The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 1 of 2Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry (American Medical Association)
Science
The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 1 of 2
Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry (American Medical Association)
Patent medicines
“They [general practitioners] will therefore gladly receive from
our hands an efficacious preparation which may be used with perfect
safety.”
“The name of our preparation--Palpebrine, is derived from the Latin
_palpebra_, the eyelid, and is well fitted, as it designates at a
glance the sphere of action of Palpebrine.”
“With the assistance of Palpebrine the general practitioner can
successfully treat all cases of external eye disease ordinarily
encountered in his practice.”
One of the members of the Council staff of clinical consultants calls
attention to the fact that much vitally valuable time might be lost
in a case of iritis, for example, which being unrecognized, should be
treated with Palpebrine on the strength of the Dios Chemical Company’s
advertisements. Even more dangerous is the recommendation of Palpebrine
for the prevention of ophthalmia in the newborn, especially as this
recommendation is coupled with an attempt to discredit the established
treatment with silver nitrate solution:
“The use of severe remedies for this purpose has been discarded by
most physicians....”
While it is doubtless true that ophthalmia neonatorum may be averted by
other drugs than silver salts, it is utterly unjustifiable to suggest
that the established method of treatment by means of silver salt
irrigations has been generally discarded.
[Editorial Note.--The four nostrums mentioned above have been grouped
together for publication to call attention to one phase of the
proprietary business. A fact not mentioned in the Council’s report
is that these nostrums are manufactured and promoted by a concern
that belongs to a type we have often designated “pseudo-chemical”
companies. By this is meant companies that are not in the legitimate
business of pharmacy or chemistry, but organized to exploit one, two
or in some instances half a dozen proprietaries. “Patent medicines”
are exploited by this class of “companies.” The Dios Chemical Company
is not a chemical company, except in name. J. H. Chambers, the
founder so far as we can learn, never claimed any special knowledge
of chemistry, pharmacy or medicine. The officers at the present time
are: J. H. Chambers, president; M. E. Chambers, vice-president;
Leslie T. Chambers, treasurer, and Arthur Chambers, secretary. M. E.
is the wife of J. H., and Leslie T. and Arthur are sons.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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