Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1914-11-12
DEFENDS POPULAR REMEDIES
speaker Says Newspapers Should In
vestgate Merits of Medicines Be-
fore Barring Advertisements

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 adver-
Using of such medicines. was the
charge made by Carl J. Balliett, OF
buffalo. y. Y. at the convention of the
Advertising Affiliation at Detroit.
Mr.. Balliett is a director OF the Pro
)rietary Association of America, which
includes in it's membership two hun
1red firms which make the popular
prepared medicines of America.
Mr.. Balliett pointed ont that it 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 it is not right TO
shut 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 stres
have made a 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
hr1f
the patient died" This so-called hui
NOR has perhaps hurt the medicine
business with well people. but when
the 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 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 II.
Mr.. Baliett refuted the idea sought
J 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 Sl00.000.000 to S16O.
eco 900 annually. He showed that, al
though the American Medical Associ
alton is trying as an organization tc
exterminate so-called patent medi
cnes. the family doctor, individually
is not fighting them but prescribing
them. He estimated that 400 of the
prescriptions written by doctors toda,
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 DR.. Wiley's ideas arr
not infallible is shown by cases wher'
his analyses were entirely wrong. Mr.
Ralliett mentioned a case where. will
all the power of the Government, III
fought a preparation IS being danger
Gus to health. and was ingloriousl.
walloped.
There has been spread the idea tina
a clever faker can mix few useles
ingredients and. by smart advertising
sell tons OF Il and win sudden wealth
whereas, at a matter of fact the med
! cine 10 iotoi iouSiy NihhNui'
rnd. where there has been one success
at il. there have been hundred fai
ures. Any medicine which has N
merit cannot live. because person
who are duped into buying it once VII
not buy it again, and the profit fror
advertising medicine can only com
from repeat sales TO the same. salts
fed people. Therefore, any medicin
which has been on the market for
number of years. and is still advei
t;sed, must have merit behind it to aC
count for its success.
In conclusion Mr.. Balliett declare
that no newspaper is doing justice t
its readers in the matter of medica
or other advertising. unless it invest
gates. not only the wording of the ad
vertisement offered for publication
but the merits of the article advei
tised. He pointed out that the fe,
newspapers who have been delude
into the policy of barring out medica
advertising have adopted this genera
policy. rather than to form an inves
tigation bureau of this kind whic
could, in constructive and useful ei
fort. investigate and decide what l
good product and what is a frauC
in not only the medicine business. Blu