Ripley County democrat., 1916-03-17
Our Faith In Drugs.
Furnished by the Department of Pre-
ventive Medicine, University Of
Missouri, Columbia, Mo.

Missouri. Columbia, Mo.
D P. T. Barnum said, CT h Q
American people like to be hum
bugged." In no other way is
this statement of the great show.
man 80 well proved rs by the de-
mand for medicines and the blind
faith the average person puts in
drugs.
We import into this country
every year more than S100,000,-
900 worth of drugs or chemicals
used In making drugs.
We consume more than $780,
00O, 900 worth of drugs every sin
gle year. Can any reasonable
person believe that there is any
| necessity for this, or that it can
) do anything but harm?, asks Dr..
M. p. Ravenel Of tbs department
, Of preventive medicine Of the
3 University OF Missouri at Column
! bia.
> When we consider patent med
icines, the increase in their man
| ufacture and use has been even
more surprising. In 1879, there
were 620 factories making patent
=; medicines, aud the value Of the
output was 6,S85,49S. In 1909,
there were 3,642 establishments,
and the value of the output was
, S141, ,041, ,602.
t During this period the popula-
lation of the country had incress-
ed from 100000 to 92,000,000.
, The population had increased
only 1873 per cent, whereas the
output of patent medicines had
increased TAO per cent.
II is known that most Of these
: drugs are taken by people with
out the advice Of physician and
without any special knowledge
as TO their proper use, either as
to quantity or as to period of time
,, during which they are taken. 1t
goes without saying that a drug
which is powerful enough 10 pro-.
duce effects in illness must pro-
duce i'll effects in health when
, taken over a considerable period
Of time or in large doses. 1t has
. been well said that when we give
Z medicines, 1--WE are putting drugs
4 of which we know little, into
t bodies OF which we know less.
The blind faith which the major
n ity Of people have in the efficacy
!, of medicines is II great evil. II
0 is worse where drugs are taken
u in preparations the composition
OF which we do not know. Many
t people take large amounts Of al
n cohol and opiates without know.
k ing it, and drug habits are ac-
quired in this way. The Harri-
a SON Anti-Narcotic Law has had
D good effect, but has not entirely
H abolished this evil.
d Az an actual matter Of fact
{ there no more than dOzen drugs
h which have a marked and specific
!, effect on disease. Striking ex.
n amples are: quinlne, which is d
specific poison for the malaria
a germ; mercury and certain prep
arations of arsenic, which de.
4 stroys the germ of syphilia
Treatment and diet are more
. efficacious in tho cure OF mos
a diseases than are drugs. The
, great maj)rity OF diseases are
self limited, and get well them.
:, selves. and the effort Of "a con.
= scientious physician is to assis
. nature in bringing about the
cure. Drugs have little effecl
in most diseases except for The
relief of symytcms. When used
at all, they should be given un.
= der tine direction OF a competent
physician. IL is imperative that
the composition OF medicines
/, and the dosage should be known
8 Chilicolhe is TO have a factory
~ Ioat,i,l;,l,al gl,a.a f,Nu ti,a ~, ,n.,