· $o14 b;y A.ll ChemiSts, and Ell!ott Bro,g.,

otnd A-ustralian Drug' CQ:y., Sydliey. 1\J('EN. cm.suLT W. G. CAINS, 4i P1tt-atreet. .L1',L con.qu!ta.tl,ona Free. It will pay you to come 41i'e,.">t or. s!llld tor. his remedies. Dr. MU.ES Q,

a· In a few daya. Calna'

FOS FONE,·'a' Drain and Nerve Tonic. Dr. SMITH'S I alll!:NORRHOEA PILLS, 3a and lOs boxes. always .1 ieha'l;>le. '

Hunter-st. Syaney.

L ADlES' PA-CKET, 2li %d Vlta.!lty Pills. tor restoring P.OWer, '28 6d, 6s. Corn tor -l!.iid Soft COl'IIS, 18 ld. Dr, Beney's Heai!U OPJtment. 1s 3d and 2<> 9d. Dye, :Stack, Blo'lllle, !;>est on n>li.rket, 3a '9d posted. N. F. BENNET {late lflrlt. :s. N. Harle), 513 George-street.

lnvaluaf:!le to Ladies,.

TOWLE'S PENNYROYAL AND STEEl.. PILLS ·n quicl, arui ;:!ueve ;n 'distressing symptoms World no

such preparation for Ladies as thrs mvaluahle specrfic, justly

Thera is Nothing to

WOMAN'S UNFAILING. J FRIEND.

Not Anything so • '

Widely Known. Equal Them benefited the sex to an exttnt which c-"'n only be,

told tv those who have suffered and expenenced THEIR PRICELESS V A.LUE.

US'ED M

75 Years' Reputation.

r

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01 all Chemists and Stores thro\tt>hout Australasia.

Sole Propnetors •

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101

·Sydnq. ·

"Westcott's Fills No .. 1 m·e potassium per­ manganate; No. 2 are cblocynth and aloes."­ W. · }1. HAMLET. H Pansy Packet" is a

of tansy.

These abortion pills, Westcott's and others, are advertised and sold freely in New Zealand after having been prohibited by Or(lip.ance, which Ordinance was suddenly They

arc also sold in Australia,

f'WOMAI'S

BID TfMPfR

-Cured bg

94. In our Family Magazines.

;Â¥edlcal;l Sqlent]sts 'lt tile present day aver that a bll(! _Is

very often not the result of ungovernable passion, but rather the mere outward lnd}tati()J:l of .. inward physical Illness. Those whQ nave had any medical or hos­ pital eXJ>erl!lnce know this to be only too true. Thousands o! women suffer

great pain from Inward troul/)e, an!l continue to sutler year after year. '-'The:y go tQ lloctor e.fte,. doctor; but medicines and trea.tment d<>n't seem to do them any good. They get cranky and irritable, and are a source of trouble to t!lem­ uelvel!. and a worry tO their friends. ·';:)This is far from being a satisfactory

state ot a.lfalrs. Surely in thesG days of advanced speci;l.lisatkln It Is !l.bsurj) to eonfess t)la:J: there Is no positive remedy tor this Within the reach .ot aU ••

There is; That now well-known specific, the Orange Lily Remedy, will rapidly and certaJ.nly cure the inward- trouble. This is no IDf!i"e as_sertion. _ It js a which can. hi1Pt>11Y, be backed up by a.bunda.nc<> of sworn proof-the letters of many women all over Australia, Who are devoutly thankful that they got to

know ot the wonderful Orange Lily :Remedy. 1! you want to know more

about this, write to us to-day tor the valuable little Booklet, "WOM4N'S

QUIOE TO HEALTH," Post Free, on receipt of 3d In stamps; or call.

The COONLEY MEDICINE 00., W 177 HYDE ·PARK, SYDNEY.

TiJ ftl In a law case repor.tod tha ·other· n1;. u r · A IN 1 N VII FE day. tl)a husband. '" giving evl· U O..nce, stated his heme lite was mtiu:;ra.ble ln- the cxti'erne. Cont!nulnz. he sa! d. ".Had it not been tor the sake ot· o1:.r ttttle child, I woulc1 ha-ve cleare4 o.ut long ngo.,. the for all thta. b.e mentioned that hiS wl!e was al­ "'"'" Ill anll slc)tly; always suffering from some pafn or ache, :md continually In t!Jo hands or tho cloc:;tots. penny· he had saved ;Went in doctor's biUs. Hi.s -ui!e was una.ble· to ber hoUae.' hold dutlaS,· nod was ever ready to nag a.nd storm at him without the lca.st proVocaUon. This Is a sad story, but a true one, and Is of the conditions of many homes to-day. It C

a\ fne, on of 3d In stamp. Wrltc or call perso;>ally. The Coonley Medicine Company1 W.B., Liverpool-st., !lydn Parf4 8ydun]. U4.

.. ;,

· BABY IN THE HOME.--. • Wbtlll a baby ln the hOIIlo tbei'Q'e In• eonvenlence oecaal

31!

The Health and Happiness of Women referred to above l'las regard to-

ORANGE A Preparation Listed on the P.A.T.A. It will pay you to become interestedin ORANGE LILY as you are sure to be asked for it shortly. • No less than 100,000 l$ooklet8 are now being issued. Do not disappoin.t your customers.

Of Wholesale Houses,

Or THE COONLEY MEDICINE CO., Liverpool Street, Sydney.

_ · South Wales Royal Commission-.

. The "Coonley Medicine Co." is a branch of an alleged American medical institute, distributes quantities of circulars, and undertakes different kinds of secret ., services for women. key "W.B." means 11-

7 oman's Budget, thefamilymagazine

whence_these were taken. There is a great variety of these advertisements, and they appear m many newspapers.

'!-.,.

The· Course of National Suicide.

95. The evidence of surgeons and physicians who treat diseases both of body and mind is herein adduced, and much could be added to prove the natural declension were it needed. Even in the short period from 1890 to 1900, only ten years, the fall in productiveneRs, the loss by decline of natural immigration, so to speak, was in New South Wales, 22i per cent. ; Victoria, 23-! per cent. ; South Australia,

22i per cent. West Australia had the highest influx per ] ,000 of the population, and New Zealand the lowest. 96. The figures in juxtaposition are:-AUSTRALIAN lMMIGRA.TION BY BIRTH, PER 1,000 OF POPULATION•

The Rate of

1890. 1900. 1905. 1890

was higher by--

Per cent.

New South Wales ... ... . .. .. . 35·36 27·43 26·72 32

Victoria ... . .. ... . .. . .. 33·60 25·79 24·83 35!

Queensland ... .. ·. . .. . .. . .. 37·15 30·19 25·92 43}

South Australia ... . .. . .. . .. 33·27 25·81 23·82 39i

West Australia ... . .. . .. . .. 36·89 30·83 30·30 2l:i

of 1895-

f Not available. I 'J'asmania ... ... ... . .. 1

1895-J

28·16 29 33 5t

31 02

'

35'

i "' il7. Otherwise, stated, to put figures back to tlie scaleof only a short previously (1900 to 1890), there would require to be 2,891 more births in every .. Hl,OOO births for N e:w ·South Wales. The .others in somewhat similar proportion.\ That is to say, on the figures for Victoria, for a population of by either of the two largest States, \fe should have an extra annual immigmtion of

our own flesh and blood of abopt_ 9,'4_00 That represents the drop in ten years, or.an,an,nual loss, in each, of those States, o.f 9,400 people and more. Corp.pared with fifteen and twenty years back the figures show a worse decline.. All this is not intended to imply that there is an-y hope of a :restoration to the national vitality ·

of a few years ago. That would involve moral changes and a recognition of ethical ' principles which are intimately bound up with the perpetuity of the race. "'For that" we .. cannot hope. It has been truly said that, in. this regard, appeals to national : patriotism and the li,ke, are of no avail. The conclusion which any

thoughtful spectator is driven to by a world-wide contemplation of the. qonsequences.' of unnatural interferences, is that the Primordial Intelligence had such foresight as. to that, where individuals or nations come into conflict with it, these. persons· and· peoples must succumb. A curse is sometimes physical, but it may be. more·

terrible when it is only arithmetical.

. . 98. I am indebted to Mr. J. B. Trivett, F.It.A.S., F.S.S., Registrar of Friendly·, Societies, Sydney, for the letter on page 45. From ·it, from what has preceded, from the whole of the evidence submitted in this Report, it should be plain that, energetic interference. on behalf of the Legislature, the Administration, and . the

is demancled in order to preserve those influences which make for

rrrosperity. _ A, very large part of societ.y has regard for duty, and acknowledges a to w:rittcn ordinaiiCes .. But the . morals, and of:

people are subject to ·continual assault from secret influences which are prel'!sed ill_to_ c_easele_ss and ever-e;xp::tnding actiyity by newspaper and other a:unouncements., Just the enormous losses to society shown herein, there is demand to antagonise.

the forces of anarchism and death, wholly regardless of commercial interests that· acquire great cash gains from treason and homicide.

99. A striking decline is exhibited by South Australia, which showed a birt_h-. rate of in1885, falling to 24 last year, an interval of twPnty years.* Accurately,_: whm;e 10,000 . are born there now, 10,380 were born at the previous rate._ To _get0 ; back 'to the 9ld i·aJe, ·tl;te- :;;tate would r:equire 64 per cent. more births ptn: 1,000

ofpopulation than now. No one expects that ; on the contrary, a further decline i,s · ·in,¢licated. An actuary can explain how decline involves further decline by. unfavom·able alteration of the age-constitution of the people. True, the marri;:tge­ I'ate h[as declined in that State. It was nearly 8 1,000 of population in the·

former year, and just-7 per 1,000 in the latte1· .. Yet what a tale of homicide of' the unborn is revealed by the later figures ! And we all clamour, with good reasons/ f9r

Compare with our Neighbours.

L

.. .. .100. Java, an island of 50,000 square miles, half the area of New Zealand, or. somewhat more than .half the area of Victoria, contains 30,000,000 with­ a high annual rate of increase not precisely ascertainable. Japan, islands with a total area of 148,000 square miles, less than half that

of New South Wales, contains 48,000,000 inhabitants, with an annual increase, the rate tending to enlarge, of half a million people.

. The ratio of increase in population in New South Wales and Queensland 2ii0 per cent. better in 1881 than in 1901; in Victoria it was 400 per cent. better. ; " -· - . - - .. unless the progress of decay can be in s.ome way arrested, or countervaiied by the saving of life, or both; the birth and death rates must in

measurabl·e -time, and .the will become the lower of the two, as· seen

amongst the native-born in Hhode Island and some other Anglo-Saxon communities. is to say, unless the spread of unnatural practices--genesic frauds-be checked

by morals and laws, together actual, active State pr()f,ectio*- of life and health-. · • < • ·' • • · · freta!,

·f Data supplied by C@mmoliwealth St'atistic:lan. Hill pre-cise figures are 39'-03 and 23·82 respectively.

103

"---

36

infantile, adolescent, and adult-our Australian nation has its ·aooni in full

Morals and laws ought to be interchangeable terms-·· the two a pleonasm­

but _ to· that declaration -manchesterism is ever in essential nnd irreconcilable antagonism.

"'

The example of

_ _ 101. Of the 87 Departments 63 show actual decline in number of population in years, March, 1896, to March, 1901. The remaining 24 show slight increases,

chiefly accounted for by immigration, foreigners not naturalised forming over 2-! per cent. of the total population. Between the years 1811 and 1820 the average annual surplus of births over deaths was 5·7 per thousand of population; between 1851 and 1860 it was 2·9 ; and between 1881 and 1885 it was 1·6. Thus the ratio was twice

cut in half. The average number of births per marriage was (1881-5) about 3; in 1891 it was 2·1. The year 1900 showed 26,000 more deaths than births ; but there is still, in general, a small yearly surplus. The marriage-rate is about stationary, and is .similar to that of Australia, 7 to 8 per 1,000 of population. If

which increase in number, be deducted, marriages are declining. As the people born during the three-per-marriage period constitute the adult population, the age­ constitution is much more favourable that that which will shortly ensue by reason of the two-per-marriage change.- 'J.lhe number of possible mothers is yearly less;" tlle number of possible marriages-therefore of probable marriages-· will be less, and as the death-rate rises because of the advancing age of those born during the three-per•marriage period, it will surpass the birth-rate, and the actual decline in population thereby involved will be more marked as time proceeds. All that unless there he a great recovery in fecundity, which is improbable, for the contrary is" indicated. '

102. The marriage-rate of South Australia is somewhat lower than that/of, France, and the birth-rate of the two is approximating. Indeed, the natural gration in Australia generally, and of New Zealand, has fast declined towards the· French level. This falling-off is the more remarkable, because the age-cons.titution of the population of these younger countries is so much more favourable as to involve adow death-rate mistakenly attributed to climate and hygiene alone. In due time after the fall in our vitality figures there will be a rise in our mortality figures.

103 .. It is .somewhat .rashly concluded that" crowding into towns" is the cause 6-f the refusal to perpetuate ana tion. Our towns in Australia are not crowded. People live, by families., in separate houses, with ever extending suburbs. The home is usll_al, the tenement-house exceptional. And in France there are only· 71 towns

with over 30,000 inhabitants, only one larger than Sydney or Melbourne_, and only two .others approximating these. 104. As our vitality-rates correspond more nearly with those of France than· with those of any other European country, with present likelihood of closer approach, it is hoped that the contemplation o£ .advanced decadence may afford another reason for protecting the health and lives of Australian mothers, girls, babies, and embryos against the insidious attacks of secret•drug packers, and of quacks in cgeneral • .And this eve11 though it clash with foreign mercantile interests. .

105. M. Thiers, before he became President of the present French Republic, wrote: "The first duty of a nation is to educate its children." He would have hit the mark in .. the exact centre if he had said, "The first duty of a nation is to have children." They are sweet fruits of philosophy of the most -ancient type. Mrs. Annie Besant's "Fruits of Philosophy " are those of the most modern type. This

philosophy, falsely so called, dating from 1885., has led our nation into a slough -.of despond whence it may never be extricated. -

J06. MovEMENT OF PoPULATION, FRANCE AND GERMANY. Figures are for the lands forming the present territory of each countt-yrespectively :--..

Total Population;.

Census, France.

1906 •.• ... 39,252,000

1901 .... ... 38,962,000

Census, Germany.

1905 •.• ... 60,605,000

l909 ..• '56,367,000

ill o

37.

I Five· Years ending

1901 ···-

.. ,, 444,000 1900

4,087,000.

1896 ··r 175,000 1895 •• t ... 2,851,000

1891 I 124,000 1890 2,570,000 ... 1886 .=n 546,00() 1885 .,. 1,622,000

1881 7'66,000 '1880 ........ 2,507,000

Population of France (as above) and of Germany (as above). l?ensus. ·census.

1801 .;, 26,931,000 1816 .... 24,833,000

1821 ..... 29,871,000 1820 "' .. . .. 26,294,000

1841 33,401,000 1840 ..... 32,787,000

Census of" France.

: l07• The Census of 1906 in its details will only be available after some years of preparation. I have given above the gross figures just to hand (February, 190.7), but extract the following from the "Resultats Statisti4ues du Recensement General de la Population, effectue le 24 Mars, 1901 ; Tome IV ; Population Presente;

Resultats _Generaux; Paris, Imp rim erie 1906," page 83 ' ·

Eliminating foreign 1•esidents and naturalised foreigners, the population increased .from 36,070,000 in 1876, to 37,195,000 in 1901, or an average of only one-fortieth per cent. per annum, and even that minimal gain has declined: The lines will soon cross, and then will be witnessed a,n accelerated decline in the. actual

nu·mher of living French · · ·

The position is well known, often discussed, and deeply regretted by patriotic Frenchmen. f];l;le Paris Figaro recently wrote :-· If ail increase in the birth-rate does not begin soon in England, she will,· in sixty years from now, be in as terrible a as we are. . . . , .

108. The Census results are so elaborated as to cover 5,000 pages. 'Il1e officral Committee ·:remark, towards the close of the resume of their rep01·t I.? &gglomeration de Ia population dans les districts urbairrs, la predominance croissante du se:x:e fe"Qlinin, -et parmi les femmes, la progression du nombre relatif des plus ages; la diminution· du

relati£ de jeunes F.ranqais, se manifestent par des differences relativemerit considerables d'un recensement au·suivant, et certaines de ces differences sont de nature a aggraver les preoccupations que fait nait:Fe le tres faible accroissement du nombre des habitants. Aussi y a-t-il inter\3t·a maintenir la periodicite actuelle des · · · · · · ·

. . .. Le p:robleme de l:a pop1Ilation n'eveille que des inquietudes .et appelle I' attention sur un peril ' jour p1usmemi9i1llt, , · ·

100. As the figures and the of Australasia are comp1rable only

with those of France, of ali European countries, the same remark applies, namely, that we should adopt a quinquennial periodicity for our census. "The problem of. population can only awaken uneasin,ess, and calls attention to a peril. that evsry day rnore menacing.'' ·

·. 110. In May, 1906, on page 1339, the editor of the Lancet, in a-thoughtful

article, remarks ·· · ·

.. The birth-rate in the Australian colonies and amongst British-Canadians is little higher than that­ of France, and unless the British become more fertile it is doubtful whether the British Empire rellla

. , 111. Mankind does not know, pr<>bably will never know, how it is that under normal conditions there are more males born than females. But we see from the remarks of the French Census Committee that under the present interferences with Nature a serious abnormality occurs-amongst others that are adverse to reproduction

of the race-more females are born than males. The Lancet points out that the same fatal symptom is manifesting itself in our own race. ·· That tendency was shown recently to be most pronounced in marriages between members of the British aristocracy and rich American girls. Births of either sex were few, but of males a.

vanishing proportion. It is3 however, not possible to check the authenticity of such a r.eclwning. Social

105

38

Social Felo-de-se.

112. In the same jotirnal;the jrtdicial record of :(pages 247-8,

of 1906), Drs. Newsholme "ho thatiuestion whi:h "":ill

now remain with us to the . ..end, call the exclusion or destruction_ of_ infantile hfe on the part of so many :of -oo.r people 'f' social felo-de-se.'·'·· But· the ·direct phrase seems preferable. It is spe1·matocide, froticide, and infanticide, all three. The first was regarded for age.s as the unforgivable s,in of S;cripture, the crime of Onan. The others were always mortal :sin, as a matter of course. But report of the New South Wales Royal R€port, and the hollt. of. whom I

have consulted, show how vY.ldely.the views of many pcrsons-1t.J.s to be hoped not of the nation itself-_ have c-hanged. 113. The two doctors named point to the greater fall in the number of births in the rural districts than in the urban districts of England. They also show, what has been elsewhere shown, that a first result of the fall in the birth-rate is a fall in the death-rate, which becomes to many people a misleading phenomenon,. Fu.rther, that in Ireland the births from women between the ages of 15 and 45 are considerably more numerous than in England.

The lat-e Mr. W. E. Gladstone and the Defeat of the Sacred Cause.

Dear Dr. Pomeroy, I send a line of hearty good wishes for your renewed and apparently indefatigable efforts. 114._ I have no title to examine or condemn and no competency to enter into particulars, most of all as 1:egards the medical side of the subject. But I can find no ·words strong enough to express my sense of

the s"acredness of the cause to which your labours are devoted; or of the degradation which, if and in proportion as that cause should be defeated, threatens the whole human race within the range of the co11troversy. · · ·

I remain, my dear sir, with strong

Faithfully yours,

September 2, 18-90. W. E. GLADSTONE.

115. Rather more than twenty years have elapsed since the publication 9t the ! bQok, "Ethics of Marriage." The cause has met with uniform defeat in the countries j within the range .of the controversy, i.e., Anglo-Saxondom, and Australasia most _; ! markeclly of all. France, indeed, has led, and her decadence is a!3 freely recognised

at home as abroad. In all of them the carcinoma has greatly spread since Mr. · Gladstone's day, and the cachexia of malignant disease has, through the circulation, invaded the parts of the body. ' 116. Dr. "Pomeroy informed me that a religious newspaper, issued 'in that,.ciiy

of which is acknowledged as a leader in thought arid culture, had openly recommended genesic interference. In his book a clergyman and· wife are • mentioned who followed and inculcated the practice. They had one child, f.t son, an inefficient specimen, to put it mildly. "Would you like to know his sl).bsequent. hiStory, for he is now 25 years old ? Well, his parents centred their a..ttenti_on upon

him and he was to be a model. But they could do nothing with him, nothing out of him. At schools he failed, at college lie failed,· and at every occupatio:q, ; however chosen or preferred, he failed again. He is now on a ranch in Texas, useless for anything, whither he was as a last resort, but with no practical {n:oba.bility

of usefulness." The parents, like others, thought they had mad-e a choice, but it was at best a chance, and there was not the. recourse of training another child .and of letting them train one another. The Founder of our civilisation inculcated the opposite· course, welcomed and blessed the children, called them, by terms of endearment, and used the furthermost emphasis when He declared that unless the

adults around Him became as (learned from) little children they should in no wise enter into His Kingdom. He made clear that that Kingdom-that regulation-. was to. be here, real and genuine and gentle, no chimera or imagination at all. We have the spectacle of a nation officially rejecting that TeacJ1er and His philosophy, but reflection will show anyone that His rule of life must survive all opposition, for it js intimately related to the preservation of the race itself and of its purest motives. Therefore His words and the principle of them wm live and will move the world

when our own Anglo-Saxon race shall have followed, as it must, all others that have preceded it, to extinction and possible oblivion. 117,·

,, ,.,, ...

, , ., .• -11-7. FAc-siMILE FROM THE RIGHT HoNOURABLE 1VILLIAM Gl'ADSTONE To . DR. H . STIRLING PoMEROY,. oF BosTON . MAs_s

...

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118. As the case of racial destruction is stated, from specific observations of authorities, by the New South Wales Royaf Commission, and again general facts are herein adduced, also from authdrities, it would seem advisable to add two or three individual instances, which are often as striking as the more serious statistics.

'l,he latter are more serious because it can be said of each individual instance post secl non propter. _

119. It was narrated at the New South Wales Royal Commission that a young couple had resolved not to have children for five a period that se()ms to have· been often chosen. 'l'hey used spermatocidal preparations. end:>of the sixth year, no sign appearing of the desired progeny, one .Cif sur-geons was and told of their After e:xamination the surgeon, said, '' Madam, you can never have a child." There was scme distress, ··and the husbal},(,i aske4 whether an, operation could be performed that would render maternity, possible. The surgeon replied, ''Madam, you cannot have a child so long as you live/' Thus they had struck out their names from .the book of life in the most literal and mundane sense,

120. Amithet: yo:ung couple, finding that in the course of nature a;.child,would be born to therp., to destroy by alleged aboz:.tifacient Other:means

;\yere tried, but fear of_ death caused them to desist. . The baby was born distorted and deformed. Then arose a passion or instinct upon ,the strengtp of which the existence of mankii;ld, but of which as yet they had lmown-·nothing-pa:rental affection. They ''moved 4eaven and earth)'' as phrase'went, to sav-e the child,

And whenever either of ·them looks at the piteous :figure, mother mvst say, '' I d'd th t" . ' - . '· 1 _,, a. ,. _ . . _

. .. 121. upon my travels, in one of the cities visited in this investigation, speaking with a man in executive authority, well informed upon the 'presell;t subJect and deeply conce1·ned, he said, "I will tell you·; my own ,case. A society'lady, hearing that my wife was pregnant, advised her to use certain mean13 to 'destroy the embryo. The advicewas followed, but the child was born at full time..:...:.an idiot. It died. In of time my wife conceived again 1; and I ardently desired a son. That son was born-and is an idiot."

These instances could be multiplied a thousand-fold. Some are too distressing to narrate at all. ' ·

122. ToRALD BoLLMANN, M.D., Professor of Pharmacology, University, Cleveland, Ohio. "Text-book of Pharn:1v cology." Phila., Saunders, 1901 :- _ .

, Certain volatile oils have a strong action on the alimentary . canal, and, through this,

hyperemia of the pe}vie .. This has Jed to their employment for theprocuring of criminal abortion, an4 they have a toxicological l)Uportanoe, since they are usually fatal thrOugh the gastro-enteritis before they . produce thl! desired result. . , . .. : · ·

He then supplies a list of drugs- · ,. : .

Oil of 'Sl'Yin, of tansy, aJ;i.d of penl!Yroyal enjoy a special in this connection, but. any other irritant the -same result. Th.e ecbolic (expulsive) e.lfeet is only 'secondary .io the and the latter is very fatal w)thout ·accomplishing the object tor which it. was produced.

-· ;_ I :. -. ' .

· ....

Mr. sf:dney Webb;'and thEf Decline in Vitality.

128. Webb in' his letter .. to thy Times of 16th'October, 1906 :__, :

.•. The ayerage nitmber of children tq be from each in( England and Wales

twerit.y-five ,;rears ago was- iit least three· times as gtea.t as now. ( . ,

ft would ' more to a --proper analysis:: of authenticate

instead .of planing upon irresponsible generalisations of the kind

just quoted . . If his statenient be fall is much. more rapid than that of France, whilst .the cbnsequences -to oux nation, which is more widely and less self­ contained, will be disastrous. :.The conclusion is, however, indirectly supported by the 'apparently established fact of the amoll,gst the so-called thrifty member& of the, Hearts .of Oak arid Royal Standard Societies, which is stated to be three bad as that of the average decline of the whole nation. The significance is plain.

124. Again, there is regret at the falling-off in the number of children attending London scnools, like our own ·case in .Australia. But as they were not born, there is ·· no occasion for surprise, and as it was the end intended there need be, irom that point

of. view, no / ·

·· 125. The phase that is much deplored by the contributors happens to be the one spot of light and hope in the gloom. It is stat-ed that one-fourth of the inhabitants of the United Kingdom produce half the children. The crudity of this statement ,,t,l:).rows doubt upon the intended conclusion. We know without_reckoning that _,_a · · ' - - -- · - - fourth,

fourth, or less, o£ the inhabitants produce all the children. What is probably meant is that after separatfug the population into sections, without regard to age or sex, certain of these sections, aggregating about one-fourth, produce half the children. It is not stated whether the divisions are made by religious denomination, by class, by

nation (as English, Scotch, Irish, Welsh, Manx), or in what other way. But if it be ·a recognisable division with a degree of permanence, as would be the first or third, then a nation cannot wholly decay if that fourth maintain its prolificacy. It also means. rapid decline and virtual extinction of the other three-fourths, whoever they are. If

the fourth can preserve themselves from contamination by the doctrines and practices of the three-fourths, any regret at the decline and decay of the latter would be, to say the least, mitigated. ·

· 126. One thing is sure in the position, from the figures of the Registrar-General, namely, that these indicate decline, and an involved decline. Unless great moral change shall come over the British people, of which there is no indication, the decay which has already advanced so far and so rapidly, will continue down to and bey<:md the present French level.

Rapid Spread of the National Carcinoma-Nostrum for its Cure ..

The Lancet, lOth November, 1906, page 129(), et seq. LnrnTATION oF ENGLrsu FAMILIES.

127. . . .. The opinion is expressed by Mr. Sydney Webb that the decline in the birth-rate is greakr among the thrifty sect.ions of the population than in the com rnunity at large; and he adduces in support . of that opinion certain statistics from the Hearts of Oak Friendly Society, whieh contains more than a of a million male adult mern hers. Admission t0 of this society is limited to men in receipt

of £1 4s. per week, a figure which excludes the unskilled worker and the agricultural labourer, and generally the lowest grade of skilled al'tisan. Among the provisions of this society is the "lying-in benefit," which secures a payment of £1 lOs. for each confinement of a member's wife. From 1866 to 1880 the proportion of lying-in claims to membership rose slowly from 2,176 to 2,472 per 10,000. From 1881 to 1904 it , c mtinuously declined, reauhing in the latter year 1,165 per 10,000. In this population of 1,250,000

personR, in all distinguished from the rest Ly tho chwacterist:c of thrift, the birth-rate has fallen off in the last decade by no less than 46 per cent.-a decline nearly three times as great as that of the English community generally. The records of a smaller society, the Royal Standard Benefit Society, similarly constituted, show almost identical results. If the members of these two societies had yielded proportionately

as many births in 1904 as the members of 1880 had done in that year there wonld have been born to them nearly 70,000 instead of the 32,000 who actually saw the light. If the birth-rate in thPse 280,000 families or comparatively prosperous artisans had fallen in only the same degree as that of England .and Wales ·generally there would have been born 50,000 babies instead of 32,000. As reg>trds this point, :M:r. ·webb

is convinced that the reader of the foregoing statements mmt accept the conclusion that the falling-off of the birth-rate, which has during the last twenty years deprived England and Wales of some 200,000 . babies every year, is the result of deliberate intention on the part of the parents. The persistence ttnd universality of the fall; the absence of any discoverable relation to unhP-althy conditions, mental

development, or physical deterioration; the remarkable fact that the fall been greatest where it is .known widely to be desired, the evidence that it accompanies, not extreme poverty, but social and that it is exceptionally marked where there are foresight and thrift, all this points in the same direction. . . ,

128. However, Mr. Webb declares that the conclusion to be drawn from his investigations is one of hope; not of despair. He argues that if the decline in the birth-rate had been due to physical degeneration we could not have coped with it, but that a deliberate volitional interference can at onc·3 be influenced by alteration of economic conditions. He goes on to specify the alterations which he desires, with a view of making it easier for people to undertake family responsibilities. Among these he particularly t

free medical attendance at parturition, to the gratuitous supply of milk for infants, to the provision of "free meals on demand" for nursing mothers, to the feeding of children at school, to the mnltiplication of maintenance scholarships for secondary technical education, and also to the extension of tax-supported higher schools at nominal fees, or even free. These alterations-which :M:r. ·webb himself admits to be revolutionary-are designed to alter the economic incidence of the burden of child-bearing. They according to him, leave the way open to the play of the best instincts of mankind-namely, the rearmg of healthy children as a prime duty of citizenship. Mr. Webb's is a very ingenious st ttement of the case, and

his proposed remedies for a great social evil fo1low directly upon that statement. But when we come to consider the effect of these remedies, in the unlikely event of their being adopted, we are constrained to declare that, in our judgment, the remedies would be worse than the disease. In almost every issue of The Times since the appearance of his first article there have appeared of Mr. Web.b's

proposals, which have been censured by the more important contributors to the debate either as or as definitely futile and injurious. We must range ourselves with his opponents. The unWisd?m, and, indeed, the impossibility of Mr. Webb's sugge ted " endowment of motherhood" is, we thmk, established. His suggested alterations of existing economic conditions we do not condemn

they are definitely socialistic in tendency-we have seen too much good follow the application of doctrines which upon their early enunciation were called socialistic to be betrayed into so crude. a way of dismissing the subject ; but we think his viewa are utterly incompatible with the true progrm18 .and with the welfare of society.· It is ncce3sary that aood citizens should have the responsibility ·Of citizenship. 129.

*97267-F

109

1,:

129. 'l'he siG1dy suggestion of Mr. Sydney Webb that the State shall parenase IJ::wt11el!i1()od i.s· a mere clutching at straws, the last resort of the desperate. It was tried and it failed rn the obliterated. nations of history. . . _. . _ _ _

Sel£-presenation is the first law of nations, not of the individaal, as the_ wars of all time, :n1d he110ism in every sphere, have shown. And this investigation. leads, as all others like it must lead, to the. one conclusion,. tllwt. interferences with racial procJ'eatioll: constitute an untorgiva ble sin in terrestrial w0rld. 1Ve lnww mx;;thing of any other. :H'urther, that when a nation by cl:e1ibern,te intent tolerates the inculcation of conceptional prevention and with the trades

and public announcements connected therewith, its extinction is sure. . 130. Mr. Sydnev Webb's hope is despair itself. :Bnt nations

not gone so far, although they aTe plainly approaching the condition desetihed.

'i'hete is another hope, and the only apparent, which is that the national conscience,. n1isled by false prophets-Stuart MilJ/ Bracllaugh,. Besaut, and the leaders· of· the lVIanchester school-shall awake and demand the institution and administration of that "justice which elevates a people."

