The Great American Fraud / The Patent Medicine Evil

Collier's Weekl

inly on fraud and poison. Results of the publicity given to these methods can already be seen in the steps recently taken by the National Government, some State Governments and a few o

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rom powerful and dangerous heart depressants to insidious liver stimulants; and, far in excess of all other ingredients, undiluted fraud. For fraud, exploited by the skillfulest of advertising bunco men, is the basis of the trade. Should the newspapers, the magazines and the

honest attempt to separate the sheep from the goats develops a lamentable lack of qualified candidates for the sheepfold. External remedies there may be which are at

emic scare in New York it traded on the public alarm by putting forth "display" advertisements headed, in heavy black type, "Meningitis," a disease in which witch-hazel is about as effective as molasses. This is fairly comparable

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ders, is prone to remove the cause of the symptoms permanently by putting a complete stop to the heart action. Invariably, when taken steadily, it produces constitutional disturbances of insidious development which result fatally if the drug be not discontinued, and often it enslaves the devotee to its use. Cocain and opium stop pain; but the narcotics are not the safest drugs to put into the hands of the ignorant, particularly when their presence is concealed in the "cough remedi

ir users recover. But a majority, and a very large majority, of the sick recover, anyway

Testim

he unfavorable lie silent. How could it be otherwise when the only avenues of publicity are controlled by the advertisers? So, while many of the printed testimonials are genuine enough, they represent not the average evidence, but the most glowing opinions which the nostrum vender can obtain, and generally they are the expression of a low order o

. They are convinced. They have faith in Peruna. It

nd to cure themselves, no greater harm is done than the parting of a fool and his money. With rheumatism, sciatica and that ilk, it means added pangs; with consumption, Bright's disease and other serious disorders, perhaps needless death. No onus of homicide is borne by the nostrum seller; probably the patie

ic "Red

s do his fighting against legislation compelling makers of remedies to publish their formul?, or to print on the labels the dangerous drugs contained in the medicine-a constantly recurring bugaboo of the nostrum-dealer. This scheme he unfolded at a meeting of the Proprietary Association of America, of which he is now president. He

papers and merely said: 'Please look at your contract with me and take note that if this law passes you

contract between Mr. Cheney's firm and the Emporia Gazette, William Allen White's paper, which has since become one of the newspapers to abjure the patent-medicine man and all his ways. Emboldened by this easy coercion of the press, ce

campaign of Paine's Celery Compound, some years ago. The nostrum's agent called at the office of a prominent Chica

rong testimonials to f

you want, can't you?" as

me four or five strong ones from lo

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had never tasted the "Compound," but that they were willing to sign the testimonials for the joy of appearing in print as "prominent citizens." Another Chicago newspaper compelled its political editor to tout for fake indorsements of a nostrum. A man with an

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that in the case of one important and high-class daily, the Pittsburg Gazette, a trial rejection of all patent-medicin

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by the extent of its reckless use on the part of ignorant laymen a public menace. Recently an article announcing a startling new drug discovery and signed by a physician was offered to a standard medical journal, which declined it on learning that the drug was a proprietary preparation. The contribution was returned to the editor with an offer of payment at advertising rates if it were printed as editorial reading matter, only to be rejected on the new basis. Subsequently it appeared simultaneously in more than twenty medical publications as reading matter. There are to-day very few medical publications which do not carry advertiseme

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rather, they calmly ignore the public in the matter. In his address at the last convention of the Proprietary Association, the retirin

ardonable in you to want to know these formulas, for they are good. But you must not ask us to reveal these valuable secrets, to do what yo

advertised to physicians, with a view to listing those which are found to be reputable and useful. That this is regarded as a direct assault on the proprietary interests is suggested by the protests, eloquent to the verg

Druggist

considerable effect. Indeed, it is surprising to see that people are so deeply impressed wi

pany of Chicago, started on a campaign an

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OLD PATENT M

s our honest answer mus

ice we sell it, that is an en

roper course. And you will find it cheaper in the end

ng money. Yet with all this that store was unable to get rid of its patent-medicine trade, and to-day nostrum

, which may be measured in practical terms as $250,000,000 at stake on the other side. I note in the last report of the Proprietary Association's annual meeting the significant statement that "the h

f the article thus safeguarded against imitation. The Post Office Department permits them the use of the mails. Except one particular line, the disgraceful "Weak Manhood" remedies, where excellent work has been done in throwing them out of the mails for fraud, the department has done not

Office

mails were materially and substantially false, with the result of

edicinal properties, these were not su

tiser knew he

uiry into the specific character of the disease in any individual case, but su

-medicine field generally, a number of conspicuous nostrum

law restricting this trade. In New Hampshire, too, the proprietary interests have proven too strong, and the Mallonee bill was destroyed by the almost united opposition of a "red-clause" press. North Dakota proved more independent. After Jan. 1, 1906, all medicines sold in that state, except on physicians' prescriptions, which co

North Carolina boards have been active. The New York State board has kept its hands off patent medicines, but the Board of Pharmacy has made a cautious but promising beginni

ards and

yses have never been printed. Even the general nature of the information has been withheld. Should any citizen of New York, going to the Health Department, have asked: "My wife is taking Birney's Catarrh Powder; is it true that it's a bad thing?" the officials, with the knowledge at hand that the drug in question is a mater of cocain fiends, would have blandly emulated the Sphinx. Outside c

is now formulating a plan which, with the work of the chemists as a basis, shall

few of those which may be regarded as typical: the alcohol stimulators, as represented by Peruna, Paine's Celery Compound and Duffy's Pure Malt Whiskey (advertised as an exclusively medical preparation); the catarrh powders, which breed cocain slaves, and the opium-containing soothing syrups, which stunt or kill helpless infants; the consumption cures, perhaps the most devilish of all, in that they destroy hope where