The Idaho Republican., 1915-10-15
FALSELY LABELLED
PATENT MEDICINE
Fifty Patent Medicines Proceeded
Against for Fraudulent Claims as
to Curative Powers Of Products.

Against TUT FrauOulenC Cla1nS aS
to Curative Powers OF Products.
More than half a hundred legal ac-
tions have been terminated success
fully under the Sherley amendment
to the Food and Drugs Act, which
prohibits false and fraudulent claims
as to the curative or therapeutic ef-
fects of drugs or medicines. Grim
inal prosecutions against the manu-
facturers were brought in rs cases,
but in 81 instances the falsely and
fraudulently labeled medicines were
seized while in interstate commerce.
Claims made by the manufacturers
for the curative powers of these
preparations ranged from tubercu-
losis, smallpox and diphtheria to
coughs, colds and scalp diseases. A
number TO other criminal prosecu-
tions and seizures are pending in va
rious federal courts throughout the
United States because of alleged vio-
lations of the Sherley amendment
similar to those which have already
been tried. The officials charged with
the enforcement of the Food and
Drugs Act are of the opinion that the
evils of the patent medicine business
can be stopped only by the most dras-
tic action.
1t is pointed out that traffic in
medicines for which false and fraud
ulent claims are made is not only an
economic fraud of the worst kind, in
that a WORTHLESS preparation that
costs but few cents is frequently
sold for dollar or more bottle, but
that health, and even life, is endan-
gered by failure to secure the service
of a physician in such serious dis
eases as tuberculosis, diphtheria,
pneumonia and carlet fever, until
too late, because reliance may have
been placed in the curative powers of
some WORTHLESS preparation which is
claimed to be a never-failing rem
edy, The deluded victim may not
realize his danger until the disease
has reached stage too far advanced
for even the ablest physicians to cope
with it. Effective treatment depends
; in most cases on applying it during
the early stages of the disease.
Suggestive Name of Family Physi
cian' Fails to Save this
Preparation
The Houchens Medicine company
of Baltimore, Md, pleaded guilt t,
the charge that preparation calleC
Family Physician" and shipped b!
them into interstate commerce wa
falsely and fraudulently labeled
Among the many diseases for which
this medicine was recommended b!
the manufacturers in statements ap
pearing on the labels and accompany
ing circulars we're diphtheria, scarle
fever, typhoid fever, smallpox, bron
chitis, neuralgia, Group and all dis
eases of the throat and lungs. Th'
following quotations from the label
carton, or circular are interesting
''The public is hereby assured tina
this is the genuine and origina
family physician. For feve
you need not give anything else bu
this medicine, it will keep the rasl
out itself. For cases o
smallpox take plenty and often-us'
freely, Give no hot taes, just Civ
the medicine and what pimples ar
under the skin will come out, tn
rest will be carried off by the medi
cine. Also a wonderful
and positive remedy for dyspepsia
keeps measles out nicely, regulate
the bowels without trouble, and b.
purifying the blood prevents your II
ability to disease"
Analysis Of the product which wa
claimed by the manufacturer to b.
effective in the treatment of so man,
virulent and contagious diseases, a
we'll as a variety of minor i'll, show
ed that it was a sirup containing
1872 per cent non-volatile matter
S.9 percent alcohol, anise and veg
etable cathartic drug. The govern
ment, therefore, charged that tn
medicine did not contain ingredient
or medical agents effective for tn
relief and cure of the diseases whicl
It was claimed to cure. hTe cour
imposed fine of SIS.
Remarkable Claims for DIR. III. A. Ing
hams Vegetable Expectorant
Nervine Pain Extractor
A plea of guilty was entered by H
A. Ingham & company, of vergennes
Vermont, to the charge that state
ments and claims as to curativ,
powers of product called "Dr. H. A
Tnpham's Vegetable ExDectorant Ner