\

131. 1 We observe a writer like Arsene Dumont viewing with concern that result in modern France which Mill and leaden of the Manchester school actually wished. to see. aocornpliahed in England, namely, the g¢neral restriction of births.-" Western Ci\·illsatio11," BcnJ. Kidd, p. 124. · ':

AngJo ... saxon Decline in America.

" : G. Stanley Hall, Ph. D., LL. 1)., President of Clark University, 1mrl Professor of Psychology a:nd Pedagogy,

New York, Appleton, 1905. Page 594, et.s:eq.

, . 132. V. Fecundity cf .Educated the matter is worse Jet ior educateti wo:fuen.

'!!htality rates show the springs of natntal growth or decay, and only the constant inftux of foreigners p:rewnts us from realising the ominous forcborlings with which France is facing the problem of a steady decadence of bi:rth·rates, which prompted and circulated such a book as Zola's " Fruitfulness." In a significant paper by Dr. Ailen, on the New England family, which was the germ of American civilisation, and where !Qr 200 years the homes were weH-nigh models, it is shown b{)W the birth-rate has steadily declined for half a century, and that at a very rapid rate, until it is lower than that of any European nation, France itself not excepted. In 1875, there were 359,000 families in Massachusetts; of these, 23,739 consisted of only one person, 115,456 of only two, and 140,974 of only three persons. D:r. Allen estimated that only one-hal£ of the New England mothers could properly nurse their offspring, and that the number who could do so was constantly decreasing. While failure to do so might. he often due to lack of wish, it was usually due to undeveloped mammary glands, Jeeble di&estion,. and nervousness. . This state of things, he assures us, ca.n be found to like the sante'. extent nowhere eise, and among no other race or nation in history. Fo:reigft families, especially­ ifthey acquire property, approach this condition a few years a:fter they land orr on::r The . .Jews and our grandmothers thought barrenness a curse ; but llow tlre bearing an:d reaPing &f large

fMnilres is felt to belong to low life. Love of offspring is less ; . wom-an's orga-nisation is changing under new conditions. Housekeeping, especiaHy as a vocation, wbich useti. to be one of tile most hygienic and ennobling occupations for body and mind, is despised ood evadfld1 and the intluence .ot Mme is diminishing. Modes of life are artificial and too expensive, so that marriages are l&ter

as well as fewer; the rate of infants among old New Ebg!armf farmilies· is iJ:t!lreasing, and sci ar& abortions and divorces. Invalids must make poor home-builders, poor husbands, wives, and 'WorSe fathers and mothers. From 1886 to 1891, both inclusive, 103,73$ children were botrr in f.all'lil.N:is where both pa-rents natives; 104,884 where both were fo;rcig.n; 3'9,292infamilies o1m p.atent was native and the other foreign. During the same years 156;225 native• born inhaibitarits of (f'n1setts and 40,716 'foreign-born died. The deaths of native Americ&ns exMed'eclitke dea·ths t'.1e foreign-born by 29,796, which adding l1alf the deaths .ofunlb.lownor mixed of the State, make the billths e:xeeed the deaths try S1,82'4. . Thrac itt

i 1e State, including less than one-fourth, give birth to more tkan one .. lttHf of the F1tst. an1ong the causes of the decline, Dr. Ellis places physicaJ and mental inability to bear and care for ehildtim, at the proper period; and secondly, he places unwillingness to ease, freedom, and enjoyrn'Cnt involved in parenthood, the disposition to put pleasure in the place of duty, the effeminacy of wealth, the new woman movement and fmticide; and he pleads for domestic labour as one of the best correctives. Comparing the forty years ending 1890, the nativec marriages averaged 2·3- efiHtlren each, .while those of the foreign-born averaged 7·4 eacb. ·

133. R. R. Kuczynski shows that in the period from 1883 to 1897 the general marriage-rate 'foreign-born in this country was three-fourths higher than that of the native-born. From 1881 to 1889 the native-born in Massachusetts have the smallest general marriage-rate. In the three censuses of 1885, 1890, and 1895, the proportion of the married among the was less than onecthird, while the

proportion among the foreign-born exceeded one-half. The nati ve,..popnlation of Massachusetts has a special birth-rate of 6·3 births for 100 adult women in child-bearing age, whereas in Berlin the annual rate of 10 for every 100 women was proven to be not quite sufficient to keep up its population, So thai thiS state is dying at a rapid pace. The of adult native men living in wedlock in 1885 to 1895 was

three-fifths; of foreign-born, two-thirds. The proportion of native-adult Women living in wedloeR: was six-thirteenths; of foreign-born, seven-thirteenths. In 1895 .the number of Womeri who Were married but childless was one-fifth among the natives, and two-fifteenths amorig the foreign·bo:tn. " The average number o£ children born to every foreign-born married woman was two-thirds highet

than

I

I I i t

G. Stanley Ha!l-co1dinued.

ihl!in' ior t'hena.UY,es., Yi2;. :--'Foui·-scycnJhs higher arr"ong 'GerJ.ni1ll women, six-seye:l')Jhs a.hl.o-ng J;ri;;ih, i wice ll:S high a.J.nong French -Canadian woJ.nen." From 1883 to 18.97 the special birthcr.a.te of foreigcl):.· horn adult women was J.no.ie than twice .as high as for the natives. . , ,

. 134. Engelmann, from ] , 700 casrs, found that a little over 20 per cent. of married wpme,n :Amenca are childless, although his definition of sterility was the condition of those married three years withont offspring. (Simpson's standard rate of sterility is ll .per cent.) Thus,· he conciudes that . extremes c£ sterility are reacted in this country." Among the labouring classes in St. Louis he found 5hl

children per married couple; in Boston he found it 1·7 ; in lVIichigan, 1·8 in recent years, but for the twenty-five years ending in 189;1, 2·1. Smith finds that among college female graduates the lowest fecundity prevails, 1·6. The relatives of these girls, who do not go to college, are more prolific, 1·89. In England, among female college graduatEs, there are 1·53 children to a marriage, while the average fertility of flnglish in the Victorian Ye

'135. f:lne test .o.f the complete domestication of an animal species is not only tb.at it tends to larg-er than its \\ild congeners, but to breed well. This, too, is a test of the :possfbHity of perma-nent

eaptiVit,y. 'Now, if we consider civilisation as the domc;3tication of man by himself, we may apply cthis criterion as an effective teat of its soundness. This principle, too, :wouJd seem to apply to a:p.y trade or industry, or to any social class, or to educated classes. If so, it follows either that e.ducation is per se bad, Whl)n CollSidered from a racial point, or else that a postulate is laid upon us t.o find, ·,3;!)

the right way o1 education, on.e whicb. shall p.ot tend to sterility. Otherwise, ii higher ell;ucation un}v1lrsal, posterity wotl;ld gradually bec9me eliminated, .au.d the race prpgressively excterminated. S().b;ools and teachers. With th.ese id!las ju View a pecnliar pathos attaches to those who early in life have not

olspl'ing, 'but do .so wben it ·begins to be a little t.oo late. Many such parents console themselves by lavishing .upon one or two care .enough .for half a dozen children. The result of this is, t;h;:tt insto1lto;i p£ broadening by retarding their development, their are ro}lbed of man¥ elements of a pr.&per childhopd, pass too rapidly over the developmental stages, and are hastened on to maturity

by the excessive stimulus of too much adult .environment and influence and too little wise neglect. 136. Excessive intellectualism insidiously instils the same aversion to "bx'ute maternity" as does l11xury, oyer-indulgence, or e.Kcessive devotion to society. Just as a, man fight the battles 0£ competition, be ready to lay down his life for his country, so woman needs a heroism of her own to face the. pain,

,,danger, and work of bearing and rearing children, and whatever lowers the tone of her body, nerves, or mprq,le so that she seeks to escape this function, merits the same kind of opprobrium which society metes out to exempts who cannot or who will not fight to save their country in time of need. In an ideal and progressiye State those exempted from this function would be amongst those least fitted to survive, but where ,thJ birth rate goes down in proportion to intelligence and education, either the principle of the survival of

the best is.forced, or else these classes are not the besf, or are impaired by their training or environment. While we need not comider the cranky and extreme left wing of this movement which strives to ;tb.eoreticaUy ignore and ,practically the monthly function, or tb.e several .. coteries .Qf lla.U .. cult.u!1e!l .women, ,personally known to tlle writer, who devote time, money, a:nd e;fiort to

.3rr.ti.O:clal metbods of gesta1ion "• . . we find wide-spread amongst the most cultured cl

\C.he e'ufe.epled narture Qf oh:ly .children often needs exceptional incubating a,ll through c,\lildhoq@.

.@

sense ).n trea,tlJ1ent is prone also to lapse towards the senile and grandmotherly .over.fost.ering, so that

,Pllirtial stedlity always involves the danger of perverted motherly instincts. From a biological point .o.f wde.w, there •is 'u-n 11nuti;.erable depth of pathos in the almost morbid over.solicitude of the invalid and highly :mothe.r for .IJIP ()Jr1y qhild t9 who[\l she h!l.s transrnitt11d .her enfeeblecl .exist

£a,mi.lies J!ingla,nd this spectacle is .not infrequent. .

· .13:2'. ,4,s ;;aid, '•'Jbe soul js for God," and Is not happy till it findsrest in }{im;

w.oman's body ant'l. soul are made Jo.r Jnate.ruity, and she ctul never 1lnd :true repose for .either wttMut i!; ·

. Alt7ngthw.eonsidet·atiou ks given, and a discussion. from citation of many .th.e co.uclq.siou 'being .that the marriage-rate by women graduatl:}s is lo:vv,

and moreover the fecundity of these is proportionally much lower t11an tha,t of their own sisters who are non-graduates, and also than that o£ the r.est of the population .wt .equa:l ages. ·· · ·

Racial Decline in England and Wales. 13;9. T.he British R.egistrar-General, in his report upon tho Yit1;1l $.tatistks o.f makes comm.eo.t 11pon the teudencirs as quoted below. The LirW-rat.e that

,,}Y'"e:1r was per ],000 .of population, the smallest on record. It was 29 percent.

l.ess ih:;m in 187 o. Othe:rwise stated, it ·would require an increase of alJOut 4 0 per ,cent. Jo get back to the vitality of thirty years ago. The result must bo very gratifying to tb.e p:romulg'l:l.tors of the Besantine gospel, who are in possession of all the arguments., ;with only the silent hut inexorable forces of Nature against them. They can

with assurance upc1n further declension, for the figures mean-as in d.iminution of prccreators and a relative increase in 1he proportion of older lives. 'I'hat is to the altered age-constitution of the population absolutely Ct?tcrisparibus-:fur1hex d.edension. As shown, ther.e is a constant and important

· increase

lll

increase in insanity in Great Britain, which may experience ::tn accelerated ratio if the same inter-related phenomena shall appear as in Australasia, to say nothing as yet of the apparently related increase of neurasthenia, of functional and organic disturbances of the reproductive system, and of mortality in child-bed notwithstanding surgical and medical progress. But there is every reason to believe that the gospel itself spreads, as ill as its consequences.

BIRTH-RATE AND HEALTH.

A.nstmlasian World, London, Ma1'cb, 1907.

140. In his annual reporb on births, marriages, and deaths in 1905, issued recently, the Registrar­ General makes some comments on the continuous decline in the birth-rate. The preliminary figures for 1905, which he issued nine months ago, showed that the birth-rate in that year, 27·2 per 1,000 of the population, was the smallest ever recorded, and was 29 per cent. less than in 1876. "Some of the consequences of the decreasing birth-rate in this country," observes the Registrar-General, "are modified by a decreasing rate. Still, the fact is significant that, if a comparison is made among European countries, it is found that in the years 1880-2 there were no fewer than six States in which the fertility of wives was less than that recorded in England and Wales, whereas twenty years later (1900-2) the rate of fertility among married women in England and Wales was, with the exception of ·France, lower than that recorded in any other European country. It is also noteworthy that the rate of fertility among wives in this country had, in the year 1905, fallen below the level prevailing in New South Wales; and itmaybe remarked that the decline • in the birth-rate in that Colony has been viewed with so much apprehension that a Royal Commission was recently appointed, which, after diligent and full inquiry, has reported on the causes that have contributed thereto, and the effects of the restriction of child-bearing on the well-being of the Commonwealth."

141. At the same time the Registrar-General points out that "a high birth rate dces not necessarily involve a larger effective addition to the population than does an average or even a low birth-rate. In too many cases high birth-rates are associated with excessive sickness and mortality dur:ng the first few years of life, the result being th'lt not only do fewer than a normal proportion of the childr!fn survive at the age of 5 years, but those who do survive at that age have fallen below the normal standarJ of physical fitness. Excessive mortality is almost inevitably associated with deteriorated health of the survivors, and similar influences may reasonably be supposf'd to affect children beyond the age to which tha investigation could conreniently be carried.''

142. The truth of the latter paragraph is dependent upon its application. Comparing a country with itself it would be untrue. A higher birth-rate in Great Britain does mean a larger effective addition to the population. But a higher rate in Russia, where the children perish from starvation, compares unfavourably

with Germany, which has a somewhat lovYer birth-rate, where the children are better cared for. And it has been shown herein that, with ·an if not a fateful,

decline in the births of Lancashire, the loss of life among the newly-born has risen, not fallen. It is stated that districts of Birmingham show of late a mortality of one-third of the children in the first year of life. Absence of hygiene, insufficiency of food, improper food, decline in lactation, maternal neglect may and do exist under a low birth-rate as under a normal birth-rate. Neither in Australia nor in Great Britain has the rapid decline in production had time to show the inevitable effect upon reproduction. Lives of the pre-Besantine era are still proportionately numerous,

whilst during the later period knowledge and practice of hygiene, medicine, and surgery have improved and spread. .These beneficent influences at'e apart from the knowledge and practices of genesic frauds, or any kind of racial restriction. 148. An eminent writer says, "The bearing of children has come to be regarded as a sign of low life." In so far as that view is accepted, life will be low, not merely in the social, but in the arithmetical sense.

144. And it is herein shown that genesic interference means enfeebled vitality. It is also shown that in England a lowered birth-rate means often a higher mortality .in the first year of 145. It is a sanguine estimate of our sympathetic French critic, the Figaro, that in sixty years, upon present lines, Great Britain would reach the terrible position of France. The Registrar-General shows that in thirty years (1876-1905) the replanting of the nation has fallen away from 3S to 27, a difference of 11 per 1,000 of population. A further fall is absolutely assured, as must be plain

from all that has preceded in this Report, apart from ominous symptoms lightly touched upon, and others for the sake of decency omitted. It is a shorter fall from 27 to 21, which is the position of France, and that may occupy only the fourth part of sixty years, and probably less.

146. Dr. Stanley Hall "personally knows several coteries of .scientific women "-those of the" higher" education-. "who devote time, money, and effort to)nvestjgating artificial methods of gestation:" Dr. Shadwell informs us of the same

45

same pervert attempts to distort naturr, but as to what these practices are it could Serre no good purpose to inquil'e. They arc but symptoms of decay; ugly excrescences produced by modern culture. Refusal of maternity is accompanied by cat and dog worship, taking lower animals out of their place in Nature, and thus

replacing babies. It is believed by scientific men of high attainment<; that Iio.man knows even the number of the human senses. What a reductio acl abs·urdum then that these superficially-informed persons with University degrees, but lacking real education, should seek to usurp the place of the Omniscient, and by some

unsearchable horror produce human beings by un-natme!

The Relation of Abortion to Cancer of the · Womb.

. . 147. This subject receives consideration on page 625 of the Journal of the' American Medical Association, 16 February, 1907, from Dr. D. T. Quigley, who. writes:- · ·

I think it would have a wholesome effect on the minds of some of our female patients if the fact became generally known to the laity that"· an abortion may result in cancer. . . . • The

Jl!.OSt common place for cancer is the .cervix (neck of the womb). Therefore, it must be the most susceptible to the causeli which pro·du,ce cancer. We know that irritation is an exciting cause of. cancer. Why then irritate a uterus every day, or every few days for a month or a year, with

chemicals and foreign substances 1

148. This is a grave but purely 'inedico-surgical matter, and the layman can only quote professional opinions as he finds them. Nothing more than opinions is likely to be obtainable. The tendenc:r of the professional evidence before the New South Wales Royal Commission was in the same direction, that malignant

growths, especially in the female, are caused on an increasing scale by unnatural interferences. That irritation and inflammatio_n of .the tissues_, with permanent injury, are caused by .these interferences is not a matter of opinion, but of direct evidence derived from many thousands of hospital and pri:vate. cases,.

Letter from Mr. John B. Trivett.

Registry of Friendly Societies and Trade Unions,

Dear Mr. Beale,

36, Young-street, Sydney, 9 November, 1906.

. 149. I have been extremely occupied since your visit, and with diffieulty find time to comply with your request, but now have pleasure in answering the inquiries made by you as far as I can.

l. Relative Birth-rate. City and Country in New South Wales:-Year. City. Country. ·

1893 33·3 33·6

1894 30·7 32·3

1895 29·0 32·1'

1896 27·4 29·4

1897 26·2 30•3'

1898 25·5 28·8

1899 25·7 28·3

1900 25·0 28·8

1901 25·6 28·7

1902 25·9 27·9

2. Decline in birth-rate in United Kingdom and other countries.

(See attached Statement, marked "A."]

l State.

33·5 31·8 31·0 28·7 ' 28·9

27·6 '27·3 27·4 27·6

27·2

3. Relationship between birth-rate and infantile death-rate. I have dealt with this before the Commission. (Vide Exhibit 119, and Questions 6652, 6713, 6854.) · ·

4. With respect to your invitation for an expression of my opinion as to the possibility of repression of the underlying causes of decline by of legislative action, I must confess that my feelings are pessimistic. 150. Figures all seem to point to race suicide, irrespective of nationality. Some nations at present do not point to pronounced tendencies, but I have every reason to conclude that they will not be long in

following the general tendency towards restriction of the birth-rates. The remedy, in my opinion, is not to be found in pe11al legislation beyond a certain point. Unless the moral.sentiment and be fully aroused there is no hope of amelioration. Ignorance of actual courae, and of the devastatmg result in health and -extreme danger to the individual, is responsible largely for continuance of practices which

undoubtedly exist. 161.

'i '

J/

J. R Trivett-continued,

i; fH oil. 51. J:f?he remedies which stand·out in salient relief as worthy of.adoption ar€l :--:-:-;:.

Inctileation of moral truths. This has always been, and always . will hEl, .th.e foupda..t'ipn .Q.eaith

:/' ' d h . , ·ap : appmess. '", , £p); J4du?&tio:l freely and openly as to lihe disastrous effects ·Mlowing 'Uipon J;tf.l'natural ,practices. The,: · ..•.. polic¥ of ignorance, and :0-f ihe repression of facts, is ma>t and

only where it is n;anifestly to p.revent undisg-uised :ti9:n ill pr

Hfh·'·' ' 1eadmg to the results of wh10h we are trea.trng. ·

Im:n ,$: lil compliance with your request· I am Pndosing copi0s of -diag:rall).s -.ttela;tin.g ;to-of .the State o£ New South . .

(b) Legitimate and illegitimate rates. (c) and lunacy-rate, New South Wales and New Zealand.

(d) Lunacy-rate for sexes. I am returning trh.e wrtes whioh yoq Jtft with rue .,on ,rou,r which are horrible

reading, but which undoubtedly must be studied and .regarded in the disposition of this vitally important s;Q-bjeot. YoJ;J:rs

' J'Gfi'N Jt !J'B-IrETT:, :

0'. h Beale, Esq., Royal Commissiom>r on the Decline of the Birth-rate, ':· ; Sydney.

I ,r .. esp .. rctful!.Y sugg. est £?at paragraph. No: 4 a,J}d (.b) .... lfl.dW .. b.J carried.· $lCLt ibf •Jibe lll!lltil hJ . There 1S no mherent between a.nd .

Germany

Norway

Scotland , ..

New South

Sweden

Italy ...

New Zealand ....

Victoria

Ireland

England

TOWNS,

Hamburg

Edinburgh

Berlin ...

Dublin

Lon

.Pads ..•..••

.Melbourne

A..

152. AorrJJAl- Qol'ree.te

1

••jJo

188:0-·L

40·8

4.0·,!,

40·1

39·3

39·0

38·9

38·8

3{Hi

36·9

3.5·0

3.5·0

JHhl

32·2

23·3

.I I

!9€tl-4,.

S'H)

35-3

3i-8

33·4

38·5

26·5

.3€}·.2

33·7

.35·-t

.26·8

16·6

2\1·:1

23·9

.21

6

15

l

l5

32

;(j

9

19

25

18

,20

34

10.(incJ·ca. oe}

17

28

47

J. B. Trivett---continiteCl;

153. BmTns per 1,000 mJ.rrie1 women in age gmups for New Hampshire, United States.

Native Whites ... ... ... ...1

1

308

Foreign Whites, largely French Canadians... 378

224 :1;5'·1\ 44

370 2'gg;

, .. .,

)'2'32 128

I

liH. Swedish standard birth-rate, 1891 =:: lOJ. w.ith

above standard :-England, 78·2; New South Wales, j; .

Blackburn

Burnley ...

;,;;

London

Derby

C!trdilf

CouNTIES-Lancllshh,J

Yorkshire

Norfolk ...

Middlesex

Derbyshire

Glamorgan

Warwick.· .•

.. -.,·

.. ..

... 1

.-., I.

ISS!r

95·7

93'-8

89'·@

8'3'·4

9-Q/p

88·6

!)3'·2

914

1908.

65 0

63·7

85·0

56·3

76·1

'14 3.

68·4

------·-----------

92''4 77·2

89·8 74·9

92·9 77·0

96·6 78·4

94 8 800

98·5 88·5

94·0 78·7

115

.:r .""

Country.

South Australia ... ... ... ... . ..

Victoria ... , . ... . .. ... . ..

New South Wales ... ... ... ...

Queensland ... . .. ... . ..

Western Australia ... ... ... ...

New Zealand ... ... . .. . .. ...

Tasmania ... ... . .. . .. ... ...

Italy ... ... ... . .. ... . ..

England .. ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... . .. ...

Portugal ... .. ... ; ... ' ··:t ..... · .

Scotland ... . .. ... . .. ... . ..

Sweden ... . .. . .. ... ... ...

Empire ... ... . .. ...

Belgium ... ... ... ... ... ...

France ... ... . .. !•• ...

Austria ... .. , ... ...

Ireland ... . .. , .. ...

156. BIRTHS-RATES PER 1,000 OF PoPULATION-CouNTRIES OF THE WoRLD.

Reduction per cent. in 10 years in Rate.

-- Rates,

1891. I 1900.

Reduction %·

I I I l

I I I I I

t

I I I

... ... 33·9 25·8

I I ... . .. 33·6 25·8

27·4

I l ... .. . 34·6

I I ... . .. 36·4. 30·2

!

I . .. ... 356 30·7

29·0 25·6 I ...

28·2 I I ... . .. 31·9

37·2 33·0 i I ... . .. , I

I • ... ... 31·4 28·7

39·6 <

I

... ... 42·6

31·7 ?O·O

I ... . ..

... ... 31-2 29·6

... . .. 28·3 27·1

. .. . .. 37·0 35·6

... ... 30·0 28·9

-··· ... 22·6 21·9

... 38·1 37·4

- .,. t 23·1 22·7 - I I I I I I I I 1 ' I 0 " 10

I

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I

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t

00

Diagrd'Jll·N97. <£xntbtt. N96.>

RAT£ PER 1000 50

97267

40

30

20 1880 2 3 4 6 6 7 8

BIRTH RATES.

- N

9 1890 2 3 4

PHOT0-1..\THOG'RA?HED BY W. A., GULLICK, GOVERNMENT PRlNTl!R, SYDNEY. N.S.W.

5 6 7 8 9 1900

COUNTRY

METROPOLIS

2

1--1 1--1 ""!

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jl

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158

Exhibit No. 161. ( J7ide par 68'".)

NOTES.

• ·. 15 February, lOOt

It will be _apparent that the birth-ra.te of New South Wales has fa.llen continuously aince 1884, and in a very pronounced manner from 1889. -The lunacy rat.> for the same State may be regarded as having been practically constant, up to tl)e year 1893, and from that year has risen, until at the present time the rate is the highest on record. Renee we may remark that the

lunacy advance comes about four yeara after the birth decline. In New Zealand the birth-rate has fallen with very slight exception continuously since 1878, and the lunacy rate baa bad an upward character for all the years of which we have record, i.e., extending back to 1874. The fall in the birth-rate a.nd the rise in the lunacy rate .have been of greater intensity in New Zealand than in New South Wales, having proceeded from higher and lower values to lower and higher values in the respective functions than baa been the case in New South Wales.

There can be no doubt that there is a movement in the lunacy rate which is responsive to the decline in the birth­ rate, and it has been much more accelitur.ted (in both phenomena necenarily the one being an apparent function of the other) in New Zealand than in New South

1'· 0 40

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· Jo

2·S 2S'

2·0 20

97267

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1870 t87S 1880 1885 1890 189S 1900

K. B. 1JlAclc, rq:J,.uen;t :J{S.W: raLU ..Dotted tiD do ff. z. tL,

_ ,. ... -·.

' 49

Another-. Letter-from ·Mr: ·J. B. Trivett. - Registry of Friendly Societies aild Trade Unions, Dear Mr. Beale, 36, Young-street, Sydney, 5 March, 1907. . . 159. In reply to the questions propounded by you, I beg to reply as follows:- .· . _I. (Q.) As advancing age lessens- the probable and actual births from the mothers of 1886 ; onward, and as there are fewer young women to take their places, can ordinates and be found to ,, display the curve which may be styled the "involved decline " 1 , (A.) Such a curve can be found but will require a compl P.te study of the several functions involyed ,_ and a lengthy discussion . . •-· . 2. (Q.) As there are few er young to keep down the average of age, must n.ot tbe death-rate-taking .. hygiene at its present standard-per 1,000 of the population t end to rise 'vhilst the birth-rate, brcause of facts as stated in Question 1, will tend t o fall 1 May we not expect a like position'-the factors continuing that of Providence; R.Il., where the death-rate of the native-born is one third higher ·than the b1rth-rate '(A.) The death rate will undoubtedly tend to rise (l1ygiPne being constant) and the birth-rate will falL Consequently, we may rightly expect the death-rate, in course of time, to exceed the birth-rate, and only a matter of length of time as to ultimate extinction as a race. / · 3. Statistical only. , 4. Already treated in evidence before Birth-rate Commission. · 5. Stated gmerally the question of t.h e decline of ·the birth-rate is entirely comparative. A normal healthy birth-rate must lead to increase of ropulation, general prosperity being normal. . A restricted birth-rate must lead to a lessening of the incre!l3e of population. A restriction carried out to absolute barrenness will obviously lead to national death, and will entirely submerge all considerations of marriage­rates or death,rates. Tl:c 1·e!htctio ad absurdum argument is particularly striking in this discussion. Octavius C. Beale, Esq., Yom·s faithfully, Royal Commissioner respecting the use of drugs JOHN B. TRIVETT, ' . . ·. for certain purposes, . R egistrar. Trafalgar-sfreet, Annandale. . Correspondence with the Commonwealth Statistician. Royal Commission of Inquiry into 8ecrf'f Drugs, and L rgislation tlterron. My dear· Mr. Knibbs, Trafalgar-street, Annandale, 2 F ebruary, 1907. 160. In connection with the subject of racial decline, which forms necessai·ily a part of my report upon secret drugging, I brg to submit to . you tbe followin g ques tions. I am aware of the trouble and research that they involve, but inasmuch as a statement of the malefi cent influences may assist Parliament to devise measures for their removal, so a prognosis o£ the disease may guide the Legislature in hdping towards national recovery, if that be possible :-1. In Australasia the decline in Anglo-Saxon racial product:on is such that an increase in births of one-half in general, and about two-thirds in some provinces, would be required to return to our former vitality. Taking the whole population of each State of the Commonwealth, and assuming that the practice of intentional re>striction by artificial prevention. and homicide (or freticide), together with the physical sequelre of these, does not spread, "hat is the involved decline by tl1e augmenting disadvantage of more unfavourable age-constitution 1 Otherwise stated, as advancing age lessens the probable and actual births from the mothers of yeat· 1886 onwards, and as there are fewer young women to take .. their pla.ces, can you find ordinates and abscissre to display the curve which I have called the involved _decline 1 2. As there are fewer young to keep down the average of age, must not the death-rate-taking hygiene at its present standard-per 1,000 of the population tend t o rise whilst the birth-rate, Lecause of facts, as stated in Question l, will tend to fall7 May expect a lrke position-the factors continuing as at present-to that .of Providence, Rhode Island, where the death-rate of the native-born is one-third higher than the birth"rate 3. Can you supply separate figures of the six States showing the falling-off in the enrolment and .in the number of individual children attending the State schools for such years back as you may find to be illustrative 1 The sa.me, if practicable, for private schools. 4. Can you indicate which divisions of the population in the Commonwealth, cr in any of its States, are most affected by the decline of fertility, as the practices of prevention and of destruction of children are loosely called 1 It is plainly impossible to state them by what we denominate " classes " in socitty or by occupations. The New South Wales Royal Commission stated results taken from the classification by declared religious beli1 fs. In default of othPr points of view, the figures would be instructive. You will agree that no graver questions could occupy our minds or timP. We know what our disease is, we know its origin, we want to know its course, and in what parts of our organism, as a _ Commonwealth, it is most operative. History tells us of many cases, but where of recoveries 1 G. H. Knibbs, Esq., Commonwealth Statistician, The Rialto, Collins-street, Melbourne. *97267-G. Yours very truly, 0. C. BEALE, Commissioner. Royal 121

•' '·

Royal Commissio;z of Inquiry into ])rugs, and Legislation tlwreon.

Trafalgar-street, Annandale,

My dear Mr. Knibbs, 6 Febl'll3,ry,

161. If my questions ofthe 2nd inst:tnt have been clearly enough stated to he understood, I wish to add another, to be numbered 5, and to follow the others. ·

As a marked decline in the number of children attending schools is observed, which must ensue upon the fact of a l[ke decline in the number ofbirths six to sixteen years previously, will there not ensue a corresponding decline in the marriage-rate per thousand of the population, cmteris If sq, as the diminution of the birth-rate lowers the marriage-1·ate, the decline of the latter must lower the birth:rate still which, from the national standpoint is a circulus vitiosuB. Thus the involved decline­

unless counteracted-apparently involves an accelerated decline. H this conclusion be correct the phenomenon seen in part of Ontari(), of Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, and in parts of :France, where the death-rate has in a short time passed the and the same must be expected in parts, or in general, o£ Australasia.

Yours very truly,

G. H. Knibbs, Esq., Commonwealth Statistician,

0. 0, BEALE, Commi()Sionet\

"The Rialto/' Collins-street, Melbourne.

Department of Home Affairs,

(168-07.) Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Sta;tisMcs.

My dear Mr. Beale, :Melbourne, 8 February,- 1907.

162. In reply to your letters of the 2nd and 6th instant, I may say that you opeJt up 8: very wide field of investigation and one concerning which I find there is, at the present time, only a limited amount of information. However, as far as the resources of this Bureau admit, I shall be pleased to forward you all available material within "the course of the next few days.

Yours faithfully, G. H. KNIBBS,

Octavius C. Beale, Esq., Commonwealth Statistician,

Commissioner, l'ra.falgar-street,. Annandale, Sydney ..

·Department of Home Affairs, Commonwealth Bureau of_ Ct-nsus and Statisticia"',

1\:{y dea.r Mr. Beale, Meibpurne, 26 ]J'ebruary, 1907.

. 16.3, Regarding your letters of the 2nd and 6th instant, I thought it best to reply to your

inquiries seriatim.

l ... The total fall in .. ra,tt'$ rrow 1881 to 1906 has been as follows:-New South Wales •. , 37·90 to 27-10. perl,OOO. •.

Victoria •.• to 25·17 · ,

Queensland 37·2 to 26,6 ,.,

South Australia... 37·11 to 23·48 ,,

Western Australia ?3·67 to 3.0·34 ,,

Tasmania •.• 33·40 to 29·52 ,

There has, however, been in every case a gra(lual rise sinee t903, when the minimum W/lS reached. Apart from South Australia, where .the decrease is largely due to the emigration of O(}nsiderable numbers of ·the younger population to the other States, the fall is therefore, I find, not nearly so your letter would lead one perhaps to assume.

:1,64, 2. I may point cut that, during the same period, the death-rates have also fallen in each

New South Wales Victoria ...

Queensland South Australia ... Wes'e' n Aust.ralia Tasmania

.,;·.

13·82 to 9·94 per 1,000. 14-16 to 12·44 15·0 to !3·6

to 10·32

13 80 to 12·02 14·77 to 11 ·13

"

" ,, "

165. Since the difference between birth-rates and death-rates shows the ratio of natural increase, the fall during the twenty-five years is found to be as follows :-New South \Vales Victoria ...

Queensland South Australia ... Western Australia Ta8mania t•• .. ,,

24 ·08 to 17-16 per 1,000, 17·08 to 12·73 22·2 to 17·0

23·21 to 13·16 19·87 to 18·32 18·63 to 18·39

"

"

"

"

" lCG.

G. H. Knibbs-continued.

To show W.h:t£ the Commonwealth in comparison· with European countries,

lam addmg a table g1vmg b1rth and death rates and ratw of natural increase for the latest available years, a11d arranged. according to the value of the figures in the last column

Bulgaria ................................................................... ..

Russia ......... .............. _. ........... , .... , ...... , ........... _ ..

Servia .................................... , ....................... , ..... ..

N ............................................................. , .. ; .

· Commonwealth ................. ; ....... _ ........................... , .... ; ..

Roumania ........ " ......................................... .

Dentnark _ .. , ..................... .' ..... .' .................................... _.

Norway., ................................. , .. , ... "/ ..... , .................... ,

Getman Empire· ... , ..................... , ............................... ..

United Kingdom· ..................................................... .

Austria .................................................................. .

' . .•••• ••• .••.••••. ........... ·:::.:•.:·.······: .. 1

Portugal· ....................................................... .-............ [

Italy ..... , .................................................... .

France ._ ... ... 1 ... .......................................................... .

Blrth-rate.

41•9 49•0

.31·6 26·4. 4Q:O

28;7"

28·7 33·8 27 9 35 3

36·4 25·8 36·7 27'5

27•7 31·0 31•5

21·2

l Death--rate. !Ratio of Natural Increase. I 22·3 1"9·6

. 31·0 23·5 17'4

15·6 16·0

10•9 .15·5

24·6 ;·:--- 15'4

14·6 14•1

14•8 13·9

20·0 13·8

15·8 12•1

23·9 11·4

25 0 11·4

15·1 10·7

26·1 10•6

16 9 10·6

17-6 10'1

21•0 10·0

22·3 9.·2

19'3 "'' 1·9

The table shows that while the birth-rate of the Commonwealth is lower than that o:f any European country, Sweden and France excepted, its death-rate is so much lower than that of any country in the list that the combination of the rates lifts the Commonwealth to the fifth ra,nk. 167. New South Wa1es and Queensland, where the ratio was high in 1881, have now about reached

the level occupied by Victoria in the former year, while Victoria has further declined, but not to an ex:tent which might rea>onably give rise to alarm. South Australia, on the other hand, which in 1881 stood as high as New South ·wales and Queensland, has shown a more rapid decline, and standB now on practic!l>lly the same level as Victoria. In Western Australia and Tasmania there have been fluctuations

during the twent_y-fiye years, but the percentage of natural increase was in both States practically at the same level in 1906 as it had been in 1881. - Sufficient material is not available to discriminate between the native"born and other classes of the popula.tion; were such a comparison to be attempted it wonld, in any case, have to be restricted to

nlJ\ttiea women of child·bea:tilig ages. A distinction between Anglo-Saxon and foreign reproduction, on Australian data, mu'

of child-bearing ages belonging to any other than Anglo-Saxon races. .

a. A tahTe is forwarded hetewith, from which von will see that there is no ·falling·ofl' such as would eonneet it with the matter with which you are dealing. Slight decreases have from time to time occurred; in :lUo:St th:Jse were due to practical exclusion of very small children from State scho::>ls. 168, 4. So far as statistical information is concerned, I am afraid th'!.t no comparison such as that

indiQa.ted is po&"!tble. lf it be- ase.umed that some particular denomination discourages artificial prevention more strongly than others, I may mention that a cert:1in p:1rt of the United Kingdom has a much lower birth-t•ate than the other divisions theretl'f; and I fear that an argument founded upon denominational attitude to the question would Le difficult to maintain, when all the facts were under review.

169. 5. So far, nothing a,pproaching a permanent decline in the marriage-rate is really observable. There have been fluctuations during the twenty-f-ive years, but these have been due to the usual causes viz., the number of unm:trrie l males of marriageable ages, and in a se(;ondary degree to the general state of prosperity (or otherwise) of the community.

I may add that my impression, after a careful review of the whole question, is that the statistical evidence ia not M gt•ave as I was disposed to think. _

I send you a rough diagram, which may help you. '\Vill you very kindly return it as soon as you can con-veniently do so, except it be of permanent service to you, when you are of course welcome to it. Yours very truly, • G. H. KNIBBS,

Octavius C. Beale, Esq., Commonwealth Statistician •

.Royal Commissioner respecting the use of drugs for certain purposes, Trafalgar-street, Annandale.

170. The comparison made by Mr. Knibbs may easily be delusive in more Wit's than one. Australia is a new country peopled during fifty years by immigrants who came in the prime of life with young families. Those young families, and their children, in due time married young and were prolific, until of late years. Thus, the o}der arrivals dying off, the average age of the population is younger than that of

.._- · the

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the :European countries brought into the comparison. At a death-rate of 10 per 1,000 as in Australia and New Zealand, if it were constant the people would live to l>e centenarians on an average. Wherefore it will not be constant and must rise. The ratios of increase by birth are in reality much better in most of the countries

compared with, for they are on a normal standard for the reckoning. It is not intended to imply that the Statistician is seeking thus to minimise the trouble.

171 . . With favourable an age-constitution of the population to

be a large and constant increase of children in schools, to become, later, parents them­ selves. But they were not born, and so there is the loss of the normal increase of attendances-more than that, an actual decrease. The decrease of 1J.,OOO will be followed by further decreases. Even in France there is only a doubtful decrease in school attendances, possibly due to the fact of more comprehensive truancy super­ vision. But in both countries decrease is assured on past and present figures of ·birth. A reference to the ratio of natural increase (difference between births and

deaths) of the foreign-born in the United States ·will alone show, by compadson, how great is our cause for apprehension.

172. If by an epidemic there were a loss of 40,000 in ·a year (say -10 per J,OOO ofpopulation) it would be "an extent which might reasonably gire rise to alarm." .But there is such an epidemic, which operates before birth and to about that extent. And whereas a physical disease might be combated and conquered, no remedy has been found, if sought for, to correct the recent and portentous change called " limitation of families." That change bas been shown to be the result cf inculcation, and how much further the cause of the epidemic will operate no one can tell. And the President of the United States agreed with the suggestion that the subject of "race suicide," ' 1 social felo-de-se" -" racial decline " as it may best be called-is aboveand beyond all others in importance that can occupy the human mind. It demands, of all things national, close and continuous investigation. It is an inverted, carcinomatous growth that proceeds beneath the surface.

173. AvERAGE Attendance at State Schools.

Year.

New South Victoria. Queensland. South Western Tasmania. Common- Wales. Australia . .Australia. wealth .

1896

.. ·I

142,192 ] 38,241 54,316

I

40,449 6,470 11,508 393,176

1897 ... 148,381 140,593 59,748 42,193 8,976 12,022 411,913

1898 ". 141;723 134,976 58,296

r

39,102 10,915 12,0115 397,027

1899 ". 149,439 143,844 63,133 1':).228 12,465 13,105 424,214

1900 ". 153,845 147,020 69,285 ltT4 14,663 14,001 441,924

1901 ". 15

1902 ' " 155,916 150,268 72,809 43,500 18,H8 14,541 455,482

1903 ... 154,382 145,500 69,759 42,752 20,283 13,863 446,539

1901 ". . 153,260 143,362 68,661 42,234 22,111 14,321 443,949

1905 ". 151,033 142,216 68,780 41,807 23,703 14,123 441,662

An:RAGE Attendance at Private Schools.

Year. New South

I Victoria. Queensland. South Western Tasmania.

I Common-Wales, .Australia. .Australia. wealth.• I 1896 ... 1 43,069 33,635 11,209 9,981 3,074 ......... 100,968 1897 ... 44,915 34,319 11,451 9,878 3,612 ········· 104,175 1898 ... 45,354 35,141 11,044 10,350 4,479 ......... 106,368 18.99 ... 47,560 39,083 22,118 10,120 4,359 ········· 113,240 1900 . " 47,816 38,786 12,376 11,338 4,248 ········· 114,564 1901 ... 48,137 34,546 12,773 10,268 4,645 ......... 110,369 1902 ". 47,195 36,520 13,728 9,393 4,922 ········· 111,758 1903 ... 46,982 36,061 13,359 9J330 5,618 ......... 111,350 190! ... 46,667 36,748 13,132 10,255 5,824 ········· 112,626 1905 ... 47,680 34,411 12,649 9,436 6,128 110,304 • Exclusive of returns from Tasmania. 174.

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I I

53

176. A. Comparison of Vital Stcdistics of some towns in Great Britain, Ge1•man!f, and Anu1·icct. ·

(Extracted from Shadwell's "Industrial Efficiency.")

I Births Deaths Excess I Deaths undet· Town. Population, I year per 1,000. per 1,000. of Births. I per 1,000 born I Bolton ... ... .. . ... .. .\ 168,748 27·5 18·2 9·3 172

Oldham ... .. . ... . .. I 137,413 24·6 19·6 50 173 ... Blackburn . ... ... . .. .. . I 127,719 26·5 19 5 70 193

Blackburn { 1883--1886 ... ... ) ········· 37 4 ....... .. .. ... .... 166·2

1898·-1901 ... ... ········· 28·3 .. ... .. .. . ...... .. 202·7

Bradford ... ... . .. ... .. . 280,161 23·06 16 7 6·3 168

Sheffield ... . 382,334 33 ·0 20·4 12 6 202 ... ... . .. . .. W olverhampton ... ... ... . ... 94,487 31 9 16 7 15 2 162

Walsa.ll ... ... ... .. . .. 86,430 31-19 17·59 16·6 174

Willenhall ... .· .. ... . .. 18,515 35·4 20 4 15·0 211

Bilston ... ... ... ... .. . 24,034 36·5 20 ·7 15 8 221

Wednesbury ... ... .. . .. . 26,554 33·0 145 18·5

I

156

Tipt"n ... ... ... ... . .. 30,543 37·8 15·5 22·3 144

Dusseld••rf ... ... .. . . .. 21 8,112 38·0 18·7 19 ·3 206

Essen ... ... .. . ... . .. 187,385 46·1 20 ·7 25·4 165

Elberfeld ... . .. ... .. . 159,023 34·0 17 ·0 17·0 . 165

Ba.rmen ... ... . .. .. . .. . 14 3, 688 33·2 16 ·3 16·9 158

Crefeld ... ... ... .. . ... 107,762 28·8 15 ·7 ] 3·1 177

Munchen-Gladbach ... .. . . .. 58,532 39 ·4 18·7 20·7 206

Solingen .. .. ... .... .. . 45,775 34·5 17·9 I 16·6 170

Aachen ... ... ... . .. .. . 136, :! 75 34·6 20· 2 1-!·4 214

Dortmund .. . ... ... ... 146, 408 43·0 19 9 23·1 190

Oberhausen ... ... ... .. . 43,547 50·2 20·7 29·5 221

Leipzig ... ... ... . .. .. . 462,675 33·0 18·6 14·4 236

Dresden : .. ... ... ... .. . 404,773 32·2 17·8 14•4 190

Chemnitz ... ... ... . .. 210,004 39·5 23·8 15·7 . 331

Zittau ... ... ... ... .. . 31,247 25 ·5 17·4 8·1 196

Freiberg ... ... ... ... . .. 30,279 26·6 19·3 7·3 220

Glauchau ... ... ... ... .. . 25,766 30·1 22·9 7·2 333

Reichenbach ... ... ... .. . 24,509 37·7 23 3 14·4 I 333

Meerane ... ... ... . .. 23,941 39·1 23·9 15·2 306

Fall River ... ... ... .. . 107,000 37 ·8 20·1 17·7 185

Lowell ... ... . .. ... . .. 94,969 29·4 21·5 7·9 195

Lawrence ... ... ... .. . 65,000 29 ·1 17·2 ll·9 184

New Bedford ... ... ... 66,000 37·35 17·20 20·15 149

Worcester, U.S.A. ... ... . .. 121,064 27·03 16 ·50 10·53 128

Providence ... ... .. . ... 178,000 26·38 19·35 7·03 152

. '

125

): ..

l . .,, r : 1 .,

;;•· -------------------­ 1:

54

,. )?:xtracts from th'3 Report of the New .South Wales. Royal Conuniss1on upon the Decline· of the Birth .. rate. * · · Inferenee from Statistics. 17!3. (69.) The inference we draw from the statistical evidence is that the main factor in producing -the decline of birth-rate in New South Wales. is one whicl1 is independent

i. variation in the age-constitution of the population ; ii. variation in the age-constitution of the women of cor.coptivc ag•'l ;. iii. physiological tendency towards lessened fertility; iv. variation in marriagerate; ·

v. of husbands or d wives;

>i. all other natural causes;

and is a force oi'er which indi dduals them, elves have control.

V.-TnE hnmDIATE CAUSES oF T!IE DECLINE OF TnE BIRTH-RATE. 177.; (70.) Having been led, by a ca-r:eful consideration of the Statistics, to the conclusion that the Muse or causes ·of the· Decline of the Birth-rate must be a force or forces over which the people themsel WJs have control, we proceeded to examine many prominent gynrecologists, obstetricians, and physicians, "ith a view. to ascertain, if possible, the nature of these forces.

· 178. (71.) There is a remarkable unanimity of opinion among the medical men, are perhaps better able to judge than any other persons in a community, that deliberate interference witl! the funetion of procreation has, during recent years, become extremely common. We learn alsO> frotn their evidence, that the means used to effect the end desired are both deleterious to general health ·in numerous instances, and frequently bring about such temporary and (lven permanent disability of the reproductive organs of women as creates forms of Pathological sterility. They also tell us of the grel}t and growing frequency of the· occurrence of induced miscarriages and of the terrible destruction ·or reproductive capacity and wreckage of health and life which ensue.

· 179. (72.) The conclusions which we draw from the evidPnce on this branch of our subject are inevitable, namely, that there isa diminution in fecundity and fertility in. recent years, which is due t.o :.= (a) deliberate prevention of conception, and destrudion of embryonic life; (b) pathological causes consequent upon the means used and th practices involved therdr;.

180. (73.) From the evidence of the medical witnesses, police officers, and others, we are led to the conclusion that :-(a) The practice of preYenting conception by artiiicial means is common among all classes or rhe community and in all parts of the State;

(b) this practice has greatly increased during the. hst ii£tcen years; and (c) the extenfion of the deliberate and intentional avoidance of procreation by means nst;d fo prevent conception is a main factor in producing the decline in birth-rate which we have ascertained to have taken place in New South Wdes since the year 1888. ·

(d) Induced miscarriage is frequent in the married as well as in the unmarried, though not to the sa, me extent in all classes ; (e) it has become more common in recmt years) and (f) its increase is sufficiently apparent to justify its being tPgarded as a well-defined ia;etor in

producing the decline in the birth-rate. (H.) There is no evidence of any increase of physiological strrility in women in New South Wil-les, . : 181. (75.) .The given by the medical witnesses, in regard to the prevalenoe Q!

inhibiting reproduction, is amply supported by the result of our inquiry into the importation, the manufacture. and the distribution of drugs and appliances accessory to the practices referred tt. 1S2. (76.) The returns made from time to time during the continuance o2 the Conm:rission hy the officers of tJ:e Federal Department of 'l'rade and Cusicms in Sydmy, of the kinds and numler of ir,troducfd from other countries, appear in Exhibits Nos. 72, 76, 83,131, and 160, and fhow a considerable importation. There is no prohibition of the introduction the goods are of such a charactffr aR to

come witbin the meaning given by the Department to the words" indecent and obscene," used in the Cug!oms Act., I Edw. VII No.6, sec. 52; but at on<> time, for a pericd prior to 1891, certain rubber goods referred to in the returns were stopped at the New South Wales Custom House. rubber goods a.re reputed to be part of tho usual of ret[\il druggists, but their sale is not confined to druggiiits.

·' 183. (77.) There are other articles used for preventing conception which have also for many yeats been reguh>rly btocked by druggists (wi' h the exception of a few who have, on principle, declined to participate in the trade); and we h:we it on good authority that the demand for them has been steady for ten or fifteen years; whi!e there are certain other articles, of more recent introduction, the sale of which has increased enormously in the last few years; Some· of the articles referred to are manufactured by

wholesale and retail drnggists, both in Sydney and in the country, with whom this branch of business h!ts evidently, in recent years, become lucrative. 184. Since the year 190 t the importation of anti-conceptional articles has fallen off to practically nothing, unless indeed there be smuggling of the things. The

Comptroller-General of Customs has supplied me with a list which indicates a cessation of oversea trr.do jn them. But I am informed by pharmacists that 1he effect of ihe prohibition is tbat the forbidden are made in the several States, and that there are no grounds for believing that the traffic is less than before. And there is ewry reason to belie'Ye that State prohibition by express statutory provision Wf?uld have a deterrent effect-legally and morally. 185 •

. " In the preparation of this portion of t'he Report of the New South ·wales Royal Commiesioners your Commissicnel;' tOOK no part.

.. · ?

. . 185, (78.) Thwe is ample {lviclence also that both the demaid fqr, and the supply or, a.borti'boients; is very . . .. · · . . , . .. . .

(79.) Consideration ofthe evidence given hetore mleaves no room for doubt that· the trade hr materials \lSed for the prevention of conception and the destruction of footallife has beeome not·merely of groa,t volume, but also of wide·spreatl extent, seeing that, in addition to the trade carried on by druggists and others, these articles arc carried from house to house by hawkers, and by women'(some

of whom a dress resembling that of a nurse), who find their way into the homes of the· people· on variouspretexts for the purpose of trading in these "preventive'S,'' or abClrtifacients. :< 186. (80.) We :hav?_' received .ample evidence to satisfy us that the number of wives, nurses, lying-in-home keepera, aild others, including some few medical practition6ts7 plylng ol.a,bor·tionists, is not only large, buHs inertming ; an1 l'that tb.ey ()J.rry on this busine.3s

witll .. ow.ingJo in.h.erent ·. difficulty of ol)tainin.g QV'idence for ,

tml'!V!qtic;ul.· .. _ .. ... .. . . .. . .

, , t&f ',Fhe free:l.om with whl.chAhose who pander to the demand for facilities --to .avoid.{ their ·Qr tMi.r skill is evldence:l by the fa,et that 237 .advertjsel;fients·· .. of

1bis ni.\ture, t03 advertis.e.ments regarding t!l.e cure of " nervous debility, &e.," and 10!) other adver­ tisements, all' in regard to their patent or latent indecency, were oolleeted from

a· $ingle recent issue oi 141 of.tlie ne\\rspapers published in this State. In this no acco.unt 'is taken of th.e nuJJ:l.\;!er ()f of nursing-homes and nurses (6 3), concerning many of whom we have they (ire engaged in criminal practices . . The freedom allowed.in the dtssemina­

til)ii of in(()i:mation regarding preventives, abortifacients, and abortionists, is also shown by the lea1lets, pamphlets, and books which are trammiitted through the post office or openly dis­

to

beE)n. undertaken.froin time :to tirne, with the result that, since it was passed, the

.we have referred to has been mtrch altered, the number has been

m•1ch :reduc'ed; and meaning; though still plainly to be inferred by those to whom it is intended to a,I_>p,eal, ha13 been sufficiently .veiled tO escape the law., . '

VI.-';l'HE D!!:SIHE TO RESTRICT FERTILITY. .

.. · ... lSS. (82. ). desire to keep fertility within such limits as each one for himself reasonable

hasgenerally a decacJent state of It must not be assumed to have had

o.righl irt for contrary is thoroughly well established by history ; nor is it, in

modern · times, peculiar to . the State into wb,ose social condition, in respect of · population, it has been O.\l.r special duty to inquire. Though we have found that the free play given to this des;ire has been th.e main factor in the decline of birth-rate in New South Wales, it must be borne in mind that in the including Ifrai).ce, and the United States, where a decline of natural increase

due to scarcity .of _births has been studied, . the promin.encc of the same factor has been recognised. · 189. (83.) Witnesses. one after a11other, in the comse of this Inquiry, have testified to the exercise of this desire .; they have also referred to the readiness, and even spontaneity, of married people of admitting a deliberate restriction in the n11;mber of their children by recourse to artificial checks.· In addition to this, we recognise that there may be a certain number of instances in the restraint of na,tural

impulse effective in marriage as well as in postponing marriage. The reason ahrtost invariably given by people for restricting. procreation is that they cannot converiientlJaffbrd to rear more than a certain · numqer of children. some insbm()es we believe the people are sincere in stating this as their reason ; 9.11d that they honestly, though mistakenly, believe want of adequate means to be a sufficient justification

for i11terferen9e with the course of nature . . The witne>ses tllemselves, however, sugge3t that, in the n;u1jorit5' of cases, this is not the true reasi>ri. ; they say that there a,re- ··

i. An l,m)Villin,gness to submit to tlfe strain and worry 9f ii. A of the interference with pleasure and comfort involved in child-bearing and child.rearing; iii. .. Adt)sire. to avoid the actual phyai.cal_discomfort of gestation, parturition, and lactation ; and iv: A love of luxury and of social pleasures, which is incroosing. .

.19.Q •. (84.) It will be seeri. that the reaso;ns given for resorting to limitation have one element in com,tn.On; namely, selfishness. They are, in fact, indicative of the desire of the individual to avoid his obliga­ tio!ls to (he coin,nmnity ; and they serve to exemplify the observation that " the effort of the race towards its increase in numbers is 1n inverse ratio tG the effort of the individual towards his personal development."

They are the same kind of reasons as might be expected to be given in :my community where the phenomenon of the Yoluntary limitation of the size of families is observed. 191. (85.) The question,' however, has presented itself to us why, during the last twenty yearsor so, the avoidance ofprocreation iu New South "vV:iles should have become so prevalent as to materially reduce

the birth-rat". The answer seems to us to be, not so much that the future pro:.pects for the rising generation are. unfavourable, as some have suggested; but that the restraints, which previously operated against . the de'3ire.to regulate the size of families, have lately been either weakened or remo ved . Thew restraints, we consider, have been mainly of two kinds: first, religious feeling, which, we think, formerly

actuated a larger proportion of the people; and, second, ignorance of the means of accomplishing the desire. In regard to the latter we see that, during the last quarter of the nineteenth century, a w11ve of· popular feeling oYer a great part of. the civilised world favourable to the individual control of the size. of families; and with it there has been a general diffusion of the knowledge of methods by which

restriction mjght be. accomplished which previously was wanting.. The history of this movement is matter of common knowledge. Despite Malthus' repudiation, early in the century, of artificial checks t) the growth. of population, these checks soon had their advocates; and towards the end of the third of the century, a prominent school of writers on social subjects arose, with Charles Bradlaugh

and Annie ·Besant as its ehiet.e.xponents, wM thought they saw in the limitation ol families a means of aJieviating the burdens of Since then the followers of this school have ava!!ed themselves, ln

. I

i .,

,, .,,

56

in times and places of prosperity and plenty, of the instructions intended by the N eo- Malthusians only for the very poor, with the result that marria.ge-rate:> and birth-rates have diverged in many parts of the world. This propaganda of limitation of families was followed by a traffic in the materials used ·for the purpose of prevention, which, in its turn, has encouraged the popular tendency, and brought facilities for prevention within the knowledge and reach of a very large proportion of the community. In due course, these doctrines and this branch of commerce established themselves in

Australia, and their introduction and extension have been concomitant with the commencement and acceleration of the decline of the birth-rate which has attracted our attention.

VJI.-THE EFFECTS OF THE RESTRICTION OF CHILD-BEARING ON THE WELL-BEING OF THE COMMUNITY.

192. (88.) In the course of our inquiry we have been much struck with the emphasis with which learned writers, whose works have been studied, and medical and other witnesses, have referred to the very serious injurious effects on the health of women which are the results of the practice of tl!e prevention of conception. The following are some of the quotations from their evidence:-

(i) Dr. C. W. Morgan, a medical practitioner of wide experience in many parts of New South Wales, regards the practice of prevention as very deleterious in its effects on the nervous syst-em of women, even to the extent of leading to insanity. (Qs. 1075-1076.) (ii) Dr. S. H. McCulloch, Honorary Surgeon to t! e Women's Hospital, Sydney, and Examiner in

Midwifery to the Sydney University, stated that women who practise prevention so injure them­ selveo;; as to render it difficult for them to conceive afterwards when they mlly desire it; the practice may also induce cJnditions which may lead to septic inflammations of the womb, 11nd of the other organs of generation; and that the£e septic diseases ca.use sterility. (Qs. 2516, 2520, 2486-2494, 2558-2564.) He also stated that during recent yeats the number of womr·n who became invalids because of diseases of the reproductive organs is larger than pre,·iou.

there has been an increase during recent years in the number of women suffering from serious destructive diseases of the organs essential to generation (Qs. 2656-2661), and that the prevention of conception has taken an important part in causing this increase. (Q. 2687.) Speaking of one method practised, he said it would "cause irritations and congestions

and disturbances of the circulation in the organs ; and often, as welJ, would lead to the introduction of microbes, and cause septic diseases and inflammations... tQ. 2696.) Of another method (which the evidence leads us to believe is the one most commonly practised) he said it was "likely to produce affections of the nervous system." (Q. 2698.) (iv) Dr. Ralph Worrall, who has been for many years connected with the Women's Department of

the Sydney Hospital as Honorary Surgeon, not only associates hysteria and nervous diseases with these practices, but refers to the possible liability to new growths resulting from the chronic congestion which they produce. (Qs. 2934-2969.) (v) Dr. E. T. Thring, who has a similar experience of the Gynrecological Department at the Prince

Alfred Hospital, confirms what other witnesses have said about the assoc;ation of prevention with nervous ailments in women. (Q. 3077.) (vi) Dr. R. Scot-Skirving, Physician to the Prince Alfred Hospital and Surgeon to St. Vincent's Hospital, connects neuroticism in both men and women with these practices, and attributes an

increase in such functional nerve disorders to the greater prevalence of the practices. (Qs. 3154-315-9, 3161.) .

(vii) Dr. W. J. S. McKay (Hon. Surgeon, Lewisham Hospital for Women) holds similar views. (Q. 3313.) (viii) Dr. John Harris, Government Medial Officer at Newcastle, a practitioner of wide experiencP, snys that it leads to uterine disease, especially endometritis, which, he considers, is much more

common than formerly. (Q,. 3854.) He adds, also, that another effect of this practice is to make women look old. (Q. 3880.) (ix) Dr. Chisholm Ross experience as an alienist justitles the assertion that the mental stability of women is affected by the continual practice of methods for the prevention of conception

(Q. 3951), and he regards it as a factor in the causation of some cases of insanity (Q. 3954), and a cause of mental deterioration. He recalls cases of insanity whose curability was affected by the fact that they had habitually practised prevention (Q. 3998). He recognises the prevalence of neurasthenia, and regards it as opposed to reproduction, and a very likely consequence of meddling with the natural functions (Qs. 3989-3991). 193. (89.) It will be seen that, in the opinion of several of the expert medical witnesses whose evidence we have quoted, the continued practice of certain methods of prevention is at times associated, to a certain degree, with neurasthenia, and occasionally with mental instability in its graver forms ; and that neurasthenia has become much more frequent in recent ye.ars than previously. Having this before us we caused inquiry to be made into the statistics of insanity between the years 1870 and 1900, and the result of the investigation will be found in Exhibit No. 161, a diagram prepared by Mr. Trivett. In this

remarkable diagram the birth and insanity rates for New South Wales and New Zealand are compared ; and it will be observed that :-(a) In New South Wales-(z) there was a continuous slight decline of birth-rate between 1884 and 1889, when a further

sudden d(i!cline of a very pronounced character, which has continued to the present time, became apparent; · (u) the insanity rate (the rate per 1,000 of population who have been legally certified to be insane) was practically constant up to 1893, and since then has been continuously rising; . (m) the rise in the insanity rate did not commence until some four years after the decline in the

birth-rate had become strikingly evident.

(b)

('b) In New ·,· <

(1) has fallen ilmost sinee-1878;'

(u) the insanity rate has a 'slight btit unif.o;mly upwar-d 't(;n,ileii(!y tS'14-; a:D:cfthia heca111e prorH>UJ;lced in 1878 ;

(1n) the .J>ronounced to. increase i;;he J:?ame year as t}le

in the hil'tli-tate 'began. · ·

Qn co.mp:a,riRg New Zeala.nd. with New S!Juth Wales, it that l.l>otb. the fall in the a.o.d -the riJ>e in the Ul:san,it;y :vate have ibeelil.0f grea.ter iu New than .in New

:(91.) Prltfesso-r T. A. !mmett, LL.D., in his Plincipi1ls ·and Practice Qj

a:s:'ks, '" t:an 'any one, t'() treating t_he diseases of women, say bl· l$

that we ean see o,D. aay 4ay ln.ore and misery _ trom. .of i)le

iJlalTied state tha;o. wou14 tn a ·Jru)atb from ttn®l)lptiea.te¢ ehitd..l)earmg? '' 'fh.e writiw of Dr-. Bergeret, '' Les Conjugates,'' and c0f others, ·amply bear out what our:loca.l ha.vo . to1d UB in rega-rd t() the physical eVils fm which the practice is r-esponsible. .(Exhibit N{). 14;'7.) I):r;:_ l{. 'S. -of Booton, in his book, ''The Ethics ()f Mani:age," deals with the whole m,orlJ,'l;

ii.nd medica! a:speets of wit}l modes,ty and mod:era;tion. This book is on:e which is oHhe Dllist perusal of -all. who have an honourable wis:h to und-erstan-d this subgect. "' This of evid.cnee amply proves 't!tat the of e.onceyti)l}n.

matter what method is adopted, is the cause of many dire evils:, far worse thari any bad conse.quenees ibat eoukl na.ti.\C&U.Y res-utt {Ntn 'lmal'in:g rearing of a fa.mil:Y• The nervous sy&tem is deranged; distvess >Of mind a.n'

rumed-; · and inAa:mmatory erga.ns. · F"OHowi:Q.g in the

train o.f theae there maY he temporary, or even p.er:manent, steriLity. Thus. as t'\oos.e who re,scort to limita:tion are seldom desirous of being abwlutely childless, bu,t d1laire to p.ostl»ne too tJ4filme:ilt oi their eoiljU.gal obligations £of a years, they often surprised to lind---i>n ceasin;g to . their conduct has res.ulted in to :Not only do

to iur the pwpose '(;>£ avoidi;ng conception result in physica.l evils, tl;ley are also

p:rod-b.etiv¢ o.f p!?.Jehical e:fieets h-« ;/t lea$ serious. Men and wom_ en who adopt, ;or submit to tl}.e a:doption oi, such p:r-actje.e$; Jl},u,st 1ose i.Ii aelf-respect and ia resp-ect for another-they mUst, indeed, th-eir ai:gheii:' instincts are d.ebase;d; ·. a.nd l-on,g continuanee of thes.e practices, in conjunction with

tb,eir spread l,>vila: -a large proportion of th,e co::rnll1un1ty, must r-esult in a: distinct d:egradation o£ loweri_ng of l]:Le znora1 standard .of tl:te people.

<93.j B:lld as are the of prevmUo,D. of con;ce:pi'io.n. stili worse is -de$truq..

tion; of Ute wJlicll t® procuring ol 'With'Out '(l;x-e-e;ption the me.di:CI.'J.

we h.,.a,ve .sta¥ its eff.ec.ts :a,re l)r. C. W. Dr. C.

:MacLa.win Vi,siting Sargoon> J;>rince 1\lfreq l{Qapit@l), Dr. S. H. l\'IcCull'Geh, Dr. W.ll:tson• R. Worrall, Dr. R T. Thring, }X. R. Seot-Sltirving, Dr. G. ArD;ll!trong (Honor-ary Surgeon,

Dr. W . .J. S. Dr. {Honorary Surgeou,

lJo.spitat Dr. Rtis.sell Phy&iciu, th..e Women's .Haspital}, Sir

Graham, Knt. (Honorary Surgeon to the Benevolent &ci.ety a_ nd tcy the Womea's Hos-pi.tal, in 'Midwifery, University of Sydney), Dr. G. H. Taylor (Government Medical O$cer), .and Dr. John aU contributed testimony to .show the disastroucs results of seeking to avoid the birth

of ehiM_nin by artin-cial interf-eJ:en-ce with th:e nataral. pro-cess of gestation. '" · •• (94.) TheY tell1.1;s tb,a,t, in the e.ou.rse of their professional practice, they meet with very numerous casei!in which ailments and illnesses arising from inflammatory and septic diseas·e of the organs of in women are attributable to the results of miscarriage. They are evidently of opinion that, in a large

proportion of these cases, the miscarriage has not occurred f

One refeued to a -Chemist in tile eoantry as havilig t-bat he had

wom,en ¥D.4w weatment to their by mechanical means. Another said

\_bat oi miS£arriage was certainly common in the community. "Every

medie3l h>e "koows that a }Voman will come and say' I am in the family way;

I want to have an aborti.on procured.' ·' Well,' you say,' l can do nothing for you.' 'Oh, very well; l will g.Q else, where they will do it.' And they do, and you meet them a month or two

afterw.B.rds, RQ wnger pregnant." Another said that it might be surmised that, in about one-fourth of these cases, the miscarriage had been deliberately induced. Another estimated that in his practice at one hospital during the last five years he had been called 011 to treat about 150 women suffering from the effects of abortion.

(95.) It is implied tl;!.at the cases are very numerous in which the illness which accompanies or

l.'eBultli from roiscaiTiage doos not necessitate engaging the services of a medical practitioner ; and that in cases w.hich the treatment of the illness has been successful no manifest physical disability ensues.

the Qther ·there are soores of caaes, we are told, in which a little sepsis has been introduced ; and,

thougii the illness may not be severe at the time, the infection niay settle in the fallopian tube, ·creating prolonged a_ nd painful ill-health, from which relief may have to be sought in surgical operation. It would seem that Iilany p,arts of the pelvic viscera may become affected by the inflammatory or septic disease which Jniscarriage initiates.· Sometimes the disease may be confined to the lining membrane and the muscular llilbstance of the uterus; sometimes it may involve the less active tissues that surround this organ, causing

i.ts displacement or fixation, with or without abscess in these tissues ; sometimes it may focus itself in the fallopian tubes ;. sometimes it may spread to the peritoneum ; and sometimes it may be so virulent in its pOisonoas and infectious char&eter as to lead to septicremia tlmt may prove fatal.. These last cases are those to which ·one witness referred when he spoke of "the tragedies that come out in the newspape,rs/'

'*97267-H Then

129

f.'} i$. f'!

t1.

k •,]

h

··f

$j

Then we arc referred to the instances where, from the mere tact o! one orre ·miscarriages having occurred, there ensues an inability for the .natural process of .gestation to run its course, so that . spontan$Jously £\rises whenever conception takes place.

199. (96.) From these cases we fol1ow the witnesses to the consideration of the sterility, which, they tell us,. results so commonly from inflammatory or septic disease of the pelvic viscera. Miscarriage they all recognise as a potent cause of sterility. The illness of women, who complain that they are not able to bear children, is often found tohaye commenced with a mil}caniage .. Or there may be an incomplete miscarriage with subsequent putrefactive or septic disintegration of the embryonic structures remaining unexpelled. And in this, or in other ways, there may originate an infection and a consequent inflammation or suppuration of the tissues essential in t:qe process of ovulution or fertilisation; or the obliteration or distortion of both the fallopian tubes, or other structural disorganisation may occur, which child-bearing .impossible, and leads to months or years of physical suffering. There. are, we are told, a large number of women affected by septic disease of the reproductive organs ; a large number of

)lliscarriages in recent years; an increase in ·the number of cases admitted into the hospitals for operations necessitated by recent miscarriages; while in aU the there are never less than

four hundred " curettings" a year, the majority of which are done 'to remove the effects of The removal by surgical operation, of ovaries and of uterine appendages in which the disease has been originated by miscarriage, is of common occurrence. The experience of the older practitioners goes blck to a time when septic conditions of pelvic viscera of women in the country, where such now • Of common occurrence, were rarely met with.

200. (97.) In connection with the great increase in the procuring ot miscarriage which has observed, it is a very significant fact that the proportion of deaths of women in child-birth

i.:tcreased, in the period 1890-1902, by 50 per cent. on the rate for 1881-1890 (Q. 543.)

. 201. (98.) Diseased, or even septic, conditions of the reproductive organs 6f women have un-doubtedly become much commoner in recent years, and there is absolute unanimity among medical experts in ascribing the greater part of this increase to the deliberate and unnatural efforts of women, both married and unmarried, to obtain release from what they regard as an unwelcome encumbrance. .lt is a matter of frequent observation that many women's lives are wrecked by the numerous congestive, inflam­ matory, and suppurative diseases which affect their reproductive organs. There is no branch of medical oi' surgical science in which so much experience has been gained· during the last fifty years as that which goes under the name oJ gynrecology. So exacting have been the demands on medical skill for the treatment of these diseases that special departments of hospitals, and even hospitals, have sprung into existence in all large centres of population, while the class of physicians ana surgeons who ftnd it

necessary to devote· the whole of., their time and skill to this one branch of work has been everywhere -increasing. Despite the fact that advance in knowledge and skill has enabled many more cases of this kind of physical disorder to be brought within the range of treatment, there can be little doubt (Q. 224) but that there are a larger proportion of subjects for treatment to-day than there used to be before the

days of modern gynrecology, and many of these women with wrecked lives owe their sorrows to the direct or indirect effects of abortion. Medical experts are of one mind in attributing a very large proportion of the inflammatory and septic diseases, which not only cause sterility but actually disable women and spoil their lives, to this degrading crime.

202. (99.) A circumstance that grave misgivings as to the future is that so many women do n')t realise the wrong involved in the practices of prevention and abortion. They converse with one another upon these subjec's apparently without shame, and freely approach doctors and in order to procure the mdans to gmtify their desires, as will b3 seen from following excerpt from the

1

(i) Dr. 0. W. Morg,n, of Pambula, "1085. Q. Have you noticrd that wome·1 frequently leave the country and come to the metropolis with an apparent view to have abortion procured? A. Yes; I have seen such cases: often. The people in the country, ancl in some of the towns as well, . . . . will come and

abk a medical man to procure miscarriage for them. I remember.n woman coming and asking me, and I said I did not do that sort of thing; and she said, 'Oh, it would be just as well; J llave been down twice before to Sydney, but if you do it for me it would not cost so much." '' 1086. Q. Ha"e you, in your practice, found that women now more readily approach the subject of having abortion procured than they did in your early practice 1 .A. I am S\lre they do. medical man they d0 not scruple to talk about it; do see the mflral wickedness of it."

[ I:lere follows much evidence f.·om pltysicia"

. 203. (101.) We recognise the great immorality of deliberately preventing' conception in marriage, and the still graver immorality and criminality of inducing miscarriage. The mere fact t4at criminality does not attach to prevention while it does to abortion is a distinction which has in the past led to the belief that the former practice is not wrong ; but we consider that, as modes ol avoiding procreation, they are equally opposed to that morality upon which the welfare of the race essentially depends. The mental condition of any population, moreover, in which the avoidance of parentage is condoned, and even advocated, we regard as one which tells its own tale of social and moral deterioration. Such practices as are necessarily resorted to as alternatives for that restraint of natural impulse, which is alone justifiable for this end, we agree with the reverend witnesses and other witnesses whose evidence we have quoted, violate the sanctity of marriage, and tend to convert the marriage contract into a sexual compact. We consider that they lower the standard of right .. living ani right-thinking in the community, create laxity of morals, debase character, and ignore th& sanctity of buman life. ·

204.

204. (1 05.) The suppression, however effected, of the growth of population, must ever be .ari impedi­ I)lent to progress and prosperity. What the of this suppression has been in New South Walr s may he seen by the very significant statement tnade in paragraph 59 of this ReporL, which is to the effect . that, had it not been for the reduction in birth-rate and the excess of mortality among illegitimate cJ1ildren over which have occurnd ir:t the peried 1864-1902, the population c£ New South )'Vales would now

be more than 250,000 greater than it is; whi'e for that the same phenomena have

characterised the birth-rates elsewhere as in New South Wales-the approximate loss of population due tO_ these two factors, amounts to 940,000 .

. 205. (107 .. ) It is thus shown that the practices involved in the limitation of families ate responsible for much physical suffering, for a deadening of moral sensibility, and for a degradation. qi character among.those who resort to them; and these effects must have an unwholesome influence qn the general character of the people who move in a social atmosphere so vitiated. Defective health,

defective morals, and defective character are already manifesting themselves as a warning of more marked deterioration to ensue. The effects on trade and commerce must be equally marked. With the proportion of births decreasing, and the natural increase of population dimin:iship.g, the. 4emand for the products of industry must flag, and the capacity of the nation to use the nat"Q,ral rc3ources of the State must tend to fail. Who can tell what progress New South Wales might not have made if, since 1864, 280,000 citizens had not been lost, and had performed their share in the of the country ; or what strides in prosperity Australia might have taken, in the same

with. the assistance of nearly a million more inhabitants ?

XVII. -CONCLUSION.

c · 206. (169.) In conclusion, we desire to reiterate our opinion that there has been a V< ry ser:ous decline in the birth-rateof New South Wales since the year 1889, and that this decline cannot, in any measure, be. ascribed toany change in the physical characteristics of the people;. nor, in any material degree, to other. causes dependent upon natural law. On the other hand, we have been reluctantly, butinevitably, driven

to the conclusion that the people-led astray· by fal''e and perniciouR doctrine into the belief that personal interests and ambitions, a high standard of ease, comfort, and luxury, are the essential aims of life; and that these aims are best attained by refusing to accept the consequences which nature has ordained- shall follow from marriage--!Jave neglected, and are neglecting, their true duty to themselves, to their f»llow countrymen,

and to -posterity. Forgetful of the lessons of hiHtory, ignoring the teac-hings of science, bent on gratifying their se!.:fi:;;h desires, and on pursuing social advancement, they are seeking to follow tlte dictates of a narrow reasoning, and blindly imagine that, in raising the standard of their own physical comfort, they are smoothing the path of life for themselves and for posterity, while leaving to others the creation of that

posterity ft•r which they profe'ss tube so concerned. They seem to think that, in the deliberate curtailing of reproduction, they have found a panacea for the ilb of life. The time must come, however, when there will be a cruel awakening: to a realisation of the truth. Already we see, in the injury to health, the }Y:Ceckin-g of life, which is fuanifesting itself, how Nature has begun to avenge herself on those who opp&se her laws. We see, in the lesseping of parental control, the commencement of dissolution in

the family bond; and, in the. dwindling of the size of families, the dying out of Nature's best school for teaching the lessons of life, and the weakening of the social structure at its base. We look at the number of the young girls of who wiH be the young mothers of the next decade; and find

that the proportion their numbers pear to the total of females who have not passed the child-bearing age is less than formerly; and we observe how inevitable it )s that, in the course of the next few years, unless some effective change is quickly introduced in th6 niental attitude of the people towards the question of reproduction, the material provided by the present generation for the continuance or the race in New South Wales will be inadeq)Jat_e to !lll;l.intain even its present rate of increase in the numbers of the native-born population. .

207. (170.) We find a}so that the practices and habits which, the doctrines of limitation inculcate tend to undermine the morality of the people, to loosen the bonds of religion, and. to obliterate the inftuence of those higher sentiments and sanctions for conduct with which the development of high national character bas eyer been associated. Duty we recognise as beingeonduct favourable to the

safety of the race; virtue as an attitude of life and character consistent with the preservation and continuance of man on earth; and since vice is the reverse of virtue, it must include all conduct that is an attack upon the race. 208. (171.) We do not he;;itate to declare that the doctrines which advocate and justify the deliberate

restriction of child-bearing in marriage are vicious, and that Malthus was right in deprecating artificial checks to the growth of population on. the ground of their viciousness. With a decay of individual ani social morality we must expect the loss of all those qualities which have made the British race prellominant.

209. (172.) We have spoken thus far in this chapter in reference solely to the State whose popp.lation is the immediate subject of our inquiry; but what applies to New South Wales is ob\·iously no less applicable to the wl:ole of Australasia. The interests of the Commonwealth of Australia are bound up in the interests its separate States. The. future of the Commonwealth, and especially the possibility of maintaining a

"•white Australia," depend on the question whether we shall be able to people the vast areas of the continent. which are capable of supporting a large population. This can only be done by restoring and maintaining a, h,igh rate of natural increase, or by immigr!j>tion on a large seale, or: by both these_ means of recruiting posterity. With the maintenance of a high rate of natural increase is inseparably coiH!ected the preservation of infant life. We have that the defective birth-rate.· is aggravateq in its !!fleets in ·reducing increase by an excessive death-rate among the newly-born1 210.

131

f!'''j

· al(). (173.} Mt.- 'I'. A. C&ghla», in his essay o.n the Decline in the Birth-rate o£ New So 11th Wales, .sa.ys, at page 69, Large as is the area of· the Australian oontineni, it is impossible that iis people ·. will ever beco!lle truly great under the eonditi:ons aft'ecting the inerease of population whieh now obtain. Immigration bas practieally eeased to an important factor, the maintenance and increase· oJ populati.on decpending ttp&n the birtlt-rate alone, a rate seriously diminished and still dimtnishill$\ ·"' No people has ever become great u,nder. such conditions, . or, having attained greatness, has remained great for any lengthened period. The pr&bl&m of the fall of the birth-rate is, therefore, a national one of overwhelming importance to the Australian peopl&, P&thaps more. than to any other J)e&ple., and on its satisfactory solutim

2ll. (174.) From time to time in recent years. public m(?n, seeing i.n the establishment of Australian Commonweallh the first step in the construction df a great nation, and anticipating therefrom a. rapid incFea)l{l of national prosperity and progress, have referred hopefuJ.:ry to the day when Australia with her teeming millions will hold a.. con1manding place among the peoples of the wodd. The patriotic ardour inspired by this hopeful &nticipation is, however, destined to be cooled iD th& contemplation of the

ta,ct that, while ·Russia and Japan, prospective rivals of Australia for in the Western Paciftc, ate already seeking outlets beyond thetr ow1t borders for the energies of their over-growing people: it wirl be forty-six and a half years before Australia, with her three and three-quarter millions of inhaili>itants, and dependent alone on her natural increase (if this even be maintained at its present rate), will have doubled her population; 113 years before she will have twenty millions of people;

and 168 years before her numbers will have reached the present population of Japan. 212. (175.) In whatever way the waning birth-rate of New South Wales is viewed, whether in its effects on the health, character, or social worth of individuals ; on the value of the family as the basis of national life; on the quality and dignity of civic life; on the character of the people; on their social, moral, and economic progress; on their national aims and aspirations; or on their capacity to survive in the rivalry of nations ; and whether it is viewed in the l!i-ght 0£ history or of science, it is seen as a grave disorder sapping the vitals of a new pe.ople, dispelling its hopes, blighting its prospects, and threatening itS C'0'Btinuan.ce.

218. (179.) Pa;triotism dictates that the people of to-day should consider what these facts mean to the f'!lture. It is the duty of the present geuer!lltion of .Australianlil t0 see to it that their patriotism is not impugned in time to come j , and tha.t the loss of this fair heritage of the- British race, which, under existing cilnditions, the philosophy of history foretells, is not made attributable to them by those who m!lly, in the da,ys to come,. have to sa.crifice their blood and treasure in the vain hope of defending it, ·

RoaT. Hl .. ToDD, As8dciCtite. to. tlw Presidenf, §eatetacy. . .

·31'd Mairalt; '19(!'4,

(L.S.) (L.S.) (t.s.) (L.s.) (L.s .. ) (L.s.) (L.s.) (r..s.) (t.s.) (L.s.) (t.s.) (t s.)

We have the honor to be, Your Excellency's most obedient servants, CHA:RI,ES K. MACKELLAR, President:. ..

H. N. 1\fAcL.&trRlN, 1.. · · OCTAVIUS c: BEALE, T. A. CoGHLAN, J'osEJ.>H EtlMUND FosaBnY, THoMAs HUGB?ES1 Commiasioneri,

Evw. W. KNox, G. s. JoaN B. NA:&:K, · R. T. PATON, THQMAS E'I•.AoSCEfl',

Some ftra:m tlw. Mew Soutih Waks! Rorya,l ( JTo.lum;,J.

24i'f'a SEPTEMllRlli, 19:03.

Dr. 0. W. :MQ'i'gan, was sworn, and examined as mrder :__, (In part.)

214. 1052. By tne Hon. The President.] Q. What is your name 7 A. Cotlby William 1\d}orga;n. , 1053. Q. And you.r qualifications 1 A. Doctor of Medicine of the University of Brussels) Lieentiate of the College of .Physicians, Member of the College of Sutgeons. 1054. Q. We understand that your practice has. ext'!nded to the. large cities and areas,. and also the agriculture and pastoral dfutricts 1 A. Yes;. I· practised fo.ur years in Sydney, about sixteen in Newcastle, about seven at Batr1urst, and I have practised in various other parts of the State too.

1055. Q. You are familiar with the fact that there has been a marked decrease in the birth-rate in recent in New South Wales 1 A. Yes.

1{01)6. Q. Ami that the decrease hillS been, observed aU over the State, although n'Ot to the same extent in each district 1 A. No; not so much ih the country distviets. 105'7. Q. In. dea,ling with this question of the decline of the birth-rate, the Governm{lnt Statistician followed Dr. M-a;tthews Dunca.n's. nomenclatuve in calling "fecundity" the ability to bear a child, and

using "fert-ility" to d(lnote the pow& to bear several children 7 A. f am aw111re of tha-t. 1058. Q, And we shall adopt that nomenclature in speaki-ng on the subject you' think that the-fecundi of women has decreased the last &l'ty years A:. Yes. ·

l Q. Are ther less fertrile· naturaJl.y 1 A. No; 1 d!J not so,

,. i

61

,, ·liS. 10001 .. Q, .. Tci wliJ!at do• yoo aJttrilHi'te the in£eeur.tdity and the comparative ste1•ility 1 A. A ·delttiiD deg.eJ.'tepati0n of the nerve constitution in women, and also to. measures taken to prevtnt the birtlli of t"he ch:i:ldrel't. . 1061. Q. What. are the measures whiefi are taken 7 A. The measures that have come under my

and notifle have been some preventive, sometimes, after impregnation has taken place, there

have been means takefi to prevent the birth of children when they have been conceived. , 1062. Q. Are mechanical preventives used within your knowledgtl? A. They are use.d in a a very great degree.

1063. Q. In the country ? A. In the eountry and in the towns. 1064. Q. And chemical preventives a;lso 1 A. You mean medicinal1 1065. Q, A. Yes; oh, very much-very much._ . . .··•

1066. Q. We have .information that all the country chemists, as well as the chemists in the town, sell these articles that within your knowledge 7 A. I would not say all; many do. . 1067. Q-. And that they are sold by hawkers, who . carry them in the\r packs to ou\i-of-t4e-way places? ._A. They_eertainly are •. They are sord Jly hawkers. I have knowledge (}f that. ·

1068. Q. Is this confined to married women 7 4. Married and unmarried. 10'69'. Q. Both use these articles 1 A. Yes. , ,, _lU6.101Q. Q. ls. it within your knowledge that women are engaged: in the traffic-engaged these a.rtides ? A. Yes; I may say it is-. l kaow that women CO'me under the of

v;uio:ll$ and odds and ends, and e.mllroidery, and so on-and the.y make th-a-t

a ei'eak. to s.ell pr&ventives. 217. 1071. Q. Do you cq'nsider that the moral tone 0£ the women generally is lbwered by the use of moo.sures for the prevention of A. Yes; and I say so advisedly.

1072 .. Q. Do you tbi:z:tk that the moral tone of the community generally is more la,x since the habit or Y-sing preveQ.tive\'1 J..,Well, I [\:m afraid it is.. I say so, because, in conversation with most women.,m;dhe .s.ubject, .they say that any measures to prevent children being born when the

to. keep them are.right._ . . .. ' .. . . . . ". .

· . . .. 1073 ... ,Q. Do yrm yourself con

1014:. Q. Yes 1 A. Yes j I think so. 218. 1075. Q. Is it within your kaowledge that septic conditions of the pelvi-c viscera are pretflreed' by the use of th-ese m-easures ? A. No; I cannot say so. Any attempt at abortion tfoes so, of coutse ; but l do not kllow that the us-e of a preventive would have that etfeet, but it has

a very deleterious effect on the woman's nerve system. I have seen women abs.olutefy have to be sent into au asylum for the insane on account of the use o-f these pernicious thihgs-marded woru-en, too. 1076. Q; The ill effect upon the nervous then, is very great? A. Yes; more especially )Vith one of the means that is resorted to, and that is. • • • • I have s.een that more than

QDC.& cause a. woman to. be:eome insane.

1077. Q. Do. you think that septic conditions of the pelvic viscera a,re more common now than they were in your earlier practice 1 A. Yes. I al)). sure they are; I am certain of it. 1078. Q. Have yon observed septic conditions of the pelvic viscera:, in any marked degree, in your country A .. I have noticed it since thirty years ago.; hut I clo not think so. mueh before that.

1079. Q. Do you consider that these conditions are probably due to attempts to procure abortion 1 .4. l lla.ve ofii0D steB: it so.

2119. 10&}, Q. Are ea-ses of mtlliCed: aMrtt6B- very e0•mmon i:n too ctomttry diSfu.'fet-s? A. Yes ; 1tlil't, "tft! l !lt. efl,se rut the present time fli earanot m-enti.on th:e n'-3}1!00 of t:lle· town},

wca'C're a. che'mlis.t b>ragged the other

A. By the midwives; the midwives are so much engaged in that prltctlee. .t know V'evy :11ew

medical men in the country who are supposed to do th,ls sort of thing, but I know that in the town it is very frequent indeed. 220. 1082:. Q' D0,you think it wouM he possihle, ey wny regulation, or by any legislation, to control women practising as midwives throughout the cOuntry, te the advantage ot the general community 1 A. I

am perfectly sure it would be most useful if you nad midwives who were reliable and responsible, and were not inclined to lend themsefves or o-ffer themsei'ves for this purpoEe; I know i't would have a great effect in stopping this sort of thing. 1083 .. Q. Then you would advocate the effective educa:tion and the registration of JD!idwi:fetoy nurses 1

A. I certainly would. 1084. Q. Are deaths fre!lj;uent in the country irom induced abortion 1 A. They are not very but I have seen some from that C'luse.

221. 1085. fi!. Have you noticed that women frequently leave the country and come to the metropolis wmh 111n: apparen·t view to have abortion pr0duced 7 A. Yes; ] have seen such cases often. The people in the country, and in some of the towns as well, are not mealy-mouthed. They will come and ask a medical man to procure miscarriage for them. I remember a woman coming and asking me,. and I s111id I did not

do that sort of thing; and she said, "Oh, it would be just as well; I have been down twice before to Sydney, bl'lit if you do it for me it would not cost so Rmch." 1086. Q. Have you, in your practice, found that women now more readily apprGaeh the sabjeet of having abortion procured, or speak about having abortion procured, than they did in your early

practice ? A. I am sure they do. To a medical man they do not scruple to talk about it ; they do not see the moral wickedness of it. 222. 1087. Q. Tke_y t)1b.lj[, in fact, that it is a good trick to up tO, rather than aD immoral and indecent transaction? A. Yes 1 that is the view.

1094.

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1094. Q. Well, from the views that you have expressed, I would gather that you consider that the use of preventives to conception is an obscene practice, and it is calculated to lower the morality and degrade the women of Australia? A. I distinctly say so. I have noticed from year to year that the idea of moral responsibility and maternal duty, and so forth, is very poor indeed.

. 1095. Q. Are you aware whether many abortifacient pills are sold through the country ? A. All kinds of.such pills are sold. Women keep these things by them-mothers of families who do DGt 'Want to have any more. 1096. Q. And are they effective in producing the results they A. No, not as a rule.

223. 1097. Q. Do you think it would be an advantage to the well-being of the community generally to compel persons selling proprietary articles of that description to have the prescription­ the formula from which they are made-printed on the box ? A. Oh, yes ; I think it would be a very good thing.

1100. Q. Is there any other information that you would care to place before the Commission which would be, you consider, of value to them in forming an opinion as to the subject that has been relegated to them 1 A. No; I do not think of anything. I think if the authorities were to step in when flagrant cases occur, and take them up so that the people could be punished, it would be a good thing; and I think if the ministers of the various religions were approached, so that they could make their flocks understand the dire immorality of the action, which they do not seem to apprehend now at all, it would be another good thing. I think I might mention that many years ago there was a person at Newcastle who engaged in these immoral practices, and she exposed in her shop window on one side the male preventive, ard on the other side there was the "Ladies' Friend," exposed for open sale for months; and in thoro days I spoke to the police about it, and they said they had no power_ to act.

224. 1102. Q. Do you think that what may be called the decay of the religious sense in the people has in any material degree conduced to the causes which bring about the decline in the birth-rate? A. Oh, yes; I do think so. I think that their moral sense is blunted, and that they do not care very much about religion at all, a very great number of them. I remember a case, many years ago, in which I was treating a lady-she was the wife of a dissenting clergyman, very respectable people-and, from th

use of mechanical means of prevention, she was one of the women that I had to send to an asyluw. Her husband was a good man, and she was apparently a good woman, but their moral sense was blunted in that way, so that they did not see the wickedness of their action. 225. 1112. By Mr. Beale.] Q. Would you approve of the repeal or amendment of the Poisons Act, so that abortion-producing drugs might be sold under proprietary names without restriction ;-that is now before Parliament, as you A. I hardly understand.

1113. Q. I want to know whether you would advocate an amendment of the Poisons Act, so that the sale of abortion-producing drugs could be carried on without restriction under proprietary names ; at present there is a restriction ? A. What is the restriction? 1114. Q. They must be signed·for at the chemists as poisons 1 A. Yes.

1115. Q. And the proposed amendment of the Poisons Act is that when drugs are sold under proprietary names there shall he no restriction 1 A. I would be in favour of a restriction. 1116. Q. You would oppose that A. Yes.

1117. Q. I want to ask, further, if there was no restriction, and thereby the sale was increased, would it add to fretal and maternal mortality 1 A. Yes. I should say, on the whole, it would.

226. These Questions 1112-1117refer to a Bill which was being engineered by some American drug-packers, through the New South Wales Legislature, whereby the Poisons Act was to be amended by these simple words, ''But nothing in this Act shall apply to patent and proprietary medicines." In support of that amendment a great number of petitions had been prepared by the drug-packers, and signatures obtained to them. These were presented to Parliament, but the Bill was finally defeated.

Some answers from tlie New South Wales Royal Commission (Volume II). 1sT OCTOBER, 1903.

Senior-Sergeant Sawtell, was sworn, and examined as under:-(In part.)

227. 1933 . .By the Hon. 'l'he President./ Q. What is your name 1 A . .Tames Edwin Sawtell. 1934. Q. And your A. Senior-sergeant of Police. 1935. Q. Have you had much experience of the investigation of cases where persons have been charged with the crime of procuring abortion 1 A. Yes; I have had about twenty-one cases altogether.

1936. Q. Is abortion-procuring very prevalent? A. Very much so in Sydney. 1937. Q. Do you think that it is increasing in prevalence? A. I think so; this last Dve years in particular. 1938. Q. Has it always been very prevalent in Sydney? A. Very prevalent; more so the last four or Dve years.

228. 1939. Q. Are there many reputed abortionists known to the police ? About thirty-six to thirty-eight known to myself. 1940. Q. Men or women ? A. Mostly women. _

. 1941. Q. And all these you have good grounds for believing to he engaged in the procuring of ahort10n1 A. Y(>s 1942. Q. Are s.ny Iegally-quali1led medical men :reputed to be abortionists ? A. I know by repute of Dve altogether.

63

. 1943. Q. Have any of them ever been before the A. Yes, two to my knowledge; and one has been before the Coroner's Court without being charged. . . . .

1944 Q. And how often has he been before the Court 1 A. That one 1 Only once to my knowledge. 1945. Q. And the other two that you referred to? A. One once, and the other one four times. .. 229. 1946: Q. And you have never been able to secure a conviction? A. No, not in either one the cases.

1947. Q. Have you reason to believe that those individuals you h:tvc referred to frequently prac'ise a )ortion 1 A. Two of the persons I refer to, I think, practice abortion absolutely ; it is their general . .

· 1948. Q. That is to say, that their practice largely consists of abortion 1 A. They confine their practice to that line absolutely. · .. 1949. Q. Arc the women that you have referred to as being abortionists trained nurses or, mid wives, or partially trained? A. Some are registered nurses; Qthers are practising as professional midwives.

1950. Q. Does the fact of their being registered, and, in a certain measure, therefore, under supervision, in any way facilitate your control of tl1em 1 A. No; it rather hinders us, in a sense. They are registered M lying-ih ho:nes, and they ha\·e a certain percentage of legal cases. 230. 1951. Q. Do these women covertly advertise their cJ.lling in the newspapers? A. Not recently.

The advertisements have been restricted, I think, by law 8ince about 1899. PrP.viously to that they were very numerous; the advertising was very frequent. 1952. Q. Do these women advertise their calling in any way in the newspapers? A. Oh, yes. 1 1953. Q. But in a more covert way than they did before the period that you mention? A. Yes ; f)V'eral advertise at present as registered midwives or ladies' nurses, but nothing further. Previously fleyused to give very full particulars of what they would treat ladies for.

1954:. Q. But we have reason to believe that some advertisements appear in the newspapers sill ? A. Oh yes, at the present time. . 1955. Q. Which evidently a!e designed to attmct the attention of rersons who wish abortion p:ocurcd ? A. Yes; though they are not so plain, they are plain enough for the general run of ladles

h understand. . 1956. Q. But the police arc fully cogniilant o£ that fact ? A. I am, myself, anyway. One

hdy ln particular is advertising every week, and her reputation is very high ; she is what they term " coining money " at it. · 1957. By Mr. Fosbery.] Q. They used to advertise and say, "All difficulties completely removed " ? A. Yes.

1958. Q. They do not do that now 1 A. No; they do not use those words now. 231. 1959. By the Hon. The Q. Has the attention of the proprietors of the news­

papers been drawn to such advertisements, with a view to prevent their publication? A. Yes; I have myself drawn the attention of the editor of the . . to advertisements.

1960. Q. And with what effect1 A. With the effect that he has given orderd to refuse any applications in future. That was carried out, I believe, for a number of months ; but they 'are re­ occurring. 1961. Q. Do you think it would be possible for the to differentiate between the adverlise­ m.ents presented, in such a way as would keep out advertisements, with a covert design to acquaint people

with the fact that these nurses did procure abortion? A. It would be very hard, I think, to discriminate; but if a little more care was exercised, there is no doubt they could. .· . . . .

· 232. 1962. Q. You think that with more c:rre the newspaper proprietors might keep the majority oi these advertisements out of their papers? A. Yes ; I think so. "''' ''W!,f

1963. Q. Have you had much success in your eff•Jrts to discover who the abortionists are 1 A. Yes. In 1898, I wrote to some twelve or thirteen of them in Sydney, asking for information regarding their mode .of treatment and fees, and in every case l received replies stating shortly their mode of treatment and the fee charged. I have the letters here with me to show. · •

1964. Q. And stating practically that they were prepared to undertake to procure abortion 1 A. Yes. 1965. Q. Have you got those letters 1 A. Yes; I have them here. I have other letters here, which I seized on the arrest of a man on a charge of procuring abortion. · 1983. Q. How many deaths of young women in consequence of abortion are known to you personally to have occurred during the past five years-in your own experience ? A. About eighteen.

1984. Q. Anrl in how many of those ca,es have the persons responsible been brought before the Courts-the persons responsible for those deaths? A. Very few. Of course they have all been brought before the Coroners' Courts, but not charged; about six have been charged. 1985. By /Jfr. Fosbery.] Q. These abortionists take various names, do they not1 A. Yes.

233. 1986. Q. They have sometimes got more than one residence? A. Yes; in one case I know they have a homestead or head omce and five branches. 1987. By the Right Hon. The Lor.d Mayor.] Q. Do you mean to say in Sydney alone1 A. Yes. 1988. By Mr. Fosbery.] Q. They do not always take their patients in as lodgers ;-the patients

merely call there, and are operated upon and sent away ? A. Sent away to a branch establishment • . · 1989. Q. Within yom· knowledge, are many of the patients young women who come from the country for treatment 1 A. A great number come from the country. 1990. Q. When you have made searches of any of these places, have you seized papers, showing

that they have an enormous correspondence from the country, from people who want to be operated upon 1 A; ·Yes; I have seventy letters here, from thirty-six people-mostly all country people. 234. 1991. By the Hon. The President.] Q. Asking for terms upon which abortion could be procured 1 A. Terms and mode of treatment. Letters in reply to advertisements, asking for terms anti mode of treatment, and giving particulars as to how long they were pregnant, and so on, and asking what risk there would be.

1992. Ry Mr. Fosbery.) Q. Have you been able to form any opinion as to the classes and ages of the women that are· placed under treatment 1 A. Out of these thirty-six there are twenty·seven single apparently all servants, according to their letters. The other nine are married women.

1993.

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1993; Q. Have you ever seized a,ny appliances for th.e purpose of procuring A. Yes. 1999. Q. Do you conjecture from that that there must be a tar greater number of cases of infantici

body attending her is ignorant of the mode of disposing of the body. 2000 . . Q. Therefore, you consider that that forms a very small indication of the nUID.ber of cases in which infants are done away with ? A. I think it is very small. 235. 2003. By Ah. Beale.] Q. Is it a fact that those procurers of abortion have got agents-..:tlu\t is toJ sa 1r, the perJon applied to by woman wh:> desire> to have abortion procured is not alw'a.ys

himself-he refrrs to A. N( t in all cuseP.

2004. Q. Does it sometimes occur A. Sev.;ral of these people who procure abortion havit agents who circulate cards for them, and they arp the ones applied to by the patient, or the proposed patient, and then the patient is referred on to tM principal. 2005. Q. In short, these abortionists baYc ng.nts, who obtain business fur them? .A. That is so -yes.

2006. Q. The President asked you abJut registration : now, in the case of death occurring in any o.f lh.,-.se lying·in establishments, would it assist the law if there were a public officer of health, who must "'ive his certificate, instead or accPpting private certificates; because, where there are medical men, it is plain that one, or more t!:an one, could give a c>·rtificate and would gire a certi.£cate, of death from natural causes? A. Yes.

236. 2007. Q. In that case would it assist in the protecti.on of maternal life if a public offlcer were required to give a certificate, and the private certificate be not A. Oh l l think se.

I say that, because, I think, the people would be more careful. They would not take the risks they· do now. ·

2008. Q. Do you think that ought to be done ? A. I think that would be a great cheek on a gre3t many of those so-called lying-in homes. 2009. By Mr. Fosbery.] Q. In point of fact, if it were not for the coroners' inquests, there would be very little light thrown on any of these cases? A. Very little light, sir. · -

, 237. 2010, By the .Right Jlon. The Lord J.fayor.l Q. Do you think that the-..re be a. system ·

of rPgistration of still-births? A. I thiok there should be. _

238. 2011. By Mr. Beale.] Q. I should like to ask this, in confirmation of my previous question : when, for instance, there are medical men performing these operations, the certificates ordinarily given are valueless? A. Absolutely. Only last month I had. a case where a girl was operated upon by a medical man. She died in a nurse's home-his own home, practically, though it was under the name

of a nurse-and a certificate was given by another doctor, who had not treated her at all, -merely to oblige his fellow practitioner. He gave a certificate of pleurisy. Something came to my knowledge, and I had the funeral stopped. She was to be buried at 2 in the afternoon; I got the information at 11 i.!l. the morning. I had the funeral stayed, informed the City Coroner; and the post-mortem that followed showed that death was due to abortion, and there was no pleurisy present whatever. She .had been six days under the doctor's treatment.

2012. By Mr. Knox.] Q. Were they both registered- medical men? A. Yes. 2013. By J{r. Beale. J Q. These practitioners that you have spoken of are, of course> a.H registered men 1. A. Yes. ·

2139. 2014. By Dr. Paton.] Q. Is it within your knowledge that a number of these abortion­ mongers are covered by medical men? A. Ye,s; a great many of them. 2015. Q. And as soon as anything goes wrong, this particular doctor of their own is eall.ed. in? A. Tbaj is so ; yes.. ·

2:016. Q. I!e atten's, md, if there is a fatal result, he gives a cer-tificat'31 A. Yes. They all' ha,·c --- ·

240. 2017. Q. Cover? A. Cover behind. them---...all of them. , ..

2018. By the Right Hon. tlu; Lord Ll!ayor.J Q. And the cauoo o£ death is incorrectly stated in certificates sometimes? A. In that one it was, absolutely. There was no present at a.U. · 241. 201R By A:lr. Beqle.] Q. Wol!ld you recmnmend that a register should be kept i1J. these establishments of all medi-cal men attending-of all persons with the hirth? A. l

would reoommend that. -2020. By Jtfr. Fosbery.] Q .. Have you any knowledge of cases in whi-ch, when the:r b.ecolll;e a().iillie, they have removed the pat'ent to one of the public hosp'tals 1 A. Yes; I have had three myself. , . . ·. 2021. Q. Are you aware whethel' it is the practice in any of these large hospita1s to give any intimation to the authorities .that such cases are brought to them 1 A. No; unfortunately.. In the Sydney

Hospital, to my knowledge, three cases have died before we go.t information about them. We traced them to the hands o£ a medical man and a private nurse. . . ·.

242. 2022. Q. Then, in those cases,' the chance of getting any eYidence whatever to warrant a prosecution is lost altogether 1 A. Absolutely lost. :· 202:t ·By _D,·, Paton] Q. Did the hospital a.uthorities ever give ttny reason for not. reporting the A. No; they have ne1·er stated aoy reason. I have spokea to the Superintendent myself on one

occasion, and his reply to me Wi!S that he did not think the patient was so bad; the next morning he heard she was dead, and, of course, they informed the police. ! ,. , -

243. 2024. By Mr. Beale.] Q .. You sa[d there were a 'Lout thirty-six regular pra.ctitioners cf a'Jortion. within your knowledge ;-do you take in the whole metmpolis in your• pa.rtieular researches 1 A. I am only speaking of those that come under my own personal knowledge. ,, -

Q. But you have a certain commission in regard to this mat.ter.? ··A. YeSI

2026. Q. Docs that apply to the whole metropolitan area 1 A. No; Q. Only a section of it? A. On1y a section, yes. - . ·-,

Q. Then, inasmuch as you know thirty-six, could you form any as to how many

may be in 4· I could not say. may be ten or twelve times that Jllfl4l.,Y-•.: 'J;his tmly

apphes to my own d1strwt. .2029,

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2029. Q. Oh ! you only have a district in hand in this matter 1 A. Yes. Are you speaking of the cases or of the medical men ? 2030. Q. We understand that you ha\·e under your eye this procuring of abortion ;-does that apply to the whole metrorolitan area ? A. Oh ! the nurses, of course, are distributed all over the whole metropolitan district-the nurses I speak of.

2031. Q. Would there be other officers who also might know of another thirty-six, or a larger number ;-I want to arrive at some idea as to what the total number may reasonably be-would there be a very large number that you do not know, probably? A. Oh! well, I am sure I do not know one-third .

24.4. 2032. Q. Then there would be, at the very least, 108? A. Oh! there may be fully that. I cannot say for certain ; but I am sure there would be. 2033. Q. Three times thirty-six? Yes. I am sure I do not know one-third of them. I only know those who have established places. ·

245. THE UNBOR:< }'OPULATION.• Sydney Bulletin, 11th October, 1906.

LAST week, a nurse was arrested on a charge of having broU:ght about death of a girl by the usual means. In the course of proceedings at the inquest, the arresting detective swore the prisoner had assured him that this was the first case to "go wrong" out of 2,000 that .had passed through l)er hands. The accused may, or may not, be innocent; she may, or may not, have made the remark;; the question at issue concerns the figures given by the detective. These statistics, astounding a& they seem t c> people who do not study such matters, appear in no wise impossi ble t o anybody who is po&sessed of a kp.Qwledge of the

average city abortionist in a large way of business. Ther e are women in ::;ydney and Melpourne who have been pursuing the trade of abortion for over twenty years. Some of them eyen ca.rry on .their·calling by means of large so-called. private hospitals, and 200 a year would be a considerable of the

number of operations performed by the more prosperous. In addition, t here is a handful of qualified medical practitioners who amass what t he average man would regard as huge fortunes out of the practice of abortion. In a few instances, these carry on the t rade with perfec t safety by the simple process of \Vorking in couples. Abortion is an offence only if carried out by one medical man without reference to a

fellow practitioner-the l>tw assuming that, if it is necessary to perform abortion to save the life·of a woman, -a medical adviser should first h ave his opinion eonfirmed by another member of the profession, The persons in question either Pmploy a professional "contirmer," or work mutually an,d confirm each other. The reoult is that they are perfectly within tlwir lPgal rights. II death occurs, a cPrtiticate is given, and

even the rare possibility of suspicion is met with the npinion of the second doctor th1tt operation was . essential, and represented the only hope of saving the mother's life. In certain Ccises, private hospitals, carried o:1 in the names of nurses, arc rea lly owned by the medical men who perform the operations. · All these things are matters of common knowledge, which never reach the ear of the law, and are ignored by

t,b c mass of the right-thin puhlic. The enormous trade carried on in this way was indicated in ·

Melbourne some weeks ago by the remark or a middle-aged married woman to her own medical adviser, wh om she had vainly besought to "help " her some months previously. S he had found the assistance he declined in a nurse's home, and assured him th at in it there were twent y other inmates, "from little kids of sixteen to old women like me." ·

AMERICAN CENSUS REPORT--CENSUS OF 1900.

Vol. 3, pages xlix and l.

246. The data relating to bir ths are the most incomplete and unsatisfactory of any treated in this report. Were ic not con3idered desirable to give such re8ults as bear upon the question for the information of students of the statistics, t he subject might be dismissed with tbe st.alement that they· are entirely inadequa te to determine_ , directly, the general birth-ra te of the count ry, or, what is of equal practical importance, the relative birth-rate of different classes of population.

Births were not returned by the enumerators, and it is not probable that a complete return could be secured in that way even if a special schedule wer e pr ovided, and the inquiry made in the most careful and thorough manner ; and the registration record of births is almost equally defect ive. A number of the Sbtes and cities ba Ye la ws the regi stration of births, but it is doubtful if there is a single place

in which births are registered as fully as deaths. ·

EXCESS OF. BIRTHS OVER DEA.THS, 1890-1900.

247. The total population within the boundaries of the United States, as returned in rl89:0, was 62,94 7, 714, and the natural increase between 1890 and 1900, due to excess of births ov E)r deaths, -was 12,315,361. The avernge annual rate of excess of births W i.tS 17·7 per 1,000 of mean population. · . , In the section relating to general death rates it is estimated that the death rate of the-country for

the census year 1\JOO was, approximately, 16·3 per 1,000 of po;mlation. Assuming that it about 18 per 1,000 in 1890, as estimated in the Eleventh Cens us R eport, and taking the mean of these (17 ·4) as represe nting for this purpose the averape annual d etLI h-ratc for the decade, there must necessarily have been an annual birth-rate of 35·1 per 1,000 of mean pop nhttion to produce the increase in population

actually enurrerated. Accepting the population figures showing tlw in crease in native population by state of birth as correct, the only un certain factor in es timating tl•c for the U nited States is the assumed annual death-rate, 17 ·4. This can be accepted as a suffici"ntly accurate approximation to indicate that the birth­

rate will not vary from the stated number (35·1) mort' than 2 per 1,000 in either direction, or from 33·1 to 37·1. This, however, applies only to the country as a whole. *97267--I The .

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The estimated annual excess of births over deaths in the United States per 1,000 of population, in comparison with that in certain other countries, is shown in the following

248. ExcEss of Birth-rate over Death-rate,

Ten Years-1890-1899. Excess of Births over Deaths.

Countries.

I I

I

Birth-rate. Death-rate. Annually, I 1899. 1890-1899. I

United States ... 17·4 17·7

I

* ... ... ... . .. 35·1

I England and Wales ... ... ... . .. 30·1 18·4 ll·7 110 Scotland ... ... .. . ... ... 30·7 18·8 11·9 11·5 Ireland ... ... ... . .. ... .. . 23·0 18·1 4·9 5·3 Denmark ... "" ... ... ... 30·3 17·7 12 6 12·6 Norway ... ... ... .,. .. . 30·4 16·5 13·9 H·1 Sweden ... ... ... ... . .. .. . 27·2 16·4 10-8 8·6 Austria ... ... ... ... ... .. . 37·2 27·1 10·2 11·7 Hungary ... ... ... .. . ... 40·5 30·3 10·2 12·0 German Empire ... . .. ... ... 36·2 22·5 13·7 14·4 Prussia ... ... . .. ... . .. .. . 36·8 2:n 14·7 15·0 Netherlands ... ... ... ... "'/ 32·7 18·6 14·0 H·O Belgium ... ... ... .. . ... 28·9 19·2 9·7 10 0 France ... ... ... ... .. . ... 22·2 21·6 0·6 0·8 Italy ... ... ... ... .. . . .. 35·5 24·6 10·9 121 Switzerland ... ... ... ... . .. 27·7 19·0 8·1 113 "' Data insufficient to afford rates. The figures for the United States are from 1st June, 1890, to 31st May, 1900. '1'he figures given for the foreign countries specified are based upon estimated populations for inter­censal and post-censal years, as calculated by their registration officials, and published in the report of the Registrar-General of England for 1899. They may, however, be regarded as sufficiently accurate for comparative purposes. According to these figures the birth-rate for the United States was greater than in any of the foreign countries, except Hungary (40·5), Austria (37·2), Germany (36·2), and Italy (35·5), and the excess of the birth-rate is considerably greater than in any of them. From these figures it appears that the average annual rate of increase by excess of births in the class born of native white parents was 19·5 per 1,000, while in those of foreign white parents it was 36·5 per 1,000. The rate for the coloured was less than for those of native white parents (17·8 per 1,000). Considered by groups [of States the figures for these classes present some very remarkable peculiarities. In the north-eastern division the rate of annu&l increase of children of native white parents was but 3·8 per 1,000, while for those of foreign white parents it was more than ten times as great (39·6). Excluding New York from this group, it appears that in the New England States the annual death-rate of the native whites of native parentage exceeded the birth-rate by 1·5 per 1,000, while among those of foreign white parents the birth-rate exceeded the death-rate by 44·5 per 1,000. On the face rhese figures indicate that, notwithstanding the higher mortality of children of foreign white parents, the excess of births over deaths in this class was 4 per 1,000 more than the highest birth-rate in the principal foreign countries (40·5 in Hungary, see page 1). A much higher birth-rate for foreign parents in this country than in the countries from whence they came is naturally to be expected, since our foreign population contains a much larger proportion of adult persons of productive ages; but, unfortunately, the census figures do not afford data for determining the number of parents, by which these results might be further analysed. Such comparisons as can be made bear only indirectly upon the question. 249. The peculiar results noted seem to be confined to theN ew England States. In the remainder of the country the excess of births is 21 · 1 for those of native white parents, 35·7 for those of foreign white parents, and 17·9 for the coloured. The nearest approach to equality in the rate of excess of births of. native and foreign white parents was in the southern division, where the proportion o£ foreign parents was least (native white parents, 24·1 j foreign parents, 27·4). Examination of the rates in detail for the different States, however, shows great and apparently inconsistent variations in the relative rates of native and foreign parents, in contiguous States of generally similar populations. 250. Caution is indicated in the study of the figures for New England. The conclusions of Dr. Stanley Hall and other writers may be, and apparently must be, accepted as to rapid racial decline by Americanisation, firstly and chiefly of Anglo­Saxon people. We take the flattering unction to our souls that it is due "to our superior education." But is it superior, and is this education calculated to effect the miraculous results expected by Mr. Herbert Gladstone, who sees in it an undeveloped power to reform the very national abuses which the education itself spreads ? But a qualifying factor which the figures of the United States census do not supply, so far as I can find, is that of a continuous migration, from the New England States to the others, of young people in the prime of life-comparable to the migration from Ireland-with serious effect upon the birth-rate. Upon inquiry I am informed that such exists. Still, that factor is absorbed by the :figures of the United States as a whole, which display a like tendency in general, though less marked, of racial decline amongst the native-born. 251.

67

251. Two other short tables are extracted for their special import. Another table is provided in the same census report showing the annual excess of births per 1,000 of population, classified by the birth-places of mothers, but it is declared by the Director (Mr. William R. Merriam) to be faulty in several particulars. These three are upon page liii.

252. FoREIGN Population by Country o£ Birth.

Countries. 1890. 1900.

Ireland .,. . 1,871,509 1, 618,567

Germany 2, 784,894: 2,666,990

England and Wales .. . 1,009,171 935,760

Canada 980,938 1,181,255

Scan dina via ..• 933,249 1,064,309

Scotland 242,231 233,977

Italy .. . 182, 58 0 484,207

France 11 3,174: 104,341

Hungu.ry 62,435 145,802

Bohemia 118,106 156,991

Russia 182,644 424,096

253, NATIVE White Population by Birth-plMes of Mothers.

Birth-places of Mothers.

Ireland ...

Germany

England and W ales

Canada ...

Scandinavia

Scotland

Italy

Franco ...

Hungary

Bohemia

Russia ...

.. . j

... ,

1890.

2,631,750

3,535,852

827,091

570,584

603,856

192,369

61,173

91,203

14,560

102,169

77,741

1900. Increase.

2,826,625 194,875

4,159,499 623,647

1,133,214 306,123

1,012,689 442,105

1,053,000 449,144

307,388 115,019

224,271 163,098

129,652 38,449

75,353 60,793

190,941 88, 772

263,264 185,523

254:. Journal of Hygiene, 1905, Vol. 5, page 305. "An Improved Method of Calculating Birtu­ rates." By Drs. Newsholmc and Stevenson: In 1881 in England and Wales the number o£ women aged 15-45 per 1,000 of the population was 230·6. In 1901 the proportion was 249·7, being an increase of 8·3 per cent.; but the number of wives

at these ages has declined 4·7 per cent. between 1881 ancl190 1. We deal with legitimate birth-rates only. Crude legitimate birth-rate, 1871-33·0 per 1,000; in 1903, 27·4 per 1,000. Crude illegitimate birth-rate, 1871-2·0 per 1,000; in 1903, 1·1 per 1,000. "On the whole. the rural · counties have suffered from a decrease of the legitimate birth-rate more than the industrial and urban counties."

Again, whether "crude" or "corrected" birth-rates are considered, the diminution is equally abrming:-Corrected Birth-rates, England and Wales. 1881, per 1,000 .. .

1903, per 1,000 .. .

32 ·7 27·4

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Is Insanity Increasing?

Dr. John Macpherson, M.D., F.R.C.P. ("Morison Lectures," Journal of Mental Science, July, 1905, p. 474, et seq.):-The question of the present day, and one which is constantly asked by the public is, "What re the causes of the increase of insanity in the population 1" The obvious reply is to ask in return whether there is any real increase of insanity. I have fully convinced myself (I do not know if I have succeeded in helping you to the same conclusion) that there is no increase of insanity. I am willing, however, for the sake of argument, to look at the question in another form, and ask-Why is not the proportion of insanity less than it is? The causes generally assigned are those which produce physical

deterioration of the members of a community. These are overcrowding, density of population, improper food, alcohol, and physical diseases. It might be pertineJ.lt, disc11;;sing this question, to ask whether physical deterioration, in the sense in which the word is popularly understood, really occurs at all. Very :srave doubts have been expressed on the by ,competent authorities, and no proof of such

deterioration has been brought forward.

He then discusses the subject in purely argumentative form, and concludes:-On the whole, while we may be ready to acquiesce in deploring the insanitary, diseased, and ,t]coholic condition of many portions of our urban population, the question in 'tlie light of statistics does not bear upon the increase of insanity in any way that I am able to make out. On the contrary, there is evidence which goes to show, whatever the moral and social conditions of the people, a strong and effectual effort is made by Nature to counteract these inimical

I select the following striking remarks from the evidence given before the recent (1904) Commission on Physical Deterioration :-Dr. Eichholz said (566): "The number of children born healthy is, even in the worst districts, very great. The exact number has never been the subject of investigation, owing largely to the

certainty which exists upon the point in the m1nds of inedicaJ men; but it would seem to be nut less than 90 per cent. The percentage of badly-born children among the poor is not sensibly greater than among the rich, and such diseases as are hereditary, such as insanity and neuroses, in which we include alcoholism and other inherited diseases of bad living, affect the one as much as the

Professor Malins, of Birmingham, President of'the Obstetrical Society of London, said (3124): " I think the testimony of experienced observers would be in accordance with the views expressed by Dr. Eichholz, though, perhaps, not to such a large extent. "I should say th£1t from 80 to 85 per cent. of d1ildren arc born physically healthy."

If tho poorest and ill-nurtured women bring forth as hale and strong-looking babies as those in tho very best conditions, the interpretation would seem to follow that Nature gives every generation >t fresh start. It must follow that environment has very little to do with the ante-natal condition. Children, it would seem, are not necessarily born degenerate, though born in the most sordid surroundings, and though born of parents who have acquired evil habits of life or unsound bodily l1ealth. All that the majority of these children need to make them average citizens is a chance in life-a chance to escape into better, healthier, cleaner moral and social surroundings. , · · ' ' ,

The conclusions of the learned alienist are. very comforting and optimistic, although they differ toto coelo from the observations of breeders of farm stock as to heredity of qualities in animals, so far as I c:1n inform. myself. Their view is that unsound bodily health, degeneracy, and adverse affect the

progeny. Further, that "sordid surroundings," irregularity, ill.feeding, and early neglect irreparable injury to young stock, from which they will not, on the average, recover under better treatment. It is regrettably probable that he failed to convince his hearers, who were also alienists, that there is not an increase in actual insanity in the United Kingdom. The conditions of law and of life would seem to involve racial degeneration.

RATIO OF INCREASE IN INSANITY IN THE .UNITED KINGDOM.

From the 57th Report of Commissioners in Lunacy for Great Britain, page 4:-In 1859 the proportion \ms 18·67 per 10,000, or l in 536 persons. On 1st January, 1904, the proportion was 34·14 per 10,000 of population, or l in 293 pers'ons.

The ratio has steadily increased from 1859, when reliable statistics of insanity commenced.

From the Report of the Inspectors of Lunatics for Ireland, page 16.:-Population. Lunatics Per 10,000 of

under care. population.

January 1st, 1882 5,200,000 12,982 25

1903 4,430,000 22,138 50

Otherwise stated, in 1882 the proportion was 1 insane person to 400, and m 1903 it was l to 200. Just double in twentv·one vears. .

DIVISION II.

DIVISION II.

INFANTICIDE AND

MORTALITY.

141

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DIVISION II.

INFANTICIDE AND INFANrfiLE - MORTALITY.

IN obvious sequence the subject of footicide is followed by that of infanticide.

266. Amongst· the causes of preventable infantile mortality are (N .S.W. Royal Commission, I, p. 39) :- ·

IV. A want of knowledge of the proper modes of rearing infants, exemplified by:­ (a) Prevailing belief that the artificial feeding of infants is as good as suckling. (b) Ignorance of the proper mode of artificial feeding. (c) Ignorance of the physiological needs of infants.

(d) The prevalence of the use of noxious drug". (e) The prevalence of the use of sterilised food s. (/) Erroneous belief that infants may be separated from their without injury to the infants. (g) Bad domestic hygiene.

V. Injurious quality of proprietary and olher arti-ficial foods, often recklessly advertised.

VII. Injurious effects of chemical preoervatives in milk, and in preparations of milk used as infants' food.

266. As the sphere of operations of the Commonwealth Legislature in relation to the health and lives of the citizens is limited by the Constitution, its duty to the community may perhaps be regarded as confined to restriction and where possible prohibition of the importation, advertisement, interstate transfer and postal carriage

of fraudulent, injurious, and homicidal drugs and of improper foods. Hence the report upon the present inquiry will relate itself chiefly to those articles of commerce, as well as to the nefarious practices to which some of them are designed to contribute, which may. be dealt with in the public interest. 1'he whole of the present work has

been conducted in view of the general principle that discouragement of the wrong is encouragement of the right. Further, that the general tendency of producers and traders in Australia, as represented by their manufacturing and commercial associa­ tions, is to exclude fraud under every appearance; but, unless the law is with that

tendency and forbids the immoral and even criminal exploitation of the public­ worst of all where, as in Great Britain, theState demands an eighth share in the full retail price of every, even the most pernicious, proprietary specific under quasi-medical pretence-no moral restraint can be effective. "If I don't, another will."

DEATH BY DRUGS.

257. "MoTHER's FRIEND.-This is a ' soothing syrup ' extensively used in some paris of the country. It is eminently adapted for increasing the infant mortality of the neighbourhood. Eight or ten drops usually answer the purpose, the child dying speedily with all the symptoms of opium-poisoning. The jury generally return a verdict of accidental death and mildly censure the chemist or patent-medicine vendor from whom

it was bought."-Murrell, p. 172.

"Mother's Friend'' is not a proprietary drug, inasmuch as it bears no name, and thus may be sold in the United Kingdom free of stamp duty. 'fhe Australian market is quite open to any enterprising person who will introduce it and manufacture it in each State either under that name or, say, "The Australian Baby

warranted purely herbal, absolutely harmless, prepared under the prescription of one of Her Majesty's physicians, used by Royalty, and prescribed by the Medical Faculty." Even the Commerce Act ·will not prevent this murderous but money-making fraud, which with the above statements should bo sufficiently impudent, but which will be

less audacious than another baby-opiate which has been imported and sold in Australia by the thousand gross and has certainly left long rows of tiny graves in our cemeteries.

268.

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268. "Mother's Friend" has other uses, one of which the following coroner's case sets forth (Morning Adverti8er, 10 March, 1906) :-The seq uel t o a love affai1' was heard at Stockport yesterday when Florence Downs, dom es tic servant, was charged with attempting to commit suicide by taking a do, e of laudanum and oil of aniseed. She was engaged to a young baker, wbo broke off the engagement owing to a quarrel. She endeavoured to persuade him to continue tho engagement, and, meeting him in the street, if he did not she would r oison herself. He refused, whereupon she drank something out of a, bottle and fell to the ground. He put her in a cab and conveyed her to a surgery, where the docto r applied the usual remedies a nd she recovered.

Dr. Marriott said the amount of laudanum taken was three times more than a fatal dose, and she would have died but for the promptitude with which she was treated. She also had in her pocket a fata! dose of oxalic 8>cid. She had obtained the laudanum and aniseed from a chemist's shop, saying it was for a baby, and the chemist said it was a common mixture for babies, who were peculiarly susceptible to the effects of opium. Over 15,000 babies _are done to death every year by this so-called "Mother's Friend," which was eminently adapted to increase infantile mortality.

269. Oxalic acid, because, possibly, of its easy accessibility, is a common means of suicide with females although it causes extreme suffering. But the girl knew the toxic effects of "Mother's Friend" to be merely narcotic and preferred the milder death. That is tho reason of the insertion of this case.

260. Baby-insurance is allowed by the law in many Anglo-Saxon countries, very unwisely where the preservation of the race is desired. 261. "Mother's Friend," as a baby-opiate in England is quite distinct from " Mother's Friend," a quack compound advertised and sold in America. The latter professes to strengthen a woman for child-bearing. It should be said that

I A Wife Says: "We have four children. With the first I suffered almost u:1bea.rable pa.ina fro111 J2 to J4 hours, and bad to be placed undct the influence of chlOTofonn. 1 used three bottla of Mother' .s Friend before our laat child came, which is a strong, fat an.d health¥ boy, doing my ho.usework up to within two hours of birth, and suf­fered but a few hard pains. This lini­ment i:l the Mother's Friend will do fOT every woman what it did for tilt ' Minnesota mother who writes the above let• tu. Not to t%Se it during pregnancy is a mistake: to be paid for in pain and suffc:ri!lgo. lrJothel"'s Friend equip$ the patient with a strong body and clear intel1c:ct, which iD tum are imparted to the child. It rclaua the muscla and allows them to expand. It relieva morning sickness and It puts all the organs concerned in perfect condition for the final hour, so that the: actual labor is $hart and practically painless. Dan• ger of ra1ng or ila.rd breasts is altogethu a. voided, and recovery is merely a matter of a few days. , rlrug-glsts tell Mother"s Friend for $1 a bottle. j Ille Bradfield Regulator Co., Atlanta, Ga, _l__ SGllll lot •ur freo ilhlstrate

cognisance of this confusion, with any possible misfortune in its train. 'l 1he sale of either, if for sheep or lambs (etcetera) is a misdemeanour in the United Kingdom.

262. Thencttpositionfrequcntlyis: "\Vhen baby dies we get twentypounds jn casl1, ::wd a pound or less will pay for the funeral." The difference between fceticide and infanticide can be in the mind only, for it is but a question of when to take the life. 'The maternal instinct must often operate to some extent if only to withhold from savage cruelty and, as the eminent toxicologist suggests, a few drops of any of the many narcotic child-poisons regu­ larly sold will at least do the business merci­ fully, whilst inquiry will be rare indeed. On this point the opinions and knowledge of the ablest authorities are elsewhere given.

263. The action of opium largely depends upon the morphine which it contains. rrhe three most important salts of morphine are the acetate, sulphate, and l1ydrochlorate. Both morphine and its salts are partly soluble in water and completely in gastric juice.

rrhe action of morphine differs from that of opium in that it is less diaphoretic and less constipating and about six times as active. Othenvise their action is verv much alike. Cases of suicidal and homicidal poisoning by the aid of opium or morphine are extremely common, and accidental cases from the taking of an overdose are also common. Accidental

(?) poisonings from its use in patent medicines are very common, es pecially among infants. 'l'ho majority of tl.o soothing cough-mixtures and sedatives contain opium or morphine in

large amounts. People vary to a great extent

in their suseeptibility to opiates, depending upon idiosyncrasy and upon the fact that confirmed habits of opium and morphine taking are very common. Death has occurred

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occurred in adults after taking 2i grains of the extract or 2 drachms of the tincture of opium, and }-of a grain has caused the death of an infant. One drop of laudanum has caused the death of a child 7 days old. "Five grains would be a fatal dose to most persons."·-(Taylor.)

264. "Action of Opium on infants.-It is important to bear in mind that infants and young persons are liable to be killed by small doses of opium, and they appear to be peculiarly susceptible to the effects of this poison. A child 4 months old was nearly killed by the administration of 1 grain of Dover's Powder containing only part of a grain of opium [which is the usual dose of some of the baby-narcotics.]

Four grains of the same powder (=}grain of opium) were given to a child 4! years old. It soon became comatose and died in seven hours. A child 9 months old was killed in nine hours by four drops of laudanum (or i grain of opium). Various cases of i.nfants killed by t of a grain o£ opium. One died in eighteen hours from the effects of one-fifteenth part of a grain of opium. Coma, with the usual symptoms, was complete

in half an hour. The smallest fatal case recorded is of an infant of 4 weeks dying within seven hours from the effects of a dose of paregoric elixir, equal to one-ninetieth of a grain. With a knowledge of the facts it is not surprising that infants are occasionally destroyed by opium under circumstances from which an adult would not suffer."-(Taylor.)

Morphine is still more rapid in its action, but need not be dealt with here in detail.

265. The fact iR constantly emphasised by the toxicologists that infants are peculiarly susceptible to the effects of opium. \:Vhere death does not supervene, and the child recovers, its distress and suffering in consequence of the poisoning are also disproportionately great. I have not found in their writings an adequate

explanation of this susceptibility; but having consulted these distinguished men personally, they agreed to my suggestion that the explanation afforded by the researches of Professor von Behring is probably correct. I made in 1903 a transla­ tion of his lecture delivered at Cassel upon the "Genesis of Tuberculosis." In it the

great specialist said: "The human suckling, like all other mammals, in its digestive apparatus is devoid of the protective arrangements, which in its mature state, normally prevent the intrusion of disease germs into the juices of the tissues. It required many years of experimental work, in order to establish incontestably this fact. I shall state in a summary manner the main proofs of my doctrine of the easy

permeability of the digestive canal for all disease germs, and especially for tubercular bacilli. I started from the unexpected discovery of my co-worker, Roemer, that genuine albuminous bodies must firstly be digested and converted into so-called peptone, before they can pass tbe intestinal mucous membrane. The curative diphtheria serum and tetanus serum contain curative bodies in the form of genuine

albumen. Of these, after absorption into the stomach, not a trace goes over into the blood of healthy mature animals and human beings. ·with the newly-born, on the contrary, the unaltered anti-toxic albumen, after such absorption, can almost quantitatively be proved by experiment. 'l'his discovery declares that the largest

molecules known to us-molecules of genuine albulilen-cannot penetrate unaltered the mature mucous membranes, whose function in mature animals is that of dialysis, whilst the mucous, membranes of sueklings act like a coarse-pored filter. It was merely a natural consequence of this recognition of the exceptional position of the

mucous membranes of infants that I should inquire whether bacteria pass through those membranes in any other young mammals.

"The reason of this permeability of the mucous membrane in the newly­ born is that the latter have no connected epithelial covering upon those membranes, and their ferment-separating glands are only slightly, or not at all, developed."

266. It follows, therefore, that the mucous membrane of infants is still more readily permeable by the smaller molecules of a vegetable poison and its alkaloids. It is interesting and possibly important for other considerations; but in the presPnt relation is not worth the least experiment o1· investigation. In countries of

equal civilisation with our own, it is a criminal offence to offer for sale, or to give away, or to sell, and still more to adm.inister to children, the poison here considered, at all.

267. Moro, in his "Biologische Beziehungen zwischen Milch uncl Serum," Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift, 1001, page 1073, shows that "the bactericidal power of the blood serum of breast-fed infants markedly exceeds that of artificially­ fed ones." Investigations made subsequently confirm, to the degree of the

*97267 -K examinations

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examinations made, Moro's observation. (Vide Journal ..IL.M . .A., January, 1907, p. 304, et seq.) Otherwise stated, it is shown that mothers who nurse their babies give them a better disease-resisting power than do those who feed them on "patent" foods. 268. Dr. A. Schlossmann in his address at the Fifth International Tuberculosis Conference at the Hague, declared tha,t

von Behring's lecture at Cassel, above quoted, in directing attention to the connection between infection in infancy and the subsequent development of the tubercular hearths in the adult body was the most impor'cmt step of progress in the campaigh against tuberculosis since the discovery of the tubercle bacillus. . Beitriige zur Klinik der Tuberculose, Wtirzburg, xlvii, page 1689, quoted by the Journal of the A .• W.A. :-

Careful study of the records and wide personal experience have convinced Schlossmann that the from tuberculosis in infancy is much higher than indicated by the official reports. He regards 6·8 per cent. as the general average death-rate from tuberculosis during the first year of life. He accepts it as established that a primary tuber• culous affection of the lungs and bronchial glands can originate from the intestinal tract, and that infection by way of inhalation is of much less frequent occurrence. He is also convinced that tuberculosis in the overwhelming majority of cases is a "child's disease." Persons who escape it during childhood seldom develop it later. This assumption explains among other things the larger proportion of cases of tuberculosis among the poor. The children of the well-to-do are better protected during childhood, while in later life the conditions arc more even in the two classes. Prevention of tuberculosis among children is a problem that can be solved with comparatively little effort and expense. If only a tenth of the sums spent hitherto in combating tuberculosis among adults were diverted to prophylaxis of

the disease among children, inestimable good might result. The rearing of huma,n beings free from tuberculosis is a much easier task, he asserts, than the attempt to cure the already-existing disease.

\Vhat a vista of inestimable usefulness that opens up for a Commonwealth Health Office! It would be an immigration agency all to itself.

The Systematic Drugging of Children. 269. In the report of the Children's Employment Commission, allusion is made to the systematic drugging of children with opium in the factory districts of England. It is said to commence soon after birth, and the dose is gradually increased until the child that survives can take up to fifteen or twenty drops of laudanum at once. As "the law" permits the unlimited sale of the secret opiates, and they are so much sold and used it would seem a pity that this wide experimentation with young human creatures is not so systematised that exact results could be ascertained. It seems a waste of life from every humanitarian point of view. Not, of course, from that of the wealthy drug-packers. The largest sale is enjoyed by an American firm, which derives a vast income from this homicidal traffic. I was authoritatively informed in New York that there are four partners, all very wealthy, two of them

bankers, not one of them a chemist or physician. The preparation is made in Massachusetts ; the active ingredients are morphine and chloroform. No customs duty is charged in England nor revenue stamp upon this deadly drug, hence the "boon of cheapness." Chemists in Australia have assured me that little children who can hardly speak are sent to their shops for this opiate, where it is largely sold. And they get it "for baby." As elsewhere narrated, I have myself bought in England, by way of test, without the least check, through little children, poisonous narcotics each enough to wipe out a family. A good-sized bottle is sold for one shilling, or less at stores. There is plenty of competition in the

due to the "free play of natural forces," and there are many packers of these poisons, all of which contain opium or its salts. 270. I trust that the following anecdote may be thought instructive, as being mere experience. General Clarkson, Chief Landing Surveyor of the port of New York, said to me," Last Sunday (in November) I walked in Central Park, the day being cold, with a harsh wintry wind. Some nursemaids were there with ckildren in perambulators. One of them chatted with her young man. The arms and face of the baby in her charge were blue with cold, so that the infant began to cry piteously. The girl 'soothed' it, not by caresses, but taking a phial from her pocket, poured something into the baby's mouth, who soon lay still in a stupor,

exposed to cold as before." Now opium, as shown, has a specially active effect upon babies, and not least mischievous is its property of retarding or arresting digestion. Such a child, from the circumstances of tlw anecdote, would very likely be naturally a healthy specimen. :But it must awake in suffering, when again it would be drugged, its digestive apparatus again disturbed. And General Clarkson continued:

" The other day a man of my acquaintance came to me and asked me to :find employment for a relative of his. 'l'he man is worth forty millions of dollars (eight millions sterling), made out of one of these 'patent' medicines. I said to him, '.No, you are well able to look after your own dependents.' Why should I provide for his relatives when he can himself make forty millions in that way ? " No name mentioned, but the story is significant. In the course of this inquiry I have come into contact with, and had gracious reception from, men of great talents and high

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attainments, who exhibit an infinite capacity for taking pains, who are devoting their whole energies to the cause of science and humanity. No one knows better the huge success of the miserable swindles around them. Some of them work for mean salaries in the public service; and told me so; whilst big fortunes are piled up

by less brainy men, under shelter of the law, through wide-dealing fraud. 271. The statistics of infantile death show the res ults that might be expected from the use of these narcotic poisons as described by the English Employment Commission ("Industrial Efficiency"):-·

The mean infantile death-rate (deaths under one year to 1,000 births) of the twenty-eight large towns (of Great Britain) in the fourteen years 1888- 1901 was 175; that of Blackburn was 203, and of Preston 231. Nor is there any apparent tendency to diminution, but rather the contmry, although the birth-rate has fallen heavily, as the following table will show :-

Birth-rates and Infant Mortality at Blackburn.

Years. 1883-1886 1898-1901

Births per 1,000. 37·4 28·3

Deaths under one year per 1,000 born. 166·2 202'7

Bradford Infantile Death-rate (per 1,000 born). Bolton .. . Oldham .. .

Blackburn Preston ...

169 172 179 202

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272. The infantile mortality of Australia is far too high, say 110 per 1,000 born, in the first year. But the figures just quoted show a worse rate by from 50 per cent. to more than double. And they are not the highest rates in Great Britain. Many causes have been stated at the opening of this chapter besides the use of narcotics and which are more operative, but that constitutes an additional reason for

excluding actual homicide. I can find no word which more fairly describes the administration of drugs known to be deadly.

Winter Blyth, M.R.C.S., F.C.S., Bar­ rister at Law, etc., etc., "Poisons," 4th edition, 1906:- ·· Of European Countries England has the greatest

proportional num:ber of opium poisonings. In France opium or morphine poisoning accounts for about 1 per cent. of. the whole; a.nd Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and Germany all give proportionate numbers. The more con­ siderable mortality arises in great measure from the

pernicious practice, both of the hard-working English mother and of the baby-farmer, o.f giving infants various forms of opium sold under the name of " soothing­ syrups," "infants' friends," "infants' preservatives,"

"nurses' drops," and the like, to allay restlessness and to keep them asleep during the greater part of their existence.

273. (Whilst agreeing with my conclu­ sions, a member of the Council of the British

IN f/6£ OfiER FIFTY rEARS. RELIEVE FEVERISH HEAT. . PREVENT FITS1 CONVULSIONS, &C. PRESERVE A HEAL THY STATE OF THE CONSTITUTION DURING THE PERIOD

O.F TEETHING.

ona..:.va. T-M& c;E "' aTa5QIMAJc,

WALWORTH, EE ·. SURREY. EE TAYLOR AND CO. . ELLIO'r.r BRoS •• ANl>

Medical Association asked was I aware of tbe infantile mortality rates of German manufac- tV SOOTIJING RELIEVE FEVERISH HEAT. I'ICE· V£NT nTS, CONVt:LSlONS. t.to. > Pl!!;SERVE A HEIILTI:IY STATE OF I TilE CO!iSTITGTION. I SOOTHING l'OWDf.l!S. I AT WALWORTU, CONTAL'l !W PO!SO!'I. rLCASt: (>BSERYE THE EE in STEEDMAI;. SOLD BY ELLIOTT BROS. turing towns. I quoted some much higher than

those of Lancashire, and here it should be said that whilst the cause under consideration is practically absent in Germany, the other causes -such as wrong feeding, insufficient attention,

carelessness, and above all the inability to obtain good milk-are more active than even in Lancashire and Yorkshire with a still higher death-rate. Germa.ny is not and can never be a pastoral country. Almost all cows and other farm animals in

Saxony, for instance, are housed . aU their lives long. There are no fences to fields or roads. Therefore an ::nimal can only be feel in the open if held by a rope. The consequences to the ammals are ill-health and phthisis resultinO' in a limited and dear milk supply.) ' 0

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274. Calomel (Mercurous Chloride-Chloride of Mercury, Hg2C1 2). Cttlomel is used in medicine very largely, and on account of its common use, with which almost all people are familiar, it is not generally considered as a poison, and yet it may produce death when given in doses which would not be considered excessive, providing there is an idiosyncrasy on the part of the individual. In such cases death is the result of excessive salivation and ulceratirm, with the exhaustion and toxremia dependent

on them. Cases are not infrequent in which subacute poisoning follows the external use of black wash, which consists of 1 drachm of calomel to 8 oz. of lime-water. In large doses calomel acts as does corrosive sublimate, but in a milder way, as an irritant poison. poisoning from calomel occurs, the possibility of contamination with corrosive sublimate must be considered.-(Dwight, 118.)

This substance, although commonly regarded as a mild medicine, is capable of destroying life, in small doses, by causing excessive salivation with ulceration and gangrene, and in large doses by acting as an irritant II, 454.)

275. Mercurous chloride is the active ingredient in the teething powders sold by the thousand gross annually throughout Australia. Up to the present our laws provide no check, examination, knowledge, or control of any kind. :But our analyses have revealed this remarkable fact, which should, however, give us no surprise­ that some packets contain double doses and others none at all! The stuff is made

up of starch and calomel. The mixing js careless, being under no legal super­ vision where it is done, neither is there any implied guarantee nor any provision at all as there is in the case of lambs, calves, pigs and chickens. When mercurial poisoning follows, as to guide ourselves by the authorities it sometimes must, the mother will never know. Other "soothing powders '' contain morphine, also in extremely irregular doses, which tends to arrest digestion, to injure the vital · organs, to lower the baby's vitality, temperature, and po·wers of assimilation. It is

mischievous only and contains no remedial property. Certainly our graveyards are paved with the bodies of poisoned children. The pathologist tells us that " not 1 per cent. of the cases are even suspected, and that it is not so much injury as death that results."

276. THE HOPE OF MANOHESTERISM.

Mr. J. Compton Rickett, M.P.:-Babies are getting scarcer, and, according to the inevitable law of supply and demand, are rising in value.

ii BOMJIJ • OBA.'l'. JANUARY 13, 1906.

FENNINGS' f'or Children Cutting their reeth. They prevent Convulsions. Are Cooling and .Soothing-. \Do not cotttain Antimony, Calomel, Opium, Morphia, or anything injurious to a tender babe.) Sold Every. where iu Stamped lloxes, Is, aud 2s. 9d., with Cull directions, or post free 15 and stamps. Salt HI LOREN'S (Ob.1erve, PENNINGS' CHILDREN'S POWDERS alone hftve the Tntde Mark thereon of'' A Baby in a Cradle.") contrnmng Valflab!e FllnW OD J<'cf'cf. il1g. Teething, Weaning-, l:;leej:Jil!g, &c. your.Chornht .lil".Gtocf:lr tor 11. lo'RE.fi.JCopy, or one -wllllm eetJt l'OS'l' FR 011 :l.ppltcntlon to AU'!': ED ble M W\ght. --- ---· OWDERs· Druggists Circular and Chemical Gazette of the United States. DEATH FROM PROPRIETARY MEDICINES. 277. Baltimore authorities are aroused over the deaths of several infants, and a statement has been made by A .• J. S. Owens, State's Attorney. He quotes a coroner's jury's verdict, as follows:-"Baltimore, 18 December, 1905. "George William Franklin Lancaster, white, aged 3 months and 14 days, died 15th December, at 25, Frederick-avenue extended, on account of a dose of Kopp's 'Baby's Friend,' given by his mother, while suffering with indigestion. Request at the South-westion Police Station, 18th December, 1905. The jury warns the public not to use Kopp's 'Baby's Friend.' -0. FRANK JONES, Coroner." and adds: "I call the attention of the mothers of this city to the above verdict of the coroner's jury. The evidence before that body showed that there was no way to account for the death of the baby unless the ten drops of the medicine administered to it contained morphia sufficient to kill the child. "The case emphasises the necessity of the refusal by the public to use any remedy not prescribed by a practising physician, and at the same time the urgent need of a law prohibiting the sale of any patent or proprietary medicine containing any deadly drug unless the same is labelled 'poison.'" 278. To a reporter of the Baltimore Sun, the State's Attorney said :-"The reason why I determined upon this means of calling public notice to the case and to the danger of using the remedy was this : "The evidence at the inquest showed that not only this child, but probably three others in the neighbourhood, had died recently from the use of patent medicine administered to them. "In

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A. J. S. Owens-continued.

"In this particular case there was nobody to charge with the crime, and nobody to indict, the. eonviction of whom would tea,ch the public lesson required. The mother bad not only innocently, but affectionately, given the child the stuff. The person who manufactured the medicine could not be indicted under the circumstances for murder, and yet the danger from the indiscriminate use of

injuriou1; medicines is apparent from the·facts disclosed. "I, therefore, adopted this method of calling the attention of the public, hoping by so doing to save the lives of many children." "The existing law in reference to the sale of poisonous drugs by druggists does not apply to proprietary preparations sold in bulk." .

Mr. Owens also explained that he felt the need of a law which would compel the makers o£ patent medicines containing poison to label their goods "poison," for the protection of the community and of people who would not heed a warning not to use drugs unless prescribed by a physician.

279. Dr. JohnS. Fulton, secretary of the State Board of Health, had this to say of the statement of Mr. Owens :-,,All patent medicines that contain morphine, cocaine, or acetanilide should be labelled poison, and there should be a law against the sale of any that are not so marked.

" All patent medicines are not in themselves dangerous in composition, but they are in the. fact that they persuade a man to prescribe for some disease that he thinks he has, and there is great danger in this. No physician can give a correspondence course oi treatment for any disease." "Practically all the medicines that do not contain dangerous drugs are 'boozes,' and, therefore, injurious. All the headache remedies contain acetanilide, where they used to have antipyrine. The last is too costly now, and the other poison is used."

"All such medicines are sold on the theory that a man can tell what is the matter with him when he feels sick. He cannot prescribe for diabetes, for instance, and the doctor has to study the case closely to give an effective course of treatment for any disease. The treatment of a sick man is strictly individual." " Patent medicines teach people to drug themselves. If the medicine does not do any harm, it is the wildest kind of a to believe it wm do any good. It is true enough that all patent

medicines are not positively dangerous, but many of them are. One class that is seldom dangerous is the aperients."

280. "Another thing that there should be a law against is the practice of distributing samples. Put up to look like a lozenge, the agent simply tosses from three to five headache powders in a doorway, sometimes rings the bell and sometimes not. Any child playing in the doorway would be tempted to eat from the attractive package. Three tablets of a headache powder would kill a child of six

or seven years." "There is no law in Maryland against the distributing of such samples, but there should be. There is a law against sending such stufi' through the mails unless to a physician, and then only when marked plainly as a sample, and not for sale."

281. "One of the most remarkable things in the patent medicine business is the demand for. names and addresses. For their advertising purposes the manufacturers have created a demand for these, and many quacks frequently sell whole lists of people with whom they have had correspondence. They also buy copies oi death records. Birth records are also in great demand for the infant nostrum

people. Some boards of health make much money in this business. It is not possible in Baltimore, but I know it is done in some parts o! the country. Morally it is a crime, of course, but in some places it is not even against the law." '' A great danger oi acetanilide is its use by drunkards. Specialists in nervous diseases recognise

the existence of many cases where one habit has been added to another by the sale of 'bracers,' like headache and 'the morning after' remedies, to men who drink. In addition to alcohol, they acquire the acetanilide habit, and are wrecks twice as soon. The treatment of this is attracting much attention in hospitals and sanitariums."

"Maryland should by all means have a law as suggested by Mr. Owens."

282. Dr. C. Hampson Jones, Assistant Commissioner of Health, said he did not know the details of the case very fully, but that he was heartily in accord with Mr. Owens' idea of a law affecting the sale of patent medicines." "Mr. Owens says label them as poisons," said Dr. Jones, "but why should poison be sold to

the public at all?" "It appeals to common-sense generally that the sale and use of medicines of which people know nothing is dangerous and should be prohibited." " Anything that contains opium in any form is most dangerous. Opium is a poison which

affects children remarkably. Every physician knows oi cases where children have been made dangerously ill by the drug given by nurses to make them quiet. I can only say that I see no reason why poison should be sold at all." "I know of no provision in our present law regulating the sale of poison by druggists that affects

the sale of proprietary medicines, whether they do or do not contain dangerous drugs. 'fhere should be, and I would heartily favour it."

283. Charles E. Dohme, vice-president of Sharp and Dohme, manufacturing chemists, regards the use of patent medicines as dangerous. He does not believe in their use in the cases of young children, for it is at this stage that they are most used, and the most fatal results follow.

284.

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·- 284. "All patent medicines are dangerous," said Dr. David Streett to the same reporter. "All

baby remedies, sueh as soothing syrups and other medicines that are sold already prepared, contain more or less poison. I do not know of one exception." "I would like to see a law passed prohibiting the sale of all proprietary or patent medicines. Some of them may be good remedies, but it is the indiscriminate use of them that work the harm."

"To illustrate : I may write a prescription for a man suffering with a certain ailment, and 1m may be cured. He may work in a shop or factory and come in contact with a number of men in the course of years, many of whom may think they have the same ailment my patient had. He gives each of them his prescription, expecting the medicine to have a like effect on them. It is improbable that one man in a hundred would need the same kind of medicine or the same medicine in the same dose as I prescribed for my patient. Yet, weak or strong, they all take it, and the consequence is that some of them are more harmed than helped. If my patient needed strong medicine, it would be dangerous for a weakly­ constituted man to take it, especially i£ I had prescribed morphine."

-· "A physician spends four }'ears in a medical school, a lawyer spends three in a law school, and a

druggist the same number in a pharmaceutical college. Before any of these can practise their respective professions the State requires them to pass an examination before the examining boards as an extra precaution. It is a violation of the Jaw for a druggist to compound drugs without having first passed the required examination, as it is a violation for a physician to prescribe for a patient without having passed the State medical board."

"Yet some unknown person, who has accounted to no authority as to his competency to compound drugs, will make a preparation, keep the ingredients secret, give it a name, and sell it to the public. The ingredients may be reliable medicines when prescribed properly, but mixed into a patent nostrum there is little cbanc2 that they will work good once in a thousand times."

285. With the Journal of the .Americctn Jlfedical .Association constantly reminding physicians of their duties to tbe public, with the Ladies' Horne Journal carrying some much-needed information to the mothers of the ]and, with Collier's Weekly showing up the frauds of the nostrum "system" in America, with J'he .Druggists' Circular sticking to its old course of warning the druggists concerning the dangerous character of much of the secret stuff they handle, and with some of the daily papers awakening to the seriousness of the situation, and, possibly, being shamed by the exposure of their position of subser­ viency to the nostrum advertisers, we may expect to see rapid developments in the field of "patent" medicines from now on.

286. With the exception of the accusations against Boards of Health, the whole of the foregoing applies with accuracy to Australia.

Carminati.ves.

T11ylor, II,: ,, 287. Godfrey's Cordial.-This is chiefly a mixture of infusion of sassafras, treacle, tincture of opium. p, '175. . . The quantity of tincture of opium contained in it is stated, on the authority of Paris, to be one drachm in six ounces of the mixture, or hal£ a grain of opium to one fluid ounce; but it is probable that, like the so-called syrup of poppies, its strength is subject to variation. A case has been reported at which half a

teaspoomul ( = 8\- part of a grain o£ opium) was alleged to have caused the death of an infant. 288, Dalby's Carminative.--This is a compound of several essential oils and aromatic tinctures and p{lppermint water, with carbonate of magnesia and tincture of opium. According to Paris, there are five minims of the tincture, or the one .. sixth of a grain in a fluid ounce. The formula commonly given is-Carbonate of magnesium forty grains, oil of peppermint one minim, of nutmegs two minims, of aniseed three minims, tincture of opium five minims, spirit of pennyroyal and tipcture of asafretida of each fifteen minims, tincture o£ castor and compound tincture of cardamoms o£ each thirty minims, and of . peppermint water two ounces. According to this formula, tincture of opium forms about the one two-hundredth part by measure, or one teaspoonful contains about the one-fiftieth ·part of a grain of opium. Like most o£ these quack preparations, it varies in strength. An infant is reported to have been destroyed by forty drops of this nostrum, a quantity; according to the strength assigned, equivalent to more than half a minim of the tincture, or about one seventy-fifth of a grain of opium. Accidents frequently occur from its use, partly owing to ignorance, and partly to gross carelessness on the part of mothers and nurses.

289. Chlorodyne.-[Owing to the great success of this preparation, it was analysed as accurately as possible, and the result of the analysis made official, under the title Tinct. chloroform et morph. cd.-Ed.] A Jady, ret. 23, had been accustomed to take this liquid for the relief of pain, in doses of as much as sixty drops. She was found dead in bed, and the cause of death was referred by her medical attendant to her having tahm two doses without letting a sufficient interval elapse between them.-(Lancet, 1871, 2, p. 697.) According to E. Smith, chlorodyne is thus constituted :-Chloroform four fluid drachms, hydrochlorate of morphia twenty grains, ether two fluid drachms, oil of peppermint eight minims, prussic acid six fluid drachms, mixture of gum acacia one fluid ounce, and treacle four fluid ounces.-(Lancet, 1870, I, 72.) There is reason to believe that this compound is not uniform in composition. According to another formula

the tinctures of lobelia and capsicum, sulphate of atropine, or extract of belladonna, and extract of liquorice are introduced. One sample, on standing, separated into two liquids, one light and of a pale straw colour a:nd the other 6f a brown colour and syrupy consistency. On evaporation, it left part of its weight of solid residue as saccharine matter. Another sample remained in a thick syrupy state. A fluid drachm of the first sample left as a residue twenty-seven grains oi a brown saccharine extract. Prussic acid may be

detected in it by the reaction o.f the vapour on silver nitrate. Crystals o:i' cyanide of silver are obtained after some time. Morphine may be detected in it by shaking a portion with a mixture of disulphide of carbon and iodic acid. The disulphide acquires a pink colour, owing to the separation o£ iodine by the morphine. Deaths from ch'lorodyne are frequent. Various preparations contain from one to six grains of hydrochlorate of morphine per fluid ounce. According to Sir Thomas Stevenson, it contains about three g-rains o£ this salt per fluid ounce, and the prussic acid is now omitted. [It is inclu-:led in the pharmacopreiill substitute, viz.: tinct. chlorof. morpb.-Ed.]

The

79

The action o£ chlorodyne on the pupils is not uniform; and this want of uniformity ot action has been attributed to atropine, an alkaloid the presence of which has never with certainty been demonstrated in chlorodyne. Some hold that in small doses chlorodyne does not con.tr!!

cause contraction. No precise statement can be made on this point. Usually in fatal and d;;mgerous cases there is contraction. In a case which occurred at Brighton, in September, 1891, where a child had chlorodyne given to it, and the child was subsequently immersed in the sea, there was dilatation of the pupils.-(R. v. Green, Lewes A ss. , December, 189 1.) Dowse records the following case :-A man was found on the pavement, and by him an empty 1-ounce bottle of Collis Browne's Chlorodyne, and his brea,th smelt strongly of th e liquid. The countenance was livid, the pulse 160 per minute, small, and weak, the respiration irregular ; and the pupils were alternately dilated and contracted. Later they became contracted for hal£ an hour. The patient was treated early, never became absolutely comatose, and r ecovered."­

(Pharm. Jour., 11, 186 \J-70, p. 282.) 290. Nepenthe.-In a case tried at t he Chester A ssizes, the nature of the compound sold under the above name was tlw subject of inquiry. It is a pale, sherry-coloured liquid, of a spirituous odour, with the smell of opium and an acid reaction. It contains 3·4 per cent. of solid matter, consisting chiefly of a

purifi ed extract of opium with a small quantity of sugar. It also con tains a trace of tannic acid, which causes a darkening of the liquid when a ferric salt is added to it for the detection of meconic acid. This disappears, and the red colour of ferric meconate is brought out when a small quantity of dilute sulphuric acid is added to it. Morphine is readily detected in it by shaking with iodic add and clisulphide of carbon.

The disulphide acquires a distinct red colour. It may be regarded as a purified alcoholic solution of meconate of morphine, with a little excess of acid, and of about the same strength as laudanum. It bas a similar mode of action. A very small quantity has sufficed to destroy t he life of an infant. An infant 14 days old died under the following circumstances: Some was procured at a druggist's and 'it

was put in a bottle which had contained nepenthe. A teaspoonful was given to the infant. It soon fell asleep, and died in a short time under all the symptoms of narcotic poisoning.-(Pharm. Jour., 1872, p. 779.) .

Nepenthe is a purified alcoholic solution of morphine meconate in sherry wine.-(Potter, Mat. Med. 358.) .

291. Mrs. Winslow's "Soothing Syrup." -This remedy, called also "Quietness,'' appears to be a· Taylor. compound resembling syrup of poppies. Its effects are those of a narcotic. Two doses of this caused the death of a child aged 15 months, with the usual symptoms of narcotic poisoning.-(P/tarm. Jour., 1872, p. 618.) An analysis of this syrup showed that 1 ounce of it contained nearly 1 grain of morphine with

other opium alkaloids.-(Pha1·m. Jour., 1872, p. 975.) In 1893 a sample was found to contain only .f1l of a grajn per :fluid ounce. It is not surprising that it should prove fatal to infants in small doses:

292. "Mrs. Winslow's ' Soothing Syrup,' contains morphine with essence of anise and syrup of tolu. After years of persistent denial, its proprietors have admitted that it contains t grain of morphine in each fluid ounce." -(Potter, p. 358:) Another authority gives for " Mrs. ·winslow's Syrup " i grain of opium alkaloids per fluid ounce. · .

Here we get humbug, lies, and great variation of the opium contents. Thi,s nostrum must cause hecatombs of deaths in every cop.Jl.try where it is sold, audit is one of the most lucrative of all the secret drugs. As to the contents, the manngef,, or foreman, or whatever employee is in charge of the drug-mixing, can vary th't;"

mixtm·e as seems to him most }1l'Ofitable. I am informed of a case in New Zealand, probably a very common one, where a mother herself said that she gave her baby a dose of the drug when she wanted to go to a dance, leaving the child quite alone in the house for the night in a stupor. 'rhe drug-packers cause the then

supply the demand, and our laws are complacent.

Journal of the A.M.A., 9th February, 1907, page 535:­ MORE DEATHS FROM SOOTHING SYRUPS. 293. :Or. John E. Campbell, South St. Paul, lVIinn., reports the death of a child, aged 10 months, from the effects of Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup, administered by the parents for restlessness.

Dr. Thomas C. Buxton, Decatur, Ill., Coroner of :Macon County, reports the death of a child from the effects of R ex Cough Syrup. An inquest was held and the following verdict was rendered :­ " 1'he aforesaid child came to its death from an accumulation of cough syrup administered for the croup and a cold." Dr. Buxton stat es that the child had a c?ld, and that it died from poisoning.

Dr. J. Elliott Dorn, Brooklyn, reports the death of a ch1ld from the effects of the administration of Monell's 'I.'eething Syrup. H e states that the baby had been extremely cross and three drops of the preparation were administered, followed in one hour by ten drops more.

Kopp's Baby's Friend Still Deadly.

294. The twin children of Joseph Minolich of New Castle, Pa., died as the result of an overdose of some" patent medicine." Dr. Jesse R. Cooper, New Castle, to whom we wrote for information, reports as follows:- . -

"The family were very. reticent in giving me any as Mr. Minolich sells the prepara· tion. I finally found the physician who attended the chlldren, and obtained the information. The n ame of the medicine is Kopp's Baby's Friend. The parents gave it acco

children were not sick; they lived about one day after beginning to take the medicine. When Dr. Warner, the attending physician, saw them, they were in the last stages of opium poisoning. They had not been given any other medicine. The_ children were six weeks old.'': . _ J c:::. -" 295.

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295. Anxiety for Animals-A Successful

HALL

New Bond Street, W.

,Friday Evening9 May . 4th, 1906 AT HALF-PAST EIGHT O'CLOCK

GRAND EVENING CoNcERT IN AlD OF THE FUNDS OF

The L0N00N INSTITUTI0N and HeME

L0ST and ST11RVING eaTS FOR

President The Hon. the EARL OF HADDINGTON

Patrons:

B.H. PRINCESS ALEXIS DOLGOROUKI H.S.H. PRINCESS LOWENSTEIN WERTHEIM HER GRACE THE DUCHESS OF WESTMINSTER HER GRACE EVELYN DUCHESS OF WELLINGTON

HER GRACE THE DUCHESS OF SUTHERLAND 'HER GRACE MAY DUCHESS OF·SUTHERLA;.;D THE DOWAGER COUNTESS OF LINDSEY THE COUNTESS OF DUDLEY

THE COUNTESS OF WARWICK LADY ANNALY THE COUNTESS OF ANNESLEY LORD HATHERTON THE COUNTESS OF RODEN LORD BRAi"E

·ALICE, COUNTESS OF STRAFFORD LADY ALGERNON LENNOX THE COUNTESS OF PLYMOUTH THE LADY AUDREY BULLER THE COUNTESS OF KILMORLY THE LADY FREDERICK CAVENDISH THE COUNTESS OF A YLESFORD COUNTESS DE CASTELLA

THE COUNTESS OF WESTMORLAND THE LADY FRANCIS CECIL THE EARL OF MEXBOROUGH THE LADY VIRGINIA SANDERS THE EARL OF HADDINGTON THE LADY EDITH CORRY VISCOUNTESS ESHER THE LADY MARIA PONSONBY

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Madame SOBRINO Miss FLORENCE CASTEllE Miss ETHEL PENDER-CUDLIP Miss LUCIA FVDEll Miss ANNIE GREW

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Mlle. JANOTHA WINIFRED CHRISTm

ADELINA DE LARA

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SOFA STALLS, £/ Is., lOs. 6d. ·a: Ss. UNRESERVED, 2s. 6d. Tl CKETS may be obtained at the BOX OFFICE.lEOL!AN HALL; CHAPPELL & Co. Ltd., so, New Bond St. and Box Office, Queen's Hall; KEITH, PROWSE & Co. Ltd., 42, Poland Street, Oxford Street, W., 162, New Bond Street and Branches; MITCHELL, 33, Old Bood Street and Branches; LACON & OLLIER, 168a, New Bond St., W.; CECIL RoY, 15, Place, South Cafe Royal, and Branches; J. B. CRAMER & Co. Ltd.,

126, Oxlord Street, W.; LEADER & Co., Royal Arcade, Old Bond St.; ASHTON, 38, Old Bond Street, and 35, Sloane Street, S.W.; ALFRED HAVS, 26, Old Bond Street, and 4, Royal Exchange Buildings, Cornhill, E. C.; WEBSTER & WADDINGToN, Ltd., 304, Regent Street, W. ; Box Office, Steinway Hall; Box Office, Bechstein Hall ; Box Office, ARMV AND NAVY \llictotia Street, S:W.; DisTRICT MESSENGER AND THEATRE TICKET Co.,

193. Piccadilly, W.; CIVIL SERVICE SuPPLY STORES, 138, Queen Victoria Street,E.C.; and of Mrs. MORGAN, London Institution and Home for Lost and Starving Cats, 86-89, Ferdinand St., Camden Town ; and

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Child

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Child Murder on system.

296. Photographs of advertisements have been supplied in this Report setting forth how unnatural mothers are desirous of placing their babies with "kind ladies." Everyone ·has seen that sort of thing a hundred times. It means murder often, if not always. At the least it is the casting-away of their offspring, and "the law '

·'tij s DAILY SATURDAY. OCTOBER 27. 1906.

TRADING IN BABIES. BUILDING

•

II

THRE:El WOMEN CONVICTED. Mr. J. '

.._ At the Quarter SessionD yesterday Judge lllur- del" ot cepted

ray beard charges against three women ot deal- street tng unlawfully with babies. 1\lr. Herbert Har· pro vi ris pro.aecuted (or the ,...,. '

* * * * *

* * * * *

regards it lightly. 'Vithin the last few weeks a learned judge sen­ tenced a woman named Scholes, h h t h d

::;entor-constablc Davoren said he knew

W 0 WaS S OWn 0 ave "a opted" Scholes for some yeal's. Several months ago

d got r' d of e' ht f th he had occasion lo gn tn Rose Bay, where an 1 1g 0 ese Scholes was living, aod be found in her resi- superfiUOUS Anglo-Saxons, to the dence five or six b,.btes from three to twelve f • h h ' months old. She was a married womaa living term 0 eig teen mont s im- apart !rom her bulband for some yeaJB, Wl\-prisonment. Two other women :n ess repnrted the mattu to the ,Sta.te 0\l.U- dren's Relief Department, tfle chll

a legal point the conviction was quashed.) Had larceny been shown the conviction and sentence would have held good. Apparently there is only half the turpitude in causing the death of five babies and risking the lives of others that there is in stealing, or assisting to steal, three lambs.

298. At the same assizes, a man was sentenced for embezzlement to a term of seven years' penal servitude. Doubtless he thoroughly deserves it. But it is clear that "the law '' regards ns the greatm· crime an offence against property, and as the less crime these outrages upon helpless and h apless babes. , Property does not make a

Commonwealth. 299. In 1\1arch, 1904, two persons, a young man and a young woman, were prosecuted for ancl convicted of torturing a chilcl in Perth, West Australia. The woman had been given the child, as she said. Or.e evening, a neighbour who had

*97267--L for

153

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for some days compassionated and fed the forlorn little fellow (he was four years old), heard him pitifully crying in the house where the foster-parents had left him. She looked through the window and called another woman, saying : " My God ! Look at that child l " He was fastened cruelly by cords to the leg of a table, the little hands and, feet tied tightly behind the wood. 'rhat is the attitude of crucifixion, always held to be the most tormenting death because of the excruciating (the word itself contains it) agony that attacks the spine. The heavy head had fallen forward on the breast, and there hung-pathetic twentieth-century copy of his great

Prototype-the patient baby sufferer weeping his life away. 'fhe women brought a policeman who released the child, invading the Englishman's castle to do so. Then he watched. Late in the night the man and the girl returned, when the former savagely demanded of the child "who had untied him?" "A man," replied the baby, in an anguish of terror that no adult heart can estimate. Then the fellow fastened him up more tightly and cruelly even than before. The watchers saw all this, waited a little while, when the police arrested the two, finding them in a state

of total nakedness in the adjoining room, both smoking cigarettes. 300. The whole case was proved, with other nauseating details. Indeed there did not appear to be a denial. The man and his companion were sentenced to eight weeks' confinement for the unspeakable outrage, and nobody intervened. I found that the child was in care of the nuns, who told me that he was a particularly attractive lovable little fellow, much injured but recovering. Now, can anyone

doubt that, if the monstrous wrong had been done to a grown person there would not have been more exemplary punishment ? And the gentle Sisters of the Church (of England) took up the burden of the castaway child. 301, The recent case of cruelty in England by a society lady will be fresh in the minds of many. 'fhere the mother had repeatedly tortured her own little unwelcome child with merciless ferocity. 'l 1he case was proved by the inmates of the house, in spite of all efforts to suppress it. The judge fined the husband

(nominally the woman) in the-to him-trifling sum of remarking that the suffering and humiliation of the expose was already a severe punishment to the lady. That was an expression of sympathy, but the nation was indignant, and much ad verse comment ensued.

302. On the other hand I have read of an old woman who was convicted in England of stealing ducks-how many not stated-for which she was sentenced to five years' imprisonment. There was no comment. Such contrasts are familiar to readers of daily papers, and serve to show a weakening of moral fibre. The tender and helpless and innocent require all of our sympathy and all possible protection, together with extreme severity to those who outrage them in any way. If the justice that elevates a nation were administered our gaols would not be half empty. 'fhe changes indicated would be amongst the first-fruits of returning virility and vitality.

303. These cases of injury and death caused otherwise than by secret drugs, are narrated onlv to illustrate the commercialism or manchesterism that still dominates so largely ou"r laws. They are parallel with, but present no stronger contrast than, that between the profits of drug-p:wkers and the interests of society to save the lives

of the young. To stop the sale of secret drugs with the certainty of saving life thereby, and thus to interfere with commercial interests, will undoubtedly be regarded as a serious change which the combined drug-packers calculate upon successfully opposing.

CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS OF NEW SOUTH WALES.

Offices of the State Children Relief Board, and Children'" Protection Act, and Infant Protection Act, Richmond Terrace, Domain, Sydney, 22 December, I 906.

Sir, Scholes' Case.

In acknowledging receipt of your letter of the 19th instant, I have to inform you that five out

of the eight children died who were taken charge of by the above-named and her accomplices.

I have, &c.,

(Signed) A. W. GREEN,

Octavius C. Beale, Commissioner, Royal Commission of Inquiry, &c., . Trafalgar-street, Annandale.

Australian

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Australian Citizens at £1 each.

Here is a typical case of the judicial estimate of child-values.

Of the hke, numberless m stan ces can b e found and quoted. It h elps to . explain our boast our half-empty gaols. But if the same, or any, man had in England ?r cut off a cow's tail h e would run a serious risk of five to seven years'

Imprisonment .

. 306. This case (April, 1907) ma.y be otherwise stated for its significance. 25, was proved, after pleading not guilty, to have barbarously

and hornbly Ill-treated the little girl. The had been convicted eleven times pre­

t.wo of these eleven crimes having

been similar outrages upon tender children. In a couple of years or so this cruel savage

will be turned loose, again and probably often to slake his loathsome passions upon harm­ less and helpless infants. Wher e does the mercy come in ? 'J:he judge knows, the

previous judges knew, and vve all know,

perfectly well, the certitude of the crimes that will follow his liberation. 'l'he judges further know that parents will rather endure the anguish of the family wrong tha n p ublish

the shameful facts by instituting a prose­ cution. E specially when the punishment is so generally trivial.

. .. . Justice · · · · • · • last wcdZ

· a monster who had a cblld

of six to three and a ha!f y€'ars' 1ru pnso o mrut, concurre ntly w1th 18 moot bs be IS

now serving, whicb amounts to two years' gaol for the latter o!fence Next day 1he ,

same judge awarded a man who . bad;

snatched a handbag containing two

years By these dec1s1ons Act1ng-J udge Fit7.bardinge baa defined the reupective e normity of two clas O<'s of oflcuces. It will uow be recognised 10 courts of bw tbat

the ruination of a little girl and the theft

of 20s are demand1ng prcc1sely Glmi ­

Jar p u nishment It is we ll to fiild that tho

righ t s of property so protected in 1 !\ e w !:'oulb Wales. ; 11 . 1 • :_r , /1/ . · I • . ' . . r t ; ·J ..._ lc7

307. At the same time and place a woman pl eaded guilty to stealing a dress, surely a venial, if an annoying, offence. Under our British laws she received a sentence of font· years' 'l'hat is our Australian Christian civilisation

up to date ofw·rit.ing. 'l' wo ye3,rs fo r perpetrating the most atrocious possible crime upon a child. Four years for admittedly stealing a skirt ! Exactly as in the Scholes case, for five-fold child-murder, a f ew weeks earlier, our judges see but half the turpitude-under our laws-in maiming and torturing a child that there is in

appropriating a chattel! In t h e three cases just quoted there were three separate judges. 308. In November last, in Tasmania, a discharged criminal who had served two light sentences for child-outrage, took lodgings together with his alleged wife in a

of Hobart. 'fhe two asked a r esident woman to send h er little girl to show

them the way to the park. 'l'he alleged wife, however, walked in another direction, noting which fact, the mothet became alarmed, and followed the man and her child at an interval of a few minutes. The fellow had already asked the child to sit with him on the grass. The mother: who thus so fortunately rescued her child, has. not recovered from the terror of the escaped danger. But-under our laws-the man

and his companion are at large, and what goes on? Were he a cattle-thief he would receive a deterring sentence and be well watched ever after.

Acetanilide for Babies.

309. Under the heading "Injury and Death to the Adolescent" is dealt with, in the main, the question of sale and administration of the comparatively new and dangerous agent named above. Hereunder is an answer to my inquiry from the Commissioner for Public Health of Queensland, Dr. B. Burnett Ham. The case . quoted by Peterson and Haines I have obtained. As a layman I suggest

that there is strong probability of greater susceptibility by infants to heirlatic disturbances, including cerebral h remorrhage, ancl that the letter be read in view of Professor von Behring's lecture of which I have translated a part upon page 73. It may safely be said that no breeders of farm animals would tolerate the administra­ tion of such drugs to the young, and in their case "the law" forbids the sale. But the mothers of human offspring take Stearn's acetanilide powders, Orangeine acetanilide powders, Antikamnia acetanilide tablets, Daisy acetanilide powders, all of which have caused the death of adults-how great the ghostly army no one

knows-and the drug-packers urge, as shown, the use of the drug for "babies cutting their teeth" as being "perfectly safe and harmless." 310.

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The question forces itself upon us, which is the worse form of

manchesterism: that which would coerce our Government into the unrestricted sale, as now, of this deceptive and deadly merchandise in general-or that which denied the right of the State to interfere between employer and employed when children under 9 years of age were worked in unwholesome Lancashire factories fifteen hours a day ? Or when gravid women were harnessed to trucks of coal, and hoisted copper-ore up long ladders, in the mines of Merry England ? Lest we forget.

Department of Public Health, Queensland,

Dear Mr. Beale, Brisbane, 20 December, 1906.

311. 2. Re Acetanilide for Babies.-! think there can be little doubt that this drug, also known as antifebrin, should not, under any circumstances, be given to babies. Though I have no extensive experience of its physiological action in general on babies, and the specific action upon the red corpuscles, leucocytes, and hromoglobin in particular, the above opinion is founded on the following references :-

1. "Text-book of Legal Medicine and Toxicology," by Peterson and Haines, VoL II, page 613, it is stated :-" The physiologic action of acetanilid and similar compounds is very complex . individuals differ greatly in their susceptibility to their influences. The most constant and charac­ teristic effect produced by large doses is an alteration of the red blood corpuscles the formation of methemoglobin. With small doses the corpuscles remain intact, but large doses destroy

the cells and free the methemoglobin. . . . Acetanild, or antifebrin, is the most important of this series, from the toxicologic standpoint. The chief symptom caused by acetanilid is marked and long-continued cyanosis. In a fatal case there was a progressive destruction of the red blood corpuscles; on the eighth day (the day of death) there were 1,116,000, with 30 per cent. of

hoomoglobin. There was marked leukocytosis (66,450), and a large number of nucleated red cells of all sizes was present." 2. A. Stengel and C. ·white (University of Pennsylvania Medical Bulletin, February, 1903) report a remarkable case of acetanilid poisoning, with marked alterations in the blood. The examination of this patient's (a woman of 25 years) showed about 3,000,000 red cells and 19,800 leukocytes; and a subsequent examination showed about 2,000,000 red cells, with about 71,000,000 nucleated cells and 35 per cent. of hoomoglobin. It was found that she had been secretly taking large amounts

of acetanilid.

The above, of course, relates to adults, and you have, so I gather, positive and specific information on a wide scale as to the drug; but the physiological action on babies must be similar, for I cannot find anywhere that babies or young children can tolerate the drug any better than adults.

312. 3. There is a reference to infants in the "Text-book o£ Forensic Medicine and Toxicology," Vol. I, page 365, by Arthur P. Luff, M.D., Examiner in Forensic Medicine in the University of London, and Official Analyst to the Home Office.

I know Dr. Luff personally, and his opinion carries great weight. He says :-"Severe symptoms have been produced by an adult taking two drachms of antifebrin, and in an infant, five months old, by three to four grains. The blood was found to contain methremoglobin."

4. 'rhe opinion of the medical profession here, so far as I been able to ascertain it, is decidedly against gi·v-ing acetanilid in any dose, or under any circumstances, to infants.

Dr. A. Jeffries Turner, our authority on diseases of children, assured me, in answer to my query, that ne never prescribed it for infants, and would not do so. He further stated that the only justification for its use would be to bring down high temperature in a child, and that this effect can be better produced by cold sponging than by antipyretic drugs. He is decidedly against its administration to infants

or children. J•'aithfully your;.,

Octavius 0. Beale, Esq., B. BURNETT HAM,

Annandale, Sydney. Commissioner of Public Health.

Ayer's Cherry Pectora].

313. This formula was given by the late Mr. J. 0. Ayers to a friend:­ (MacEwan, Pharmaceutical Formulas, 5th Edition.)

Sulphate of morphine 3 grains.

Antimonial wine 3 drachms.

Ipecacuanha wine ... Vinegar of sanguinaria Syrup of wild cherry

3 drachms. 2 dt·achms. 3 ounces.

DosE-A teaspoonful every four hours.

A compound of potent drugs only. It is narcotic and dangerous in a high degree.

The

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The above differs from Hager's analysis, which is:-Acetate of morphine

Antimonial wine

Tartrate of potash

Ipecacuanha wine

Tincture of sanguinaria

Syrup of wild cheny

3 grains.

3 drachms.

3 drachms.

3 drachmE.

2 drachms.

3 drachms.

In secret nosttums the contents are variable, and do va,ry widely. The

can do what they like, and what they like to do is to change the poisons

frot;I t1me to time. I have elsewhere explained the qualities of morphine and antimony (tartar emetic). Ipecacuanha is well known as a gastro-intestinal irritant. It is nauseant and emetic, cathartic, and in cases has produced hemoptysis and other hemorrhages. ''It is believed to act chiefly, if not entirely, upon the

sympathetic system."-(Rutherford, Woodhull, Potter, Dorland, and others)

314. Sanguinaria is a member of the poppy family, and its alkaloids bear a close resemblance to those of opium. It is an emetic, a violent irritant, a cardia<1 paralyser, and acro-narcotic poison.-(Potter, Maleda Medica.) ·

315. Prunus Virginiana ("choke-cherry" of North America) contains prussic acid, is sedative, and reduces the action of the heart.-(Potter.)

I have been informed of a woman in Australia who habitually drugs her two little children with a large dose of this poisonous nostrum administered in the morning as she goes out, whereby, as she "they sleep all day'' till her return. They are left quite alone. This practice of drugging children and leaving' them

untended appears not to be uncommon, but statistics are not obtainable.

The above-named components and other poisonous drugs have legitimate uses by practised persons. So have planing-machines and circular saws, yet with all the care accidents happen, whereas if novices use or play with them the results are injury and death. Both should be fenced and inspected, for with lethal drugs the

uninstructed are always dabbling. "But not 1 per cent. of the deaths are recorded or even suspected."

Mrs. Jackson's Ha!ldbill. (See page 32.)

316. A police inspector informed me as follows :-This handbill was circulatrd very widely, thrown into houses and upon railway

platforms, and into railway carriages. I prosecuted the woman, whose name is Margaret Jackson, under the fndecent Publications Act, for distributing obscen

made to that paper it was withdrawn.

Thifl woman was recently prosecuted for performing an ille;ral operation upon a female, thereby causing her death. Deaths of many other young women are attributed to her by the police, but not sufficient e'·idence was obtainable in the suspected cases, and she was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to six years' imprisonment, which she is now serving. In t·he case of the woman Jackson, a

l'ertain secret preparation was used upon, or by, her victims in addition to instrumental violence. Subsequently to her conviction she informed the police that after· having been fined for issuing a handbill similar to that here photographed, she consulted her solicitors, naming t1Jem (a highly "respectable" firm), who drafted fot· her, so she said, a revised handbill, which fully suggested the criminal procedure, but in

such form that the Crown solicitors advised that we could not take proceedings successfully against her This was also issued largely. "Mrs. J ackson, midwife," was widely advertised in the city and country newspapers for many years. She and her husband were prosecuted and convicted of "baby-farming" some years ago. Both were fined, and served a sentence of one year's imprisonment. The criminals

received children, taking lump sums of money from those abandoning them (in accordance with the advertisements we see every day) and the children vanished, whither no one knows. In the case upon which the prosecution for baby-farming was founded, the unhappy mother to see her child again, but the Jacksons could not produce it, nor could it be found. The illegality consisted in their accepting a

sum of money instead of weekly payments, with registration,

1YIATERNITY

157

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MATERNITY HOME SCANDAL e L0/71'00

'"'HOLES ., ALE CREMATION OF BABIES.

LONDON, Monday Afternoon.-A sbj)ck­ lng scandal Is reported from Paris, 'in. con­ nection witb a pollee raid on a materuJty bol;lle.

On searching; tbe premises the police round a stove where over 100 new'-boro in­ fants are alleged to bave been

817. This is the modern Moloch. J3ut the numbers subsequently given were much higher . •

86

.A similar case came to light, three years ago, in a great .American city. It was extensively organised, and the news· paper reports stated that the concern was patronised "by the best families." It was believed that the babies, many of them far from newly-born, were living when thus destroyed. The Jacksons' method is not known, but they were suspected of the same procedure.

Mr. J. Compton Ricket.t, M.P.:- "'

Babies are getting scarcer, ar.d, according to tl·e nevitable law of supply and demand, are rising in ralue.

Death from Chamberlain's Colle, Cholera and Diarrhrea Remedy.

Dr. W. C. Fulkerson, of Marshall, Oklahoma, reports a death from the above drug, self-administered. He states that, according to the formula, which is now published under the Food and Drugs Act, the "remedy " contains six grains of opium to the ounce.-Journal of the A.M.A., 1907.

Indecencies of the Daily Press.

Attention is drawn to the few specimens of advertisements on page 33. Of such filth thousands of pages could be filled, taken from the daily issues of Australian papers. During the preparation of this Report a friend sent to me a quarter-page advertisement, cut from an Australian evening paper, by a pair of quacks who have for many years called themselves a "Medical Institute." A large pictorial repre­

sentation is given, too indecent for reproduction here, setting forth the supposed consequences of" sexual weakness." The object is to round in the poor wretches who "write letters with their hearts' blood,'' so as to bleed them white first and then to hire or sell the same letters to other brigands. These experts then " tackle 'em with a new proposition [See par. 1185]-something with a new Il.arne-jolly 'ern along a little, and they'll all come up with the money for a new treatment." It is a part of the daily education of the masses under our laws, and until recently these educative influences were, in one of our States, carried free by post and on the State railways.

DIVISION III.

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87

DIVISION III.

INJURY AND DEATH TO THE ADOLESCENT.

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DIVISION III.

INJURY AND DEATH TO THE AOOLESCENT.

318. Youth is not separable by any well-defined grounds in respect of exposure to suffering, to accident, or to homicide by reason of the sale of secret nostrums. In addition to the above classification must be stated the exposure of the young to demoralisation and even to debauchery by-

( the sale of intoxicants known as bracers-which are disO'uiscd alcoholics; (b) by preparations of cocaine, of acetanilide, of sulfonal, other synthetic depressants, of opium (to a much less extent); (c) by compounded drugs supposed to excite sexual desire;

(d) · by preparations intended to prevent conception or to induce abortion; and finally (e) by the sale of certain thing. ;; manufactured in Europe, which are designed and sold for the sole purpose of nameless and unnatural vices.

319. It would be harcl to place in a shor t statement more effectually before Your Excellency the position of affairs with regard to the sale of disguised alcoholic stimulants than hy presenting the Report of SAMUEL HoPKINS ADAMS as printed in Collier's Weekly. I have had the pleasure and advantage of interviews

with that gentleman, who manifested energy and concentration in pursuing his duty, which was to show to the American public something of the increasing dangers to which the people are exposed. · Furthe1;, to convey some idea, by illustrative cases, of the continuous loss to the family and to society of valuable lives, and of deterioration of health and morals. These so -called "medicated"

compounds have a wide vogue in Australia, are mostly, but not all, imported, whilst new varieties are being introduced at great expense, which it is expected that the undefended population will recoup with ample profit to the foreign vendors. As nothing can surpass the audacious impudence of the claims made for the nostrums

(of which many examples cau be supplied), so it may be expected that the defence offered by the exploiters of humanity will be devoid of any moml restraint. What can be expected from a source which daily claims to cure yellow fever with a mixture of the commonest drugs, to cure epithelioma with small doses of plain

water, to cure mortification of the bone with copperas and potash, to even raise persons from the dead? As there is no limit to the atrocious lying on the one hand, is there likely to be on the other ? l\fillions of pounds sterling are made annually by lies and fraud out of the health and morals of the young. Hence a defence has

been made to the attacks of 1\fr. Adams, to the extent of disputing the accuracy of some of the particular cases cited by him. In genera], however, it is impossible to dispute the analyses as given-they are capable of absolute tests-nor the coronia! records. I give Mr. Adams' reports for the information they contain that can be

supported by other cases, that can be checked by independent analyses of the com­ pounds, or that can be submitted to any scientific tests. 1\foreover, the defence of any particular nostrum comes from a highly-tainted source, for the drug-makers have banded themselves into associations for that purpose, and an association must

be judged by the acts of its permitted members when done in the sphere for which that association is formed. Thus certain drugs pnt forward on an immense scale by such members as being harmless and beneficial, have been shown in Comts to be dano-erous and destructive. It is useless then to say that " you must not condemn

the because some are bad" (i.e., dangerous, fraudulent, immoral, or deJ.dly). By association for defence they are self-condemned together. Further, as some members are shown to be so wholly incompetent and untrustworthy that, wh en prescribing for people, they are actually them supplying poisons which

ooovernments seek by regulations, however mefftcicnt, to wtthhold from general sale, then the other members must be held to be incompetent also. 'l'here is no examina­ tion, no trial, no test, no knowledge on the part of government or public whatsoever. *9 7267-M Any

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90

Any man or woman, with or without character or knowledge, may set up as the "Oshkosh Herbal Medicine Co.," and supply the Anglo-Saxon world with, for instance, Hair Restorer containing arsenic or lead (as many do), and when the human creatures, whose money has been cozened from them by lying advertisements, suffer and die in consequence (as many do-see cases below), there is no risk under "the law" of punishment to the newspaper owners, who are the active agents of the fraud, or to the orjginal concocter. 'l 1he Australian interest in the imagina17 "Oshkosh Herbal Medicine Co." is that pernicious drugs of like and even worse character are prepared in America, Canada, and Great Britain, and sold jn large quantities in Australia without test, check, or control. The contents are secret, hence there is no knowledge whatever, as before said.

THE GREAT AMERICAN FRAUD.

By Samuel Hopkins Adams, in Collier's for October, 1905.

II-PERUNA AND THE "BRACERS."

320. A distinguished public health official and medical writer once made this jocular suggestion tome: "Let us buy in large quantities the cheapest Italian vermouth, poor gin, and bitters. We will mix them in the proportion of three of vermouth to two of gin with a dash of bitters, dilute and bottle them by the short quart, label them 'Smith's Revivifier and Blood Purifier; dose, one wineglassful before each meal'; advertise them to cure erysipelas, bunions, dyspepsia, heat rash, fever and ague, and consumption; and to prevent loss o£ hair, small-pox, old age, sunstroke, and near-sightedness, and make our everlasting fortunes selling them to the temperance trade." .

"That sounds to me very much like a cocktail," said I. "So it is," he replied. "But it's just as much a medicine as Peruna, and not as bad a drink." 321. Peruna, or, as its owner, Dr. S. B. Hartman, of Columbus, 0. (once a physician in good standing), prefers to write it, Pe-ru-na, is at present the most prominent proprietary nostrum in the country. It has

taken the place once held by Greene's N ervura and by Paine's Celery Compound, and for the same reason which made them popular. The name of that reason is alcohol.* Peruna is a stimulant pure and simple, and it is the more dangerous in that it sails under the false colours of a benign purpose. According to an authoritative statement given out in private circulation a few years ago by its proprietors, Peruna is a compound of seven drugs with cologne spirits. This formula, they assure me, has not been materially changed. None of the seven drugs is of any great potency. Their total is less than one-half of 1 per cent. of the product. Medicinally they are too inconsiderable, in this proportion, to produce any etlect. There remains to Peruna only water and cologne spirits, roughly in the proportion of three to one. Cologne spirits is the commercial term for alcohol.

What is Peruna made of?

322. Anyone wishing to make Peruna for home consumption may do so by mixing half a pint of cologne spirits, 90 proof, with a pintand a half of water, adding thereto a little cubebs for flavour, and a little burned sugar for colour. It will cost, in small quantities, perhaps 7 or 8 cents per quart. Manufactured in bulk, so a former Peruna agent estimates, its cost, including bottle and wrapper, is about 8?z cents. Its price is $1.00. Because of this handsome margin of profit, and by way of making hay in the stolen

sunshine of Peruna advertising, many imitations have sprung up to harass the proprietors of the alcohol­ and-water product. Pe-ru-vi-na, P-ru-na, Purina, Anurep (an obvious inversion); these, bottled and labelled to resemble Peruna, are self-confessed imitations. From what the Peruna people tell me, I gather that they are dangerous and damnable frauds, and that they cure nothing.

823. What does Peruna cure? Catarrh. That is the modest claim for it; nothing but catarrh. To be sure, a carefu.t study of its literature will suggest its value as a tonic, and a pPeventive of lassitude. But its reputation rests upon catarrh. What is catarrh? "Whatever ails you; no matter what you've got, yDu will be not only enabled, but compelled, after reading Dr. Hartman's Peruna book, "The Ills of Life," to diagnose your illness as catarrh, and to realise that Peruna alone will save you. Pneumonia is catarrh of

the lungs; so is consumption. Dyspepsia is catarrh of the stomach. Enteritis is catarrh of the intestines. Appendicitis-surgeons, please note before catan·h of the appendix. Bright's disease is

catarrh of the kidneys. Heart disease is catarrh of the heart. Canker sores are catarrh o£ the mouth. Measles is, perhaps, catarrh of the skin, since "a teaspoonful of Peruna thrice daily or oftener is an effectual cure" ("The Ills of I"ife "). Similarly, malaria, one may guess, is catarrh of the mosquito that bit you. Other diseases not specifically placed in the catarrhal class, but yielding to Pemna (in the book), are colic, mumps, convulsions, neuralgia, women's complaints, and rheumatism. Yet "Per una is not a cure-all," virtuously disclaims Dr. Hartman, and grasps at a golden opportunity by advertising his nostrum . as a preventive against yellow fever! That alcohol and water, with a little colouring matter and one-half

of 1 per cent. of mild drugs, will cure all or any of the ills listed above is too ridiculous to need refutation. Nor does Dr. Hartman himself personally make that claim for his product. He stu-ted to me specifically and repeatedly that no drug or combination of drugs, with the possible exception of quinine for malaria, will cure disease. His claim is that the belief of the patient in Peruna, fostered as it is by the printed testimony, and aided by the "gentle stimulation," produces good results. It is well established that in certain classes of disease the opposite is true. A considerable proportion of tuberculosis cases show a

history of the Peruna type of medicines taken in the early str.ges, with the result of diminishing the patient's

" Dr . .Ashbel P. Grinnell, of New York City, who has made a statistical study of patent medicines, asserts as a provable fact that more alcohol is consumed in this country in patent medicines than is dispensed in a legal way by licensed liquor venders, barring the sale of ales and beer.

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91

Samuel Hopkins Adams-conti1Wed.

resistant power, and much of the typhoid in the l\1iddle West is complicated by the victim's

"keepmg up " on this stimulus long after he should have been under a doctor's care. But it is not as a fraud upon the sick alone that P eruna is baneful; but as the maker of drunkards, also . . "It can be used of time without acquiring a drug habit," declares the Peruna book; and

therem, I regret to say, Ires specifically and directly. The lie is ingeniously backed up by Dr. Hartman's argument that "nobody could get drunk on the prescribed doses of Peruna." . Perhaps _this is true, I. three wine$"lassfuls in forty-five minutes as a. prescription which

might temporanly alter a prohlbitwmst s outlook on hfe. But what makes Peruna profitable to the. maker and a curse to the community at large, is the fact that the minimum dose first ceases to satisfy, the!il, tire moderate dose, and finally the maximum dose; and the unsuspectino- pa.tron, who began with. it as a medicine, goes on to use it as a. b everage, and finally to be enslaved by it as a habit, A well.knowa. authority on drug-addictions writes me :-

324. "A number of physicia ns h ave called my attention to the use of Peruna, both preceding anti following alcohol and drug addictions. Lydia Pinkham's Compound is another dangerous- d!,ug used largely by drinkers ; Paine's Celery Compound also. I have, in the last two years, met four cases of who drank Peruna in large quantities to intoxication. This was .. given bo them ol!iginally as a

tome. They were treated under my care as simple alcoholics."

The Government forbids the sale of Pet una to Indians. 325. Expert opinion on the non-medical side is represented in the Government order t.o the Indian Department, reproduced on the following page, the kernel of which is this :-"In connection with this investigation , please give particular attention to the proprieta-ry medicines and other compounds which the traders keep in stock, with special reference to the liability of their misuse by Indians on. account of the alochol which they contain. The sale ol Peruna, which iS on the: lists ot

several traders, is hereby absolutely prohibited. As a medicine, something_ else can be substituted' ; as an intoxicant, it has been found too tempting and effective. A nything of the sort under a nother name. which is found to lead to intoxication you will please report to this office."-[Sig)ledJ C. F: Acting Commissioner. · -

Specific evidence of what P eruna can do will be found in the following report, verified. by special investigation :-326. PINEDALE, Wyoming, Oct0ber 4.-(Special.)-Two m en suffering from delirium tremens and one dead is the result of a Peruna. intoxication which took place here a few days ago. C. E. Armstrong,. of

this place, and a party o£ three others started out on a camping t rip to the Yellowstone country, taking with them several bottles of whisky, and ten bottles of Peruna, which one of the members of the party was taking as a tonic. The trip lasted over a week; the whisky was exhausted; and for two days the party Wll,S without liquor. At last, someone suggested t hat they use P er una., of which nine bottles remained. Before they stopped, the whole remaining supply h ad been consumed, and t he four men were in a state of

intoxicatio n, the like of which they had never known before. Finally, one awoke wit h terrible cramps in his stomach, and found his companions seemingly in an a.hnost lifeless condition. Suffering t errible. agony, he crawled on his hands and knees to a ranch over a mile dist:1nt, the process taking him half' a day. Aid was sent to his three companions. Armstrong was dead when the rescue p'1rty arrived; The other

two men, still unconscious, were brought to town in a waggon, and are still in a weak and: emaciated condition. Armstrong's body was almost tied in a knot, and could not be. straightened for Here is testimony from a druggist in a Southern "no-license" town:-:--327. "Peruna is bought by all the druggists in this section by the gross. I have seen persons

thoroughly intoxicated from taking P eruna. The common remark in this place when a drunken party is particularly obstreperous is that he is on a. < ·Peruna drunk.' It is a notorious fact that a great; many do use Peruna to get the alcoholic effect, and they certainly do get it good and strong. Now, there are other so-called: remedies used for the same purpose, namely, Gensenica, Kidney Specific, Jamaica Ginger,, ff{)stetlter's Bitters,. &c."

So well recognised' is this use of the nostrum that a number of the Southern newspapers advertise a . cure for the "Peruna Habit," which is probablv worse than the habit, as is usually the case widl. these "cures." In southern Ohio and in the mountain. districts of West Virginia the "Peruna jag '" is'.a. form of intoxication.

Two Testimonials.

328; A testimonial hunter in the employ of the Peruna Company was referred by a Minnesota druggist t o a prosperous farmer in the neighbourhood. The farmer gave P eruna a most enthusiastic "send\. off"; he had been using it for several months, and could say, &c., &c. Then he took the agent to his barn, and showed him a heap of empty Peruna bottles. The agent counted them. There were seventy-four. The druggist added his testimonial. "That old boy has a ' still ' on all the time si nce he discovered PEn·una," said he. " H e's my star customer." The druggist's testimonial was not printed. .

At t he time when certain Chicago drug stores were fighting so me of the le3ding patent medicines, and carrying only a small stock of t hem, a boy called one evening at one of the downtown shops fut• thirty­ nine bottles of Peruna. " There's t he money," he said. "The old man wants to get his before· it's aH gone." Investigation showed that the purchaser was the night engineer of a big downtown building, and

that the entire working staff had "chipped in" to get a F>upply of their favourite stimulant. "But why should anyone who wants to get drunk drink Peruna when he can get whiskey 1" argues the nostrum maker. 329. There are two reasons: one o£ which is that in many places t,he "medicine" can be obtained and the liquor cannot. Maine, for instance, being a prohibition State, does a big buRineAA in patent medicines. So does Kansas. So do most of the no-license counties in the South, though a few h•ive recently thrown out these disauised "boozes." Indian T erritory and Oklahoma, as we have seen, have done so because of

P oo r Lo's toward curing himself of depression with these remedies, and for a time, a t least,

Pcruna was shipped in in unlabelled boxes. 330. United States District A ttomey l\'lellette of the \Y District of India n Territory writ-es : " Vast quantities of Peruna are shipped, into this country, and I have caused a number of persons to he indicwd

163

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Sarnue[ Hopkins Adams-continued.

indicted for selling the same, and a few of them have been convicted or have entered pleas of guilty. I could give you hundreds of specific cases of 'Peruna Drunk ' among t.hs Indians. It is a common beverage among them, used for the purposes of intoxication." 331. The other reason why Peruna or some other of its class is often the agency of drunkenness,

instead of whisky, is that the drinker of Peruna doesn't want to get drunk; at least she doesn't know that she wants to get drunk. I use the feminine pronoun advisedly, because the remedies of this class are largely supported by women. Lydia Pinkham's variety of drink depends for its popularity chiefly upon its alcohol. Celery Compound relieves depression and lack of vitality on the same principle that a cocktail does,

and with the same neeessity for !'epetition. I knew an estimable lady from the Middle West who visited her dissipated brother in New York-dissipated from her point of view, because she was a pillar· of the W. C. T. U., and he frequently took a cocktail before dinner and came back with it on his breath, whereupon she would weep over him as one lost to hope. One day in a mood of brutal exasperation, when he hadn't

had his drink and was able to discern the flavour of her grief, he turned upon her: "I'll tell you what's the matter with you," he said. "You're drunk-maudlin drunk!" 332, She promptly and properly went into hysterics. 1'he physician who attended diagnosed the case more politely, but to the same effect, and that she had consumed something like half a bottle of Kilmer's Swamp Root that afternoon. Now, Swamp Root is a very creditable "booze," but much weaker in alcohol than most of its class. The brother was grea.tly amused, until he discovered, to his alarm, that his drink-abhorring sister couldn't get along withoat her patent medicine bottle! She was in a fair way, quite innocently, of becoming a drunkard.

333. Another example of this "unconscious drunkenness "1 is recorded by the Jonrnal of the American lY£edical Association : "A respected clergyman fell ill, and the family physician was called. After examining the patient carefully, the doctor asked for a private interview with the patient's adult son. 'I am sorry to tell you that your father undoubtedly is suffering from chronic alcoholism,' said the physician.

'Chronic alcoholism l Why, that's ridiculous ! Father never drank a drop of liquor in his life, and we know all there. is to know about his habits.' 'Well, my boy, it's chronic alcoholism, nevertheless, and at this present moment your father is drunk. How has his health been recently ? Has he been taking any

'Why, for some time, six months I should say, father has often cmnplained of feeling unusually tired. A few months ago a friend of his recommended Peruna to him, assuring him that it would build him up. Since then he has taken many bottles of it, and I am quite sure that he has taken nothing else. '" 334, When this series of articles was first projected, Collier's received a warning from "\Varner's Safe Cure," advising that a thorough investigation would be wise before "making any attack" upon that prepara­ tion. I have no intention of "attacking" this company or anyone else, and they would have escaped notice altogether, because of their present unimportance, but for their letter. The suggested investigation was not RO thorough as to go deeply into the nature of the remedy, which is an alcoholic liquid, but it developed this interesting fact : W a. mer's Safe Cure, together with ali the Warner remedies, is leased, managed, and controlled by the New York and Kentucky Distilling Company, manufacturers of sta.nda.rd whiskeys which do not pretend to remedy anything but thirst. Duffy's Malt Whiskey is another subsidiary company of the

New York and Kentucky concern. This statement is respectfully submitted to temperance users of the Malt Whiskey and the Warner remedies.

Some Alcohol Percentages.

335, Hostetter's Bitters contain, according to an official State analysis, 44 per cent. of alcohol; Lydia Pinkham appeals to suffering womanhood with 20 per cent. of alcohol; Hood's Sarsaparilla cures "that tired feeling" with 18 per cent.; Burdock's Blood Bitters with 25 per cent.; Ayer's Sarsaparilla with 26 per cent.; and Paine's Celery Compound with 21 per cent. The fact is that any of these remedies could be interchanged with Peruna or with each other, so far as general effect goes, though the iodide of potassium in the sarsaparilla class might have some effect (as likely to be harmful as helpful) which would be lacking in the simpler mixtures.

886. If this class of nostrum is so harmful, asks the attentive reader of newspaper advertising columns, how explain the indorsements of so many people of prominence and reputation? "Men of prominence and reputation," in this connection, means Peruna, for Peruna has made a specialty of high Government officials and people in the public eye. In a self-gratulatory dissertation the Peruna Company obserYes in substance that while the leading minds of the nation have hitherto shrunk from the publicity attendant upon commending any patent medicine, the transcendent virtues of Peruna have overcome this amiable modesty, and one and

all they stand forth its avowed champions. This is followed by an ingenious document headed "Fifty Members of Congress Send Letters of Indorsement to the Inventor of the Great Catarrh Remedy, Pe-ru-na," and quoting thirty-six of the letters. Analysis of these letters brings out the singular circumstance that in twenty-one of the thirty-six there is no indication that the writer has ever tasted the remedy which he so warmly praises. As a sample, and for the benefit of lovers of ingenious literature, I reprint the following from a humorous member of Congress:-

"My secretary had as bad a case of catarrh as I ever saw, and since he has taken one bottle of Peruna he seems like a different man. "'l'aylorsville, N. C. RoMULUS Z.

The famous letter of Admiral Schley is a case in· point. He wrote to the Peruna Company :-"I can cheerfully say that Mrs. Schley has used Peruna, and, I believe, with good effect. "(Signed) W. S. SCHLEY." This indorsement went the rounds of the country in half-page blazonry, to the consternation of the family's friends. Admiral Schley seems to have appreciated that this use of his name was detrimental to his standing. He wrote to a Columbus religious journal the following letter :-

"Editor Catholic Columbian, "1826 I Street, Washington, D.C., November 10, 1904. "The advertisement of the Peruna Company, inclosed, is made without any authority or approval from me. When it was brought to my attention first I wrote the company a letter stating that the advertisement

93

Samuel.Hopkins Adams-continued.

advertisement was offensive and must be discontinued. Their representative here calledupon me and stated he had been directed to assure me no further publication would be allowed, as it was without my sanction. "I would say that the advertisement has been made without my knowledge or consent, and is

an infringement of my rights as a citizen. "lf you will kindly inform me what the name and date of the paper was in which the inclosed advertisen:;ent appeared I shall feel obliged. Very truly yours, "W. S. ScHLEY."

study of this document will show that this is no explicit denial of th? But ':ho

gtves careful study to such a letter? On the face of it, it puts the Peruna people m the positiOn of havmg forged their advertisement. Ninety-nine people out of a hundred would get that impression. I have seen the testimonial, signed with Admiral Schley's name and interlined in the same handwriting as the signature, and I have seen another letter, similarly signed, stating that Admiral Schley had not understood

that the letter was to be used for such advertising as the recipient based upon it. If these letters are forgeries the victim has his recourse in the law. They are on file at Columbus, Ohio, and the Peruna Company would doubtless produce them in defence of a suit.

What the Government Can Do.

337. One thing the public has a right to demand, in its attitude toward the proprietary medicines containing alcohol-that the Government carry out rigidly its promised policy no longer to permit liquors to disguise then1selves patent medicines, and thereby escape the tax which is put upon other and pr?bably better brands of intoxicants. One other demand it should make on the purveyors of these concoctiOns­ that they label every bottle with the percentage of alcohol it contains. Then the innocent clergyman who

writes testimonials to Duffy, and the W. C. T. U. member who indorses Peruna, Lydia Pinkham, Warner, and their compeers, will know when they imbibe their "tonics," "invigorators," "swamp roots, "bitters," "nerve-builders," or "spring medicines," that they are sipping by the tablespoon or wineglassful what the town tippler takes across the licence-paying bar.

338. Heart Depressants.-Injury and death from Acetanilid.

fac-Simile

REGIST!R£0 SEPT. 3. lS90

THE AMERICAN PAIN. RELIEVER For Pain and Fever AU Headaches. AU Neuralgias and Women•s Aches and Ills THE name itself suggests what Antikamnia Tablets are, and what their remedial characteristics are :-Anti (Greek A•m), Opposed to-­ and Kamnia (Greek Pain-thus we have "ANTIKAMNJA" which means "OPPOSED TO PAIN," a remedy to relieve pain and suffer· ing. The genuine" Antikamnia Tablets" always bear the II( monogram and are, on account of their convenience and accuracy, recognized as fue most approved form for taking this remedy.-Thc journal of Medicine. ANTIKAMNIA TABLET PRESCRIPTIONS. liiT PAl!! (l'lo ••tte .. wkereJ 1 NERVOUSIOCS8-(0verwork or Elmd\Uons) houro. Fresh air. Dose :-One every two hours. SHOPPER'S or IHGHT!lli:E!ii.'B rfl:Ult.C:l::! BEADACHE-(D;•P"pllla or hdlgetltloa) Dose :-Two <:l'ery three hours. Dose :-Two, and repeat in three boars. !!UMMI:R·COLDS--(Corp:z) Dose :-Two tablets every three Dose :-Two, and repeat It! three !lours. TOOTEI.t.CHI!-(IPAI!! "boet Teeth) 8-RADA.CHE-(N"ervo=• or Daily) Dose :-Two every lhree l10urs. t>ose ·-Two. Repeat iu two hours. VOJUTiliG--{Pregaaaey or Iadlgestloa) HEAT EFFECT§-{Dizziacos or Saa•P&lna) Dose:-O!le or two Repeat evt-ry hour if nt"eded. Dose :-Goe or two evt-ry three hoar:J. MAY BE OBTAINED AT ALL CHEMISTS ANO ORUOOISTS. BY THE DOZEN, Oil IN Oll.IWNAI. BOXES. 46, HOLBORN VIADUCT. LONDON. E.. C. For Deep-seated. Nervous, Tickling, and Night Coogbs. Colds, Broncbial Affections, Etc., we recommec4 ••ANTIKAMNIA l< CODEINE TABLETS." A DUPLICATE COPY OF THIS CARD (CONFIDENCE) MAILED TO ANY ADDRESS ON RECEIPT OF THREE PENCE IN POSTAGE. 339.

165

94

, . 339. The advertisement labelled " Confidence " is typical. The top line says "No drug habit-No heart effect." Let anyone read the prescriptions and answer or not a "drug habit" is involved. It will be seen that almost all diseases,

pams, froubles are included in the scope of the nostrum, whose active principle 'l

1 his drug is a cheap aniline derivative (prepared from coal-tar), and IS dtsplacmg a.Rtipyrine (phenazone, another depressant) by reason of its cheapness. Its action is to depress the heart's action, and to reduce the number of the corpuscles ot the blood, which may be, and often has been, a fatal procedure in feverish condi· t1ons, e.g., in influenza. Its production is of recent date, and its dangers cannot yet have been fully ascertained in detail, still less its complete therapeutic action. On the 1st October, 1896, there came into force in all the twenty-six States of the German Empire " Vorschriften hetr. die Abgabe Stark Wirkender Arzneimittel '' for the issue of powerful drugs), whereby physicians themselves are

hmtted to stated quantities for any one prescription. For acetanilid the maximum is 0·5 gramme (say 71;; grains). It is only obtainable upon the prescription of a person with qualifications instituted by and recognised by the State, i.e., a doctor of medicine. It is a criminal offence to sell acetanilid (inter alia) without such an order. By the advertisement shown above any quantity of the poison can be had ih Anglo.Saxon countries by anyone who can pay for it.

Acetanilid.-Potter, p. 59, "death has occurred from 5 grains."

ACETANILID.

Potter. _ · 340. A toxic dose is powerfully to the heart, respiration, and blood-pressure, causes

profuse sweating, vomiting, cyanosis, chills, convulsions, coma, and paralysis of the motor nerves and the muscles, death occurring by failure of the respiration. Large doses are injurious to the blood, diBintegrating its red corpuscles, changing the hemoglobin to methemoglobin, and arresting the, movements of the leucocytes. The heart, liver, and kidneys of animals poisoned thereby are found in a state of fatty degeneration. Skin eruptions of erythematous or urticarial type are frequently produced by it, and it often causes cyanosis without other toxic symptoms, probably due to the liberation of anilin in the blood current. Collapse may be produced in some susceptible persons by an ordinary (medicinal dose. When given in solution it is absorbed within half an hour, and it is completely eliminated in about twenty-four hours.

341. Acetanilid is the principal constituent of the so-called "headache powders," which are sold in drug stores without prescription to any applicant, and have caused serious toxic effects in many cases. In one instance, investigated by the coroner of Pittsburgh, a single dose of such a preparation was followed by death within forty-five minutes. An acetanilid habit is occasionally observed among the victims of this commerce, the subjects presenting blue mucous membranes, a weak and irregular heart, albuminuria, and edema of the feet and ankles, together with the moral depravity characteristic of morphine maniacs. .

Tbe antipyretics should be used with great caution, if at all, in fever cases presenting exhaustion or asthenia, especially when accompanied by anemia. The opinion that fever is the exponent of a defensive action by the organism against toxins, is gaining ground in professional esteem, and tends to restrict the use of antipyretic drugs to cases of hyperpyrexia only, and even in such the cold bath is preferred

by many prominent clinicians. The toxic effects of acetanilid and its congeners are probably due to the liberation in the blood oi anilin, which is oxidised into P.aramidophenol.

THE GREAT AMERICAN FRAUD.

By Samuel Hopkins Adams, in (Jollier's for 2 December, 1905. IV.-THE SuBTLE PoiSONS.

342. Ignorance and credulous hope make the market for most proprietary medicines. Intelligent people are not given largely to the use of the glaringly advertised cure-ails, such as Liquozone or Peruna. Nostrums there are, however, which reach the thinking classes as well as the readily gulled. Depending, as they do for their success upon the lure of some subtle drug concealed undyr a trade-mark name, or some opiate not readily obtainable under its own label, these are the most dangerous of all quack medicines, not only in their immediate effect, but because they create enslaving appetites, sometimes obscure and difficult of treatment, most often tragically obvious. Of these concealed drugs the headache powders are the most widely used, and of the headache powders Orangeine is the most conspicuous.

343. Omngeine prints its formula. It is therefore, its .proprietors claim, not a secret remedy. But to all intents and purposes it is secret, because to the uninformed public the vitally important word "acetanilid" in the formula means little or nothing. vVorse than its secrecy is its policy of careful and dangerous deception. Orangeine, like practically all the headache powders, is simply a mixture of acetanilid with less potent drugs. Of course, there is no orange in it, except the orange hue of the boxes and wrappers which is its advertising symbol. But this is an unimportant deception. The wickedness of the fraud lies in this : That whereas the nostrum, by virtue of its acetanilid content, thins the blood, depresses the heart, and finally undermines the whole system, it claims to strengthen the hem·t and to produce better blood. Thus far in the patent medicine field I have not encountered so direct and specific an inversion of the true facts.

344. Recent years have added to the morlrdlity records of our cities a surprising and alarming number of sudden dea,ths from heartbilure. In the year 1902 New York City alone reported a death-rate from this cause of 1·34 per thousand of population ; that is, about six times as grea,t as the typhoid fever death record

95

E\amuel:Hopkins Adams-continued.

record. It was about that time that the headache powder3 were being widely advertised, and there is every to believe that the which is still in evidence, is due largely to the secret

weakemng of the heart by acetamltd. Occaswnally, a death occurs so definitely traceable to this poison that there is no room for doubt, as in the following report by Dr. J. L. JYiiller, of Chicaao, in the Journal of the American Medical Association, upon the death of Miss Frances Robson:-- "' :'I was first called to see the patient, a young lady, physically sound, who had been taking

Orangeme powders a number of weeks for insomnia. The rest of the family noticed that she was very blue, and for th1s reason I was called. vVhen I saw the patient she complained of a sense of faintne,;s and inability to keep warm. At this time she had taken a box of six Orangeine powders within about eight hours. She was warned of the danger of continuing the indiscriminate use of the remedy, but insisted that Inany of her friends had used it, and claimed that it was harmleEs. '1 he family promised to see that she did not obtain any more of the remedy. 'l'hree days later, however, I

was called to the house and found the patient dead. The family said that she had gone to her room the evening before in her usual health. The next morning, the patient not appearing, they investigated and found her dead. The case was reported to the coroner, and the coroner's verdict was : ' Death was from the effect of an overdose of Orangeine powders administered by her own hand, whether

accidentally or otherwise, unknown to the jury.'"

345. Last July, an eighteen-year-old Philadelphia girl got a box of Orangeine powders at a dmg store, having been told that they would cure headache. There was nothing on the label or in the printed matter inclosed with the preparation warning her of the dangerous character of the nostrum. Following the printed advice, she took two powders. In three hours she was dead. Coroner Dugan's verdict follows:..,.-

"Mary A. Bispels came to her death from kidney and heart disease, aggravated by poisoning by acetanilid taken in Orangeine headache powders."

Prescribing without Authority.

346. Yet this poison is being recommended every day by people who know nothing o£ it and nothing of the susceptibility of the friends to whom they advocate it. For example, here is a testimonial from the Orangeine booklet "Miss A. A. Phillips, 66, Powers-street, Brooklyn, writes : 'I always kept Orangeine in my

desk at school, and through its frequent applications to the sick, I am called both "doctor and magician." ' " 347. If the school herein referred to is a public school, the matter is one for the Board of Education; if a private school, for the Health Department or the County Medical Society. That a school teacher should be allowed to continue giving, however well-meaning her foolhardiness may be, a harmful and possibly fatal dose to the children entrusted to her care, seems rather a significant commentary on the quality of watch­

fulness in certain institutions. 348. Obscurity as to the real nature of the drug, fostered by caretul deception, is the sate guard of the acetanilid vendor. vVere its perilous quality known, the headache powder would hardly be so widely used. And were the even more important fact that the use of these powders becomes a habit, akin to the opium or cocaine habits, underst0od by vhe public, the repeated sales which are the basis of Orangeine's prosperity would undoubtedly be greatly cut down: Orangeine fulfils the prime requisite of a patent medicine in

being a good "repeater." Did it not foster its own demand in the form of a persistent craving, it would hardly be profitable. Its advertising invites to the formation of an addiction to the drug. "Get the habit," it might logically advertise, in imitation of a certain prominent e11-ploitation along legitimate lines. Not only is its value a.s a cure for nervousness and headaches insisted upon, but its prospective dupes are

advised to take this powerful drug as a. bnr:cer. '' "'\Vhen, as often, you reach home, tired in body and mind take an Orangeine

powder-lie down for thirty-minutes nap-if possible--anyway, relax, then take another." "To induce sleep, take an Orangeine powder immediately before retiring. When wakeful, an Orangeine powder will have a normalizing-, quieting effect." It is also recomme.nded as a good thing to begin the day's work on in the morning-that is, take Orangeine night, morning, and between meals l

These powders pretend to <:ure asthma, biliousness, headaches, colds, catarrh, and grip (dose: powder ev·ery four hours du:ring the day for a week !-a pretty fair start on the Orangeine habit), diarrhcea, hay fever, insomnia, influenza, neuralgia, sea-sickness, and sciatica. 349. Of course, they do not cure any of these; they do practically nothing but give temporary relief

by depressing the heart. With the return to normal conditions of blood circulation comes a recurrence of .the nervousness, headache, or what not, and the incentive to more of the drug, until it becomes a necessity. In my own acquaintance I know half a dozen persons who have come to depend on one or another of headache. prepara,tions to keep them going. One young woman whom I have in mind told me qu.Ite

innocently that she had been ta,king fise or six Orangeine powders a day for several months, havmg changed from Koehler's powders when some one told her that the latter were dangerous! Because of. her growing paieness her husband had called in their physician, but neither of them han mentioned the matter of the nostrum, having accepted with a childlike faith the asseverations of its beneficent qualities.

Yet they were of an order of intelligence that would scoff at the idea of drinking Swamp Root or.Peruna. That particular victim had the beginning of the typical blue skin, pictured in the street-car of Orangeine (the advertisements are a little mixed, as they put the blue hue on the "before-takmg, whereas it should go on the ''after-taking"). And, by the way, I can conscientiously

Orangeine, Koehler's Powders, Royal Pain Powders, and others of that class to women w1sh f?r a complexion o£ a dead pasty white, verging to a puti'y blueness under the eyes and about the use of these drugs will even produce an interesting and picturesque, if not intrinsically beautiful, purplish­ grey hue of thE face and neck.

Drugs

167

• i

Samuel Hopkins

96

Drugs tltat deprave.

850. Another acquaintance writes me that he is unable to dissuade his wife from the constant use of both Orangeine and Bromo-Seltzer, although her health is breaking down. Often it is difficult for a physician to diagnose these cases, because the symptoms are those of certain diseases in which the blood d(teriorates, and, moreover, the victim, as in opium and cocaine slaYery, will positively deny having used

the drug. A case of acetanilid addiction (in "cephalgin," an ethical proprietary) is thus reported:-" When the drug was withheld, the patient soon began to Exhibit ail the traits peculiar to the confirmed morphino-maniac-moral depravity and the like. She employed every possible means to obtain the drug, attempting even to bribe the nurse, and, this failing, even members of the family."

Another report of a similar case (and there are plenty of them to select from) reads:-" Stomach increasingly irritable; skin a grayish or light purplish hue; palpitation and slight enlargement of the heart j great prostration, with pains in the region of the heart; blood discoloured to a chocolate hue. The patient denied that she had been using acetanilid, but it was discovered that for a year she had been obtaining it in the fonn of a proprietary remedy, and had contracted a regalar

'habit.' On the discontinuance of the drug, the symptoms disappeared. She was discharged from the hospital as cured, but soon returned to the use of the drug, and applied for readmission, displaying the former symptoms."

351. Where I have found a renegade physician making his millions out of Peruna, or a professional promoter trading in the charlatanry of Liquozone, it has seemed superfluous to comment on the personality of the men. They are what their business connotes. With Orangeine the case is somewhat different. Its proprietors are men of standing in other and reputable Rpheres of activity. Charles L. Bartlett, its president, is a graduate of Yale University, and a man of some prominence in its alumni affairs. Orangeine is a side issue with him. Professionally he is theW estern representative of I mry Soap, one of the heaviest of legitimate advertisers, and he doubtless learned from this the value of skilful exploitation. Next to Mr. Bartlett, the largest owner of stock (unless he has recently sold out) is William Gillette, the actor,

whose enthusiastic indorsement of the pmvders is known in a personal sense to the profession which he follows, and in print to hundreds of thousands of theatre-goers who have road it in their programmes. Whatever these gentlemEn may think of their product (and I understand that, incredible as it may seem, both of them are constant users of it and genuine believers in it), the methods by which it is sold, and the essential and mendacious concealment of its real nature, illustrate the level to which otherwise upright and decent men are brought by a business which cannot profitably include either uprightness or decency in its methods.

352. Orangeine is less dangerous, except in extent of use, than many other acetanilid mixtures which are much the same thing under a different name. A friend of mine with a weak teart took the printed dose of Laxative Bromo-Quinine and lay at the point of dea.th for a week. There is no word of warning on the label. In many places samples of headache powders are distributed on the doorsteps. The St. Louis

Chronicle records a result :-Huntington, West Virginia, August 15, 1905.-" While Mrs. Thomas Patterson was preparing supper last evening she was stricken with a violent headache, and took a headache powder that had been thrown in at her door the day before. Immediately she was seized with spasms, and in an hour she was dead."

358. That e1·en the lower order of animals is not safe is shown by a canine tragedy in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where a prize collie dog incautiously devoured three sample tablets and died in an hour. Yet the distributing agents of these mixtures do not hesitate to lie about them. Rochester, New York, has an excellent ordinance forbidding the distribution of sample medicines, except by permission of the health officer. An agent for Miniature Headache Powders called on Dr. Goler with a request for leave to distribute 25,000 samples.

" What's your formula 1" asked the official. "Salicylate of soda and sugar of milk," replied the travelling man. "And you pretend to cure headaches with that 7" said the doctor. "I'll look into it." Analysis showed that the powders were an acetanilid mixture. The sample man did not wait for the result. He has not been back to Rochester since, although Dr. Goler is hopefully awaiting him.

354. Bromo-Seltzer is commonly sold in drug stores, both by the bottle and at soda fountains. The full dose is "a heaping teaspoonful." A heaping teaspoonful of Bromo-Seltzer means about 10 grains of acetanilid. The United States Pharmac"Jpceia dose is 4 grains ; 5 grains have been known to produce fatal results. The prescribed dose of Bromo-Seltzer is dangerous, and has been known to produce sudden collapse.

355. lVIegrimine is a warranted headache cure that is advertised in several of the magazines. A newly arrived guest at a Long Island house-party brought along several lots and distributed them as a remedy for headache and that tired feeling. It was lJerfectly harmless, she declared ; did not the advertisement say "Leaves no unpleasant effects "? As the late dance the night before had ]eft its impress upon the feminine members of the house-party, there was a general acceptance of the "bracer." That night the

local physician visited the house-party (on special "rush" invitation), and was well satisfied to pull all his patients through. He had never before seen acetanilid poisoning by wholesale. A Chicago druggist writes me that the wife of a prominent physician buys Megrimine of him by the half-dozen lots, secretly. She has the habit.

356. On October 9, W. H. Hawkins, superintendent of the American Detective Association, a man of powerful physique and apparently in good health, went to a drug store in Anderson, Indiana, and took a dose of Dr. Davis' Headache Powders. He then boarded a car for Marion, and shortly after fell to the :floor

97

Samuel Hopkins Adams-continued.

floor dead. The coroner's verdict is reproduced on the opposite page. 'Vhether these powders are made by a Dr. W. 0. Davis, of Indianapolis, who makes Anti-Headache, I am unable to state. Anti-Headache describes itselt as "a compound of mild ingrerlients, and positively contains no dangerous drugs." It is almost pure acetanilid.

357. In the "ethical" field the harm done by this c1ass of proprietaries is perhaps as great as in the open field, for many o£ those which are supposed to be sold only in prescriptions are as freely distributed to the laity as Peruna. And their advertising is hardly different,

Dangers of A ntikamnia,

358. Antikamnia, claiming to be an "ethical " remedy, and advertising through the medical press by 1nethods that would, with little alteration, fit any patent pain-killer on the market, is no dangerous or fraudulent than the Orangeine class which it almost exacUy parallels in composition. It was at first exploited as a "new synthetical coal-tar derivative," which it is not and never was. It is simply half or

more acetanilid (some analyses show as high as 68 per cent.), with other unimportant ingredients in varying proportions. In a booklet entitled "Light on Pain," and distributed on doorsteps, I find under an alphabetical list of diseases this invitation to form the Antikamnia habit:-"Nervousness (overwork and excesses)-Dose: One Antikamni.a tablet every 2 or 3 hours.

''Shoppers' or Sightseers' Headache-Dose: Two Antikamnia tablets every 3 hours. " Worry (nervousness: 'the Blues ')-Dose: One or two Antikamnia and Codeine tableto: every 3 hours."

359. Codeine is obtained from opium. The codeine habit is well known to all institutions which treat drug addictions, and is recognised as being no less difficult to cure than the morphine habit. A typical instance of what Antikamnia will do for its users is that o£ a Pennsylvania merchant, 50 years old, who had rleclined, without apparent cause, from 140 to 116 lb., and was finally brought to

Philadelphia in a state of stupor. His pulse was barely perceptible, his Rkin dusky, and his blood of a deep chocolate colour. On reviving he was questioned as to whether he had been taking headache powders. He had, for several years. What kind 1 Antikamnia _; sometimes in the plain tablets, at other times Antikamnia with codeine. How many 1 About twelve a day. He was greatly surprised to learn that

this habi'u was responsible for his condition. "My doctor gave it to me for insomnia," he said, and it appeared that the patient had never even been warned of the dangerous character of the drug.

360. Were it obtainable, I would print here the full name and address of that attending physician, as one unfit, either through ignorance or carelessness, to practis8 his profession. And there would be other physicians all over the country who would, under that description, suffer the same indictment within their own minds for starting innocent patients upon a destructive and sometimes fatal course. For it is the

careless or conscienceless physician who gets the customer for the "ethical" headache remedies, and the customer, once secured, pays a profit, very literