Secret remedies : $b What they cost and what they containBritish Medical Association
Science
Secret remedies : $b What they cost and what they contain
British Medical Association
Patent medicines
This preparation does not appear now to go under any other name than
that of “Stevens’ Consumption Cure”; as regards its past history, the
following extract from _Truth_ Cautionary List for 1908 is of interest:
Stevens, C. H.—The proprietor of a remedy for
consumption which has been put on the market in South
Africa and England under the name of Sacco, and later
in South Africa as Lungsava, the recipe for which is
stated to have been long in use amongst the Kaffirs and
Zulus. In connection with the advertising of Sacco in
England, an article which appeared in _Truth_ was
circulated in a mutilated form, omitting a condemnation
of its sale as an absolute remedy for consumption.
Stevens has acquired a number of testimonials from
medical men, who must now regret their precipitate
action. He is now in England on a new campaign.
The claims made for this preparation were put forward in printed
circulars, and in letters, apparently printed in imitation of
typewriting, sent at intervals to an applicant for particulars of the
cure. Extracts from these are here given:
It has been admitted the world over that there is
no remedy known to the Medical Fraternity to really
cure Consumption, so it is preposterous to claim the
ordinary drugs that are known to every Chemist even, to
cure this disease, just because they are given a fancy
name, and advertised by a Polish or a German Jew; it is
not only preposterous but a wicked swindle.
There is no other treatment, drug, or medicine
advertised in Great Britain to-day to cure Consumption,
the ingredients of which are not known to every doctor
and chemist in the world, and if you cannot obtain
relief from these under the care of your own Medical
Adviser, how can you be cured by using them on the
advice of an American Quack.
Your own doctor will bear out what I say. Most of these
American Impostors come to England after the U.S.A.
Post Office Authorities have refused to convey their
letters.
I do not say in my advertisements “Consumption can be
cured,” “Consumption is curable,” or any such evasive
remarks, but I say “_I will guarantee to cure you_
if you are consumptive, or _return your money_ in
full,” and that my terms are “No Cure, No Pay.”
The African herbs which my Cure is prepared from have
never been used by any white Doctor or Chemist before
I introduced same to civilization a few years ago.
These herbs are original and have defied our cleverest
Analysts to discover the active principals they
contain....
I only returned to England a few weeks ago to prove my
Cure to the satisfaction of the British Government,
having been absent for many years....
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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