New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-06-15
PREDICTS REFORM
in DRUG STORES
Head of Local Branch AT.
tacks Those Lax in Safe
guarding Health.
CONFERENCE GRANTS
SUPPORT TO ACCUSED
Takes Ground That All Retailers
Are Concerned with Welfare
of Alleged Violators.

Drug stores will refuse absolutely 70
sell patent medicines and Household
remedies not Endorsed by the Board
1 Of Health IL certain members Of the
/ New York Pharmaceutical Conference.
which held a special meeting vester-
day afternoon at the College Of Phar-
Macy, on West Sixth-eighth Street,
have their way. John Roeme, Of White
/ Plains, president of the New York
branch Of the American Pharmaceutical
Association, was greeted with applause
! when he expressed this opinion.
/ do you sell Swamproot and Pink
hams Compound" questioned one Of
the few who had not applsuded.
Il do nOt!' answered Mr.. Roeme,
and there was more applause.
Mr.. Roeme was bitter against drug
gists who sold "unethicai" prepars-
tions and charged that pharmacists had
been lax in safeguarding the public
health.
Federal and state laws have given
great privileges to pharmacy" said Mr.
Roeme, putting the safety of the pub
lie in its hands. II violates the con-
fdence of state and nation every time
il countenances the sale Of any patent
medicine. I prophesy that unless
pharmacy does something constructive
10 aid those who by law and their own
will are devoted to the preservation of
public health it will lose all of its
privileges"
The special meeting Of the confer
orce was held TO consider the cases of
George Lawrence and George Men
necke. Brooklyn druggists recently
summoned to court for retailing pack
ages which bore misleading and un-
truthful statements, in violation Of a
Board Of Health ordinance.
The specific offence was the sale of
a package known as Barton's Diphtheria
Antidote. whose label stated that its
use would cure diphtheria. The drug
gists, whose case will be heard next
week, appeared before the conference
to ask that body to engage counsel for
their defence, on the ground that then
welfare was intimately connected with
every retail druggist in the city. The
conference voted 10 take up their case
Mr. Roeme alone dissenting.
Peter Diamond and Joseph Vein
stein. prominent local retailers, in
dorsed the Board Of Health's campaign
against quack medicines, but gave it as
their opinion that the manufacturer
was the party to be held responsible
for violations Of the ordinance and not
the wholesaler or retailer. Many of
Tending patent medicines, they said
were sold in sealed packages with the
Illegal statement inside; therefore il
was unfair to hold the middlemen re-
sponsible.
Or. Norman B. Kerr, of the Charles
y. Crittenton Company, which company
was charged with wholesaling articles II
violation Of the health ordinance, said
he was in favor of standardizing pat.
ent medicines and dropping from the
lists those which every one knew were
Objectionable.
Mennecke stated that he carried only
drugs which were guaranteed by the
Federal pure food and drug act. He
insisted that it was impossible to live
OF 10 the city ordinance. Clarence O.
Bigelow, proprietor Of a store at Sixth
Avenue and Eighth Street, said that
druggists were merely distributors.
eve have no interest in the con
sumer," he added; I'VE merely sell"