The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1914-11-19
DEFENDS POPULAR REMEDIES
speaker Says Newspapers Should -
vestisate Merits OF Medicines Be
fore Barring Advertisements.

That an organized attempt has been
made to blacken the reputation Of the
popular family remedies OF this coun-
.ry. and to mislead the newspaper
publishers into rejecting the adyer'
Using of such medicines. was the
charge made by Carl J. Balllett, OF
Buffalo, N. Y, at the convention Of the
Advertising Afiiliation at Detroit
Mr.. Balliett is a director OF the Pro-
orietary Association OF America, which
Includes in it's membership two hum
1red firms which make the popular
prepared medicines OF America.
Mr.. Balliett pointed out that II Is
the duty OF the newspaper publisher
to refuse the advertising OF any fake
or fraudulent medicine, just as It Is
his duty to refuse any fake or fraudu'
lent advertising, but 1t is not righl TO
shut down on all medical advertising
because there have been some fekers,
any more than 1t would be right 20
refuse to publish all department store
advertising because certain steres
have made a practice OF lying about
bargain sales.
Disease and death are mysteries.
People who are perfectly well are
skepticaI. 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 hui
NOR has perhaps hurt the medicine
business with well people. but when
the hitherto healthy man feels a Sc
we're pain or illness, he immediately
wants medicine, and win bless the
cure whether it be at the hands Of a
regular doctor. homeopath, an osteo'
path, a Christian Scientist or patent
medicine. There is nothing more
deadly than disease; nothing more
| honorable than to cure Il.
Mr.. Balliett refuted the idea sought
TO be spread about that patent medi'
cines are unpopular by showing that
from 1900 to 1912 the amount OF pre-
pared medicines consumed in America
| increased from 500 900, 900 TO $3.50.
0O0.0 annually He showed that, al
though the American Medical Associ
/ alton is trying as an organization &c
exterminate so-called patent medi'
cines. the family doctor, individually
Is not fighting them but prescribing
them. He estimated that 40g5 Of this
7 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
1 cines: but that DR.. Wiley's ideas arr
not infallible is shown by cases wher'
/ his analyses were entirely wrong. Mr.
Balliett mentioned a case where. viii
all the power Of the Government. h
fought a preparation as being danger
Gus to health. and was ingloriousll
Wallcped.
There has been spread the idea tina
a clever faker can mix a few useless
ingredients and. by smart advertising
sell tons OF II and win sudden wealth
whereas. az a matter OF fact the medi
cine business Is VIGOROUSLY difficult
md where there has been one success
AZ Il. there have been a hundred fail
Hres. Any medicine which has NJ
merit cannot live. because person
zho are duped into buying II once vii
not buy il again, and the prolt from
advertising a medicine can only COM
from repeat sales to the same. salts
fied people. Therefore. any medlcini
which has been on the market for
number Of years. and Is still adver
tlsed. must have merit behind II to &C
count for its success.
In conclusion Mr. Balliett declares
that no newspaper is doing Justice Il
its readers In the matter OF medica
or other advertising, unless II investi
gates. not only the wording OF the ad
vertissmsnt offered for publication
but the merits Of the article adyeT
tised He pointed out that the few
newspapers who have been delude'
into the policy Of barring out medlca
advertising have adopted this genera
policy, rather than to- form an inVea
tigation bureau OF this kind which
could. in a constructive and useful ei
fort. investigate and decide what 4
a good product and what 10 a fraud
IN not only the medicine buslnesa bu