Weekly journal-miner., 1915-04-21
ANALYSIS SHOWS
 CURES" ARE WORTHLESS
(From Thursdays Daily.l

parations advertised as consumption cures, the department of agriculture has not been able to discover any that can in any sense be regarded as ''cures" for tuberculosis. Some con- tain drugs that may at times afford some temporary relief from the dis tressing symptoms of the disease, but this is all Since the passage of fed eral legislation prohibiting the ship ment in interstate commerce of med icinal preparations for which false and fraudulent claims are made, there has been a marked tendency to label these preparations remedies" in stead of "cures" O. "infallible cures" as they used to be called. In many cases, however, they can not even be regarded as remedies.
 A cherry balsam," for example, for the "cure" of consumption" and "hemorrhage of the lungs" which it was represented would strike at the very root of the disease" was found on analysis to be nothing but solu- ton in water and alcohol or opium, sugar. benzaoldehyde, inorganic salts and coloring matter. It contained no cherry bark extract or balsam.
 A more elaborate "cure" consisted of five different preparations which the credulous patient was to take separately. These were first, the medicine proper, the essential in g-edients of which were found 10 be morphine, cinnamic acid and arsenic mot a very safe mixture to take habitually; second, a tonic which was 1 supposed to contain iron but did not thir, cough mixture" made up of alcohol, chlo-oform and codeine which is derivative of opium or nor phine; fourth, a mixture which con tained some quinine, and a solution of water and alcohol; and fifth, CO deine tablets. Even the strongest constitution could hardly stand a pro- longed course of such treatment.
 In the marketing of such prepara- tions considerable ingenuity is ire quently shown. One of the main ob- jects is to persuade the patient that he is receiving, at comparatively low price, the individual attention of trained specialist. For this purpose, symptom blanks are employed. These contain a number of questions about the patients symptoms, the number varying from a dozen or so to as many as 70 or 80. The patient is led to believe that the information which he furnishes in reply to these ques- tions, will be carefully considered be- fore any medicine is prescribed for him, though every physician knows that an accurate diagnosis cannot possibly be made in this way. As a matter of fact none is attempted and the degree of attention which these individual reports receive can be measured by the fact that cases have come under the observation of the department in which mail order con ce.ns doing a business of this kind have received as many as 4,0OO let ters day.
 After the patient has submitted his diagnosis report" he is urged to pur- chase supply of the medicine. If he does so, he is then urged to pur- chase more. If he states that he has experienced no beneficial effects he is told he has not taken enough, and this process is likely to continue un- til the limits of his credulity have been reached. If, on the other hand, he decides at the beginning not to purchase the medicine it Is likely to be offered to him at 5uccessively lower prices until he is at last induc- ed to believe that he connot afford to ignore such bargain. This is carri- ed to such an extent that a treat ment," the original price of which is $25, may be offered at the end of six months for $2.50.
 As a matter of fact the successful treatment of tuberculosis requires 1 much more than the mere giving of medicine and, moreover, what will help one case will not necessarily | help another. Claims that are abso- | lutely unwarranted are no longer pre- mitted on the labels of medicines shipped in interstate commerce, but the wording may be such as to con vey a misleading impression without the use of absolute statements. Thus these preparations continue to find sale despite the fact that a little trouble on the part of the prospective purchaser will reveal their worthless ness.
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