The Great American Fraud: The Patent Medicine EvilAdams, Samuel Hopkins
Science
The Great American Fraud: The Patent Medicine Evil
Adams, Samuel Hopkins
Patent medicines; Quacks and quackery
This list of fatalities is made up from statements published in the
newspapers. In every case the person who died had taken to relieve a
headache or as a bracer a patent medicine containing acetanilid, without
a doctor's prescription. This list does not include the case of a dog
in Altoona, Pa., which died immediately on eating some sample headache
powders. The dog did not know any better.
Mrs. Minnie Bishop, Louisville, Ky.; Oct. 16, 1903.
Mrs. Mary Cusick and Mrs. Julia Ward, of 172 Perry Street,
New York City; Nov. 27, 1903.
Fred. P. Stock, Scranton, Pa.; Dec. 7, 1903.
C. Frank Henderson, Toledo, 0.; Dec. 13, 1903.
Jacob E. Staley, St. Paul, Mich.; Feb. 18, 1904.
Charles M. Scott, New Albany, Ind.; March 15, 1904.
Oscar McKinley, Pittsburg, Pa.; April 13, 1904.
Otis Staines, student at Wabash College; April 13, 1904.
Mrs. Florence Rumsey, Clinton, la.; April 23, 1904.
Jenny McGee, Philadelphia, Pa.; May 26, 1904.
Mrs. William Mabee, Leoni, Midi.; Sept. 9, 1904.
Mrs. Jacob Friedman, of South Bend, Ind.; Oct. 19, 1904.
Miss Libbie North, Rockdale, N. Y.; Oct. 26, 1904.
Margaret Hanahan, Dayton, O.; Oct. 29, 1904.
Samuel Williamson, New York City; Nov. 21, 1904.
George Kublisch, St. Louis, Mo.; Nov. 24, 1904.
Robert Breck, St. Louis, Mo.;'Nov. 27, 1904.
Mrs. Harry Haven, Oriskany Falls, N. Y.; Jan. 17, 1905.
Mrs. Jennie Whyler, Akron, 0.; April 3, 1905.
Mrs. Augusta Strothmann, St. Louis, Mo.; June 20, 1905.
Mrs. Mary A. Bispels, Philadelphia, Pa.; July 2, 1905.
Mrs. Thos. Patterson, Huntington, W. Va.; Aug. 15, 1905.
Some of these victims died from an alleged overdose; others from the
prescribed dose. In almost every instance the local papers suppressed
the name of the fatal remedy, {035}Peruna. That particular victim
had the beginning of the typical blue skin pictured in the street-car
advertisements of Orangeine (the advertisements are a little mixed, as
they put the blue hue on the "before taking," whereas it should go on
the "after taking"). And, by the way, I can conscientiously recommend
Orangeine, Koehler's powders, Royal Pain powders and others of that
class to women who wish for a complexion of a dead, pasty white,
verging to a puffy blueness under the eyes and about the lips. Patient
use of these drugs will even produce an interesting and picturesque, if
not intrinsically beautiful, purplish-gray hue of the face and neck.
[IMAGE ==>] {035}
Drugs That Deprave.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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