The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 1 of 2 — John Shaqi
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
While the theoretical basis of bromid medication is not yet fully
settled, the weight of the best pharmacologic authority and clinical
experience is decidedly against the dogmatic claim of the Peacock
Chemical Company that “the best result is obtained by prescribing
a combination of bromides.” And if there were any advantage in
prescribing such a combination, the physician ought to regulate the
proportions.
The following quotations are from the advertising matter:
“Being uniform in purity and therapeutic power, it can be relied
upon to produce clinical results which it is believed cannot be
obtained from the use of commercial bromide substitutes.”
“The purity, quality and constant uniformity of this high grade
product have long made it a standard bromide preparation.”
These claims are unfounded. The analyses published in the concern’s own
advertising “literature” show a variation of 8 per cent., in the bromid
content, which certainly indicates a sufficient lack of uniformity.
Again quoting:
“In order to insure the best results the bromides must be pure,
i. e., free from alkalies and almost free from chlorides. The
U. S. P. allows three per cent. of chlorides. Peacock’s Bromides
contains the least possible amount of this impurity. Bromism is
therefore less frequent in those cases in which this preparation is
employed.”
In view of the claim of low chlorid content, it is interesting to note
that the analyses above referred to show that the chlorid content is
actually higher than that of some other bromid preparations on the
market.
The claim of merit on the ground of freedom from chlorids is, of
course, absurd, and must be regarded as an attempt to play upon the
credulity of the doctor. As a matter of fact, the average individual
takes with his food many times the amount of chlorid he could possibly
take in contaminated bromid. The 10 per cent. of alcohol would
undoubtedly have a greater disturbing influence on the bromid action
than the amount of chlorid that might be present in any bromid on the
market.
Then we have the statement that, owing to this freedom from chlorids:
“Bromism is therefore less in those cases in which the preparation
is employed.”
Sodium chlorid, even as an impurity, would retard rather than favor the
development of bromism; sodium chlorid is even used as an antidote in
bromid poisoning.
The therapeutic claims lay stress on the value of the bromids in
sleeplessness, epilepsy, sexual excitement, tetanus, infantile
convulsions, chorea, delirium tremens, the climacteric, migraine,
headache due to pelvic conditions, ovarian neuralgia, etc. These
and other claims, while too vague to be branded as falsehoods, are
misleading and not in accordance with modern teaching or practice; the
latter recognize the limitations of bromid therapy as well as its scope
and advantages. For instance, in epilepsy the company asserts that:
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