The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1915-04-30
Worthless "Cures"

Worthless Cures
After investigating under the food
and drug act large number of prep
arations advertised as consumption
cures, the department has not been
able to discover any that can in any
sense be regarded as "cures" for tub
erculosis. Some contain drugs that
may at times afford some temporary
relief from the distressing symptoms
of the disease, but this Is all. Since
the passage of Federal legislation
prohibiting the shipment in inter-
state commerce Of medicinal prepar-
atlons for which false and fraudulent
claims are made there has been a
marked tendency to label these prep
sarations remedies" insead of
"cures" or "infallible cures" as they
used to be called. In many cases,
however, they can not even be re-
garded as remedies.
A cherry balsam," for example,
for the "cure" of consumption" and
"hemorrhage Of the lungs" which 1t
was represented would "strike at the
very root of the disease" was found
on analysis To be nothing but a solu-
ton in water and alcohol of opium,
sugar, benzaldehyde, inorganic salts,
and coloring matter. 1t contained
no cherrybark 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 ingred-
tents of which were found to be NOR
phine, cinnamic acid, and arsenic
not very safe mixture to take hab-
iturly; second, a tonic which was sup
posed to contain iron but did not;
third, a cough mixture" made up Of
alcohol, chloroform, and codeine,
which is a derivative of opium or
morphine; fourth. mixture which
contained some quinine, and solu-
ton of water and alcohol; and fifth,
codelne tablets. Even the strongest
constitution could hardly stand a
prolonged course of such treatment.
In the marketing of such prepare
lions 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 pur-
pose, symptom blanks are employed.
These contain a number eff questions
about the patients symptoms, the
number varying from dozen or so
to as many as 10 or so. The patient
is led TO believe that the information
winch he furnishes in reply to these
questions will be carefully considered
before any medicine is prescribed for
him, though every physician knows
that an acute diagnosis can not posi-
bly, be made in this way. AS matt
er Of fact none is attempted and the
degree of attention which these in
dividual reports receive can be meas.
ured by the fact that cases have come
under the observation OF the depart
ment in which mail-order concerns
doing a business of this kind have re.
ceived as many as 1000 letters a day.
After the patient has submitted
his diagnosis report" he is urged to
purchase a 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 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 beginning not to
purchase the medicine, 1t is likely to
be offered to him at successfully low
err prices until he Is at last induced
to believe that he can not afford to
ignore such bargain. This is carrled
to such an extent that treat
ment," the original price of which is