The Great American Fraud: The Patent Medicine Evil — John Shaqi
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
In the account of the Keck baby's death from the Dr. Bull opium mixture,
which the Cincinnati papers published, there was no mention of the
name of the cough syrup. Asked about this, the newspapers gave various
explanations. Two of them disclosed that they had no information on the
point. This is contrary to the statement of the physician in the case,
and implies a reportorial, laxity which is difficult to credit. One
ascribed the omission to a settled policy and one to the fear of libel.
When the coroner's verdict was given out, however, the name of the
nostrum got into plain print. On the whole, the Cincinnati papers showed
themselves gratifyingly independent.
Another case of poisoning from this same remedy occurred in Morocco,
Ind., the victim being a 2-year-old child. The doctor reports:
"In an hour, when first seen, symptoms of opium poisoning were present.
In about twelve hours the child had several convulsions, and spasms
followed for another twelve hours at intervals. It then sank into a coma
and died in the seventy-two hours with cardiac failure. The case was
clearly one of death from overdose of the remedy."
The baby had swallowed a large amount of the "medicine" from a bottle
left within its reach. Had the bottle been properly labeled with skull
and cross-bones the mother would probably not have let it lie about.
Caution seems to have become a suddenly acquired policy of this class
of medicines, in so far as their correspondence goes. Unfortunately,
it does not extend to their advertising. The result is a rather painful
discrepancy. G. G. Green runs hotels in California and manufactures
quack medicines in Woodbury, N. J., one of these being "Boschee's German
Syrup," a "consumption cure." Mr. Green writes me (per rubber stamp):
"Consumption can sometimes be cured, but not always. Some cases are
beyond cure. However, we suggest that you secure a trial bottle of
German Syrup for 25 cents," etc.
On the bottle I read: "Certain cure for all diseases of the throat and
lungs." Consumption is a disease of the lungs; sometimes of the throat.
{051}
If it "can sometimes be cured, but not always," then the German Syrup
is not a "certain cure for all diseases of the throat and lungs," and
somebody, as the ill-fated Reingelder put it, "haf lied in brint" on
Mr. Green's bottle, which must be very painful to Mr. Green. Mr. Green's
remedy contains morphin and some hydrocyanic acid. Therefore consumption
will be much less often curable where Boschee's German Syrup is used
than where it is not.
Absolutely False Claims.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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