The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 2 of 2Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry (American Medical Association)
Science
The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 2 of 2
Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry (American Medical Association)
Patent medicines
_I. Discrepancy in Iodin Percentage._--The examination at the Chemical
Laboratory of the American Medical Association, as well as that of the
referee, shows that the various samples of Iodeol and Iodagol examined
contained a little less than one-half of the total iodin claimed. These
facts were reported to the American agent. After a lengthy delay a
reply was received which presented a double excuse: (1) that the full
amount of iodin had been added, whatever had become of it later; (2)
that the claims were made for “colloidal iodin” and that this is not
elementary iodin in the colloidal state, but a preparation of iodin
containing only 50 per cent. of real iodin. Neither explanation can be
taken seriously, as they are obvious quibblings. The referee concludes
that the preparations are falsely labeled as to iodin content.
_II. Nature of the Iodin Compound in Iodeol and Iodagol._--In the
information sent the Council, Iodeol and Iodagol were defined as
“A suspension of electro-chemical colloidal iodin in a vehicle of
purified oil.” Numerous inquiries have failed to elicit more specific
information from the manufacturer or his agent. The statement of
composition can mean only that the preparations contain free iodin (but
in colloidal form) suspended in oil. No evidence to substantiate this
claim has been submitted. (There is evidence that the preparations
contain colloidal particles, but it does not indicate if this colloidal
material is iodin, or a combination of iodin or indeed whether the
colloidal component contains any iodin.) The recent statements of the
agent seem to concede that what they call “electro-colloidal iodin”
contains only about 50 per cent. of real iodin, in other words that it
is not “colloidal iodin” at all, but a mixture or combination of iodin
with some other unnamed substance. This, of course, is something very
different.
Certain results reported from the American Medical Association’s
Chemical Laboratory suggest that the so-called “colloidal iodin”
of Iodeol may be a combination of iodin with a volatile oil. The
investigations of the referee indicate that the iodin exists in a
rather resistant form or combination behaving altogether differently
from ordinary free iodin, and rather resembling the behavior of iodin
substitution products, such as iodized fats or phenols. Briefly
then the recent admissions of the agents indicate that Iodeol does
not contain “colloidal iodin” in a chemical sense, and there are
indications that it does contain its iodin in a rather firm (chemical)
combination.
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