South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-03-31
WETTICK Is FREED
IN ASPIRIN CASE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE oNE.)


what the tablets were 10 be used
for nor did he identify himself.
did you buy any other drug in
the Wettick store" asked Atty. Pyle.
'No. l did not" replied Cohen.
Did you buy anything but asper-
in in any OF the other stores"
Cohen shifted in his seat nervous
" and replied that he could not re-
member"
Cohen denied that he had ever
lad any correspondence with the
Bayer Mfg Co, the concern which
holds the selling rights for German
asperin in the United States. Atty
Pyle pointed out that inspectors
under the national pure food and
drug laws are required TO identify
themselves and tell the druggists
that they want TO analyze their
goods before they can buy for such
purposes, and asked Cohen why he
did not pursue such tactics. He tried
to explain that druggists would
evade the law if he acted i'm such a
way in making his Investigations. He
said that the head OF his depart
ment, Mr.. Barnard, instructed him
to buy asperin in South Bend, stat
ing that spurious asperin was being
manufactured
Tells of Analysis.
Mr.. McAbee testified that he an
alyzed the tablets brought him by
Mr.. Cohen and found them to con-
tain salicytic acid, acetanilide, milk,
sugar and starch. Asperin ne testi
fed. consists of acetic and salicytic
acid. He admitted acetanilide was
similar to acetic but stated that the
mixture he found in the Wettick tab
let's would not produce asperin AS
TO the effect upon a patient he could
not state. He also admitted that
milk, sugar and starch was used as a
basis for many tablets but stated not
in such quantities as was revealed in
the Wettick tablets. McAbee also
declared the Bayer Mfg. Co, the
Squibbs wholesale drug company
and the John ID. Park wholesale
houses were all reputable firms and
admitted that goods he purchased
from them he considered good.
Mr.. Wettick went on the stand,
produced bills of lading showing his
purchases Of asperin during the past
six months from the John Parks
drug firm. 1t was explained that
this concern acts as jobbers for the
Bayer Co, and all asperin was label
ed either from the Bayer concern or
from the Squibbs concern. which is
a subsidiary TO the Bayer Mfg. Co.
He said he had bought asperin from
the John Parks company ever since
the drug has been on the market
He denied buying from peddlers.
though stating that such peddlers
are frequent callers, but sell the ma
jority of their goods to physicians.
Landon on Stand.
Mr.. Landon explained that he had
formerly been a salesman and later
worked in the department OF expert
mental medicine for the Park Davis
wholesale drug company. He ex-
planned that milk. sugar and starch
we're considered the standard basis
for all tablets. stating that few medi-
cines can be made into tablets with
out such a basis
In his closing argument Atty. Pyle
pointed out that he did not believe
the state officials were acting in
good faith in the prosecution of the
South Bend druggists. II they were
he declared. they would have told
the druggists what they wanted the
tablets for and would have gotten
to the root Of the alleged evil.
IF these tablets are bad il is the
fault of the company from whom
they were purchased, not the fault
of the druggist You cannot cut
down 9. tree by tearing of leaf. II
the state really wishes to stop this
violation they should so to the root
of the evil. This prosecution has
been a suspicious affair from the
start. If you find this man guilty
you can run every drug man out Of
town. It Is not necessary for a man
TO analyze his goods when they are
purchased from reputable concerns
which are under the jurisdiction Of
the federal inspection"