New-York tribune., 1917-08-19

his own association, would fear TO stock
Up, because he would not know at what
moment there might be issued mis-
branding order, which would render his
stock unstable. Suppose, for example,
the agent for the alleged radium oint-
ment mentioned above had succeeded in
placing orders in two or three Cleve-
| land drug stores. In the course OF time
information would reach the Commits
sioner, probably from the drug trade
itself, or perhaps from the visiting
nurses who are constantly on the look
out, or from the Better Business Com
mittee of the Cleveland Advertising
Club, which is whole-heartedly CO.
operating with the campaign, that a
radium ointment making suspicious
, claims was being sold at such-and-
such stores. Samples would be pur-
chased for analysis. If the oint-
ment was found to be non-radioactive
or incapable of making good the claims
advanced for it, the finding would be
laid before the special committee Of
druggists and health officials, and the
following order would be issued and
distributed to all local dealers in drugs:
NOTICE
To Cleveland Dealers:
You are hereby notified to discontinue
the sale or offering for sale in Cleve-
land of --'s Radium Ointment,
as same is msbranded.
r. II. BISHOP, JR., NJ. D..
Commissioner Of Health.
DR.. ROGER G. PERKINS,
Chief of Bureau Of Laboratories.
WILBUR S. WHITE,
City Chemist.
In the highly improbable event of
, any druggist ignoring this notice, his
stock would be confiscated and he him
self probably arrested.
When the Health Division first pro-
jected its scheme Of putting an en-
barge upon openly fraudulent medi-
cines the druggists were dubious and
! suspicious. 1t looked to them like an
effort to destroy their business. At q
meeting Of the Northern Ohio Drug
gists' Association, which is the Cleve-
land body, Eugene Seltzer, then the
president, who is fighting progressive,
favored cleanup movement on the
part Of the trade itself. A resolution
was offered to have all new prepara-
tions submitted to the City Chemist for
analysis and report. 1t was voted down
almost unanimously. That was less
than year ago. 1t is significant Of the
| change in the trades sentiment that
the one lone druggist who supported
the resolution from the floor is the
present president of the N. o. d. A.,
E. II. Hellwig, and that the other offi-
| cials elected with him are heartily in
sympathy with the new dispensation.
After the resolution was defeated the
| question arose as to whether the asso-
citation was to fight the Health Division
in its anti-frsud campaign. This put a
different complexion on it. The Cleve-
land druggists did not choose to as
sumo that attitude. They appointed a
committee to wait upon Commissioner
Bishop and ask for conference. Mean
time DR.. Bishop had been in consults-
tion with several of the larger local
wholesalers and had found them to be
in sympathy with the plan. He met
with about eighty representatives of the
retail trade, laid before them the evil
dence against one of the conspicuous
nostrums which was already banned,
and asked for criticisms of his action.
None was forthcoming. Instead, there
was thorough and frank discussion OF
the whole question.
at all came down to this" said one
of the druggists present, in describing
the meeting to me. "Dr. Bishop con-
vinced us that he was square in the
matter. He agreed, on his own initia-
tive, not to ban any medicine OH our
shelves without first laying his reasons
before committee and getting its ap-
proval. 1t was up to him, he said, to
convince the committee that he was
right. What can you with a propo-
sition like that but support it,"
Support it the n. o. D. A. did, and
their support was now as nearly unani-
nous as their opposition had been a
few months previous. A committee
was appointed to which the entire board
Of control of the n. o. D. A. was added,
and it is this body that has aroused
such profound misgivings among the
crooked patent medicine interests of
the country. 1t has recently sent out
the following notice:
Field Bulletin No. 4, July 20, 1917.
THE DIVISION OF HEALTH AND OBJ
JECTIONABLE PROPRlETARIES
As a result of several conferences
with the Commissioner Of Health, and
conditioned upon mutual cooperation
and good faith, the Commissioner has
agreed to the following procedure in
the case of objectionable proprietaries
First-Before action is taken by his
department against any one or group
Of proprietaries, the names of the ar
ticles against which action is contem-
plated, together with the evidence sup
porting such action. will be submitted
to the existing committee of retail
druggists.
Second-When it has been decided to
rule off the local market any proprie-
tary medicine or medicinal article. the
Department of Health will notify the
Wholesale trade of such action and an
nounce to the retail trade that such no.
tiEcatinn has heen given the whole.