The Republican journal., 1915-04-29

take pailful of grain and another of
common sense" and it might be added,
that the latter should be used literally.
PROFESSOR VIM. F. SCHoPPE,
Montana Experiment Stat ion,
Bozeman, Montana.
Tuberculosis Remedies" That
Are Worthless.
No Real Cure Possible From Any OF The
Patent Preparations Investigated by Gov
eminent Scientist
WASHINGTON, d. c., April 25, 1915.
After Investigating under the Food and
Drugs Act, large number of prepara-
tons 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 tuber-
cuIosis. Some contain drugs that may
at times afford some temporary relief
from the distressing symptoms of the
disease, but this is all. Since the pas
sage of federal legislation prohibiting
the shipment in interstate commerce of
medicinal preparations for which false
and fraudulent claims are made, there
has been marked tendency to label
these preparations remedies instead
Of "cures" or "infalible cures" as they
used to be called. In many cases, how
ha JoI
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 a solution in
water and alcohol of opium, sugar, ben
zaldehyde, inorganic salts and coloring
matter. 1t contained no cherry bark ex-
tract or balsam.
A more elaborate tcure" consisted of
five different preparations which the
credulous patient was to take separately.
These were, first, the medicine proper,
the essential ingredients of which were
found to be morphine, cinnamic acid and
arsenic-not very safe mixture to take
habitually; second, a tonic which was
supposed to contain iron but did not;
third, Cough mixture made up OF
alcohol, chloroforfn, and codeine which
is derivative of opium or morphine;
fourth, a mixture which contained some
quinine and a solution of water and
alcohol; and fifth, codeine tablets. Even
the strongest constitution could hardly
stand prolonged course of such a treat
ment
In the marketing of such preparations
considerable ingenuity is frequently
shown. One of the main objects is to
persuade the patient that he is receiving
at comparatively low price, the indi-
vidua] attention Of trained specialist.
For this purpose, symptom blanks are
employed. These contain number of
questions about the patients symptoms,
the number varying from 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 questions,
will be carefully considered before 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 at
tempted 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
concerns doing business of this kind
have received as many as 1000 letters
day.
After the patient has submitted his
diagnosis report" he is urged to pur-
chase a supply of the medicine. If he
does so, he is then urged to purchase
more. If he states that he has experience
ed no beneficial effects he is told that he
has not taken enough, and this process
is likely to continue until the limits of
his credulity have been reached. If, on
the other hand, he decides at the begin
ming not to purchase the medicine it is
likely to be offered to him at successfully
lower prices until he is at last induced to
believe that he cannot afford to ignore
such a bargain. This is carried to such
an extent that ''treatment" :, the orig
inal price of which is $25, may be offered
at the end of six months for $3.50.
AS matter of fact the successful
treatment of tuberculosis requires
much more than the mere giving of
medicine and, moreover, what will help
one case will not necessarily help anoth-
er. Claims that are absolutely unwar-
ranted are no longer permitted on the
labels of medicines shipped in interstate
commerce, but the wording may be such
as to convey misleading impression
without the use of absolute statements