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
The above report is published simply as another example of the “ethical
proprietaries” that physicians are asked to prescribe. It is not
unique. It is neither better nor worse than hundreds of others.
To show what absurdities appear in the “literature” (?) that is sent to
physicians, we reproduce a paragraph from an advertising pamphlet. The
promoters’ statement as to the composition of the product is absurd,
but not more so than are the claims made for it as a therapeutic agent.
There is not a “patent medicine” on the market for which any more
blatant, extravagant and ridiculous claims are made.
The manner of exploiting saliodin is another illustration of the
tendency on the part of nostrum-makers to advertise their wares through
pseudo-scientific articles published in a certain class of medical
journals. In the pamphlet sent out by the Saliodin Company appears
a reprint of an article from the Philadelphia _Medical Summary_ of
February, 1905. It is entitled “A Similarity in the Etiologic Factors
of Rheumatism and Malaria,” and was written by J. C. Denston, M.D. In
it occurs this statement: “The manufacturers (of saliodin) publish
their formula and, _I think_, distribute samples and literature on
request.” The charming ingenuousness of this statement is fully
realized when it is understood that J. C. Denston is the president of
the Saliodin company. This is also another illustration of what is
now a common occurrence, viz.: men who are engaged in manufacturing
proprietary products and who have an M.D. degree use that degree as a
commercial asset, and by this means the average reader is led to think
that articles written by them in praise of their own products are
spontaneous tributes from practicing physicians.--(_From The Journal
A. M. A., Oct. 26, 1907._)
THEOBROMIN SODIUM SALICYLATE VERSUS “DIURETIN”: THE ECONOMICAL ASPECT
W. A. Puckner and Paul N. Leech
The following inquiry is from Dr. Reid Hunt, recently appointed
professor of pharmacology at Harvard Medical School:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account