Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1915-04-07
TUBERCULOUS
REMEDIES
Nc Real Cure Possible From Any of
the Patent Preparations
Investigated

A Washington dispatch says that af-
ter investigating under the Food and
Drugs act, large number of prepa-
rations 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
icinal preparations for which false
and fraudulent claims are made, there
has been marked tendency to label
these preparations remedies" instead
OF "cures" or 'infallible cures" as they
used to be called. In many cases,
however, they can not even be regard
ed 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 so
luton in water and alcohol OF opium,
sugar, rbenzaldehyde, inorganic salts
and coloring matter. 1t contained no
cherry bark extract or balsam.
A more elaborate cure. consisted
of FIVE different preparations which
the credulous patient was to take sep
arately. These were first, the med
iclne proper, the essential ingredients
OF which were found to be morphine.
cinnamic acid and arsenic-not very
safe mixture to take. habitually; sec
ond, tonic which was supposed to
contain iron but did not; third, a
cough mixture made up OF alcohol,
chloroform, and codeine which Is de-
rivative of opium or morphine; fourth,
mixture which contained some qui-
nine, and solution of water and alco-
hol; and fifth, codeine tablets. Even
the strongest constitution could hard
ly stand a prolonged course of such
treatment.
In the marketing OF such prepare
tions considerable ingenuity is fire.
quently shown. One of the main OBJ
Jects Is to persuade the patient that
he is receiving, at comparatively low
price, the individual attention OF a
trained specialist. For this purpose,
symptom blanks are employed. These
contain number OF questions about
the patents symptoms, the number
varying from dozen or SO to as many
as 10 or 80. The patent is led to be-
lieye that the information which he
furnishes in reply to these questions,
will be carefully considered before any
medicine is prescribed for him, though
every physician knows that an accu-
rate diagnosis cannot possibly. be made
In this way. AS matter Of fact none
is attempted and tho degree OF at.
tention which these individual reports
receive can be measured by the fact
that cases have come under the OBJ
servatIon Of the department in which
mail order concerns doing business
OF this kind have received as many
as 1000 letters day.
An matter of fact the successful
treatment of tuberculosis requires
much more than the mere giving of
medicine and, moreover, what will
help one case viii not necessarily
help another. Claims that are abso.
lutely unwarrsnted are no longer per
mitted on the labels Of medicines
shipped In interstate commerce, but
the wording may be such as to con.
yey misleading impression without
the use Of absolute statements. Thus
these preparations continue to find
a sale despite the fact that little
trouble on the part of the prospective
purchaser will reveal their worthless.
mons.
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