect of these
glorious new discoveries which
had so often relieved his head
ache was due either TO acetanilid,
phenacetin or antlpyrine. All
these materials are derivatives of
coal tar; all were formerly used
for the purpose of reducing fever,
and all except antipyrine have
been practically abandoned at
this time for this purpose. They
are now used chiefly for the re-
lief of pain, and, under the adj
vice of competent physician,
are valuable medicines, but too
large an amount produces de-
preston of the heart, and, in se-
we're cases, stupor and death.
Many cases are on record OF this
of this characters The United
States Bureau of Chemistry have
Investigated this subject; they
found references in the litera-
ture to 500 cases of poisoning by
these drugs. These included 26
deaths, and what is quite as bad,
33 cases of habitual use, for these.
drugs may, when too long persist
ed in. form drug habit almost
as surely as morphine. The medi-
cines reported on included all the
wellknown patent medicine head
ache powders. 1t 10 not necessary
in this place to mention the
names, as an inspection of the
stock of almost any well regulat-
ed drug store will show large
humber of them. 1t is safe to say
that practically everyone of these
has produced death at some place
or time. The Food and Drugs De-
partment of Tennessee found
that while often the label showed
the presence of the drug, in many
cases the quantity of it declared
on the label was incorrect, and,
in some cases, nearly double the
amount said to be present was
found. 1t is obvious that such
misbranded packages could pro-
duce death very promptly wheth-
or administered under the dlrec-
tion of physician or not. The
safe rule is to leave all such
things alone. The best remedy
for a headache is TO take good
purgative, and if the headache
persists, go and see physician
or an oculist. The purgative VIII
usually do the business. No man
has right to take any liberties
with his constitution by the use
of these powerful drugs. In cas-
es of supposed poisoning by them,
" hich would be indicated by the
bluing of the skin, cessation of
heart action or irregular heart
action and feeling of collapse,
physician should be called in at
once.
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