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
Anadol was analyzed at the Bureau of Chemistry and the chemists
reported that it contained over 82 per cent. of Acetanilid. As the
labels did not bear any statement as to the quantity of acetanilid
contained in the nostrum, the stuff was declared misbranded and the
defendant, on pleading guilty, was fined.--[_Notice of Judgment No.
795._]
PIX CRESOL
W. A. Puckner and W. S. Hilpert
In a paper on “The Abuse of Chemical Formulas”[100] several examples
were given of the various methods employed by “patent-medicine”
concerns to give standing to their products by assigning to them a
chemical formula. In some cases the formulas given are impossible,
in other cases they may represent the chemical composition of only
one constituent or it may be an attempt at both. To a chemist such
formulas are absurd and on seeing a formula which he knows to be
wrong he naturally thinks “Fake,” “Ignorance,” or both. Just such
a formula (C_{5}H_{6}N.SO) applied to a product called Pix Cresol,
manufactured by the Pix Cresol Chemical Co., Kansas City, Mo.,
attracted our attention. No mention of such a formula can be found in
such works as Richter’s most complete Index of Carbon Compounds, nor
the three supplemental volumes published, 1901-1905, by the German
Chemical Society and Beilstein’s Organic Chemistry (3d Ed.). This fact,
supplemented by inquiries from correspondents as to the composition of
the substance made it seem worth while to make a chemical examination
of it.
[100] Puckner, W. A.: Report of the Chemical Laboratory of the American
Medical Association, iii, 7.
The examination was made and showed that the essential constituent
was oxyquinolin sulphate. As potassium sulphate was also found it
was concluded that Pix Cresol was a preparation containing a mixture
of oxyquinolin sulphate and potassium sulphate, which has also been
known in the past under the proprietary name, “Chinosol.” At this
time a letter was referred to the laboratory containing the report of
an analysis of Pix Cresol, which showed the presence of oxyquinolin
sulphate but no potassium sulphate. As this indicated that Pix Cresol
contained as its essential constituent the substance now sold as
Chinosol, the laboratory purchased a new specimen of Pix Cresol from
the Chicago representative of the Pix Cresol Co. The examination[101]
of this specimen showed that it consisted of approximately 21 per cent.
oxyquinolin sulphate, about 8.3 per cent. potassium sulphate and the
remainder almost entirely milk sugar.
[101] The analytical details will be published in the annual report of
the laboratory.
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