"The average manufacturer of patent medicines regularly employs a person of some literary attainment whose duty it is to invent vigorous testimonials of sufferings relieved by Dr. Charlatan's universal panacea. In many instances persons are hired to give testimonials, and answer letters of inquiry in such a way as to encourage business. The shameless dishonesty and ingenious villainy exhibited are beyond description." Recently an advertisement of one of these nostrums stated in the headlines that said nostrum was used in the Frances Willard Temperance Hospital, Chicago. The testimonial appended purported to be from a nurse in that hospital, _but the testimonial did not state, as did the headlines_, that the preparation was ever used in that hospital. The president of the hospital board of trustees states that the nurse positively denies having given any testimonial to the company thus advertising. She did give one to another patent medicine concern, but not to this, and never said either was used in the hospital, nor have they been. Suit could be brought for damages, but unfortunately the patent medicine people have unlimited money, and the hospital has not. Early in the present year there appeared in many daily papers a large advertising picture of a man whose name was appended as a professional nurse of a western city. The following testimonial accompanied the picture:-- "Mr. ---- of ----, who is a professional nurse of experience, writes,--'My friend is improving, thanks to ----, and you. I am called on to nurse the sick of all classes. I recommend ---- to such an extent that I am nicknamed ---- (giving name of nostrum) by nearly everybody.'" As the writer of this book was acquainted with a physician residing in the small city mentioned in the advertisement, she wrote to him, requesting that he investigate this testimonial. He replied that he found the chief part of the advertisement, namely, that Mr. ---- was a professional nurse, false; "First, by his own statement as he told me this morning that he never claimed to be a professional nurse. And my personal acquaintance with him, as well as that of a number of other physicians in our little city, and reliable men and women of this community who are acquainted with him, all testify to the same thing, namely; that he is not a professional nurse, neither is he a nurse, or even a reliable man. He is an innocent, ignorant man, very close to the pauper class. He told me when I read the commendation to which his name is affixed, that it was all true except the professional nurse part, and that was entirely false, as stated above." As the picture was of a fine-looking, intelligent-appearing man it probably was as _genuine_ as the testimonial. The following was clipped from a copy of _Merck's Report_, April, 1899, a druggists' paper published in New York city:-- MANY DRUGGISTS INDIGNANT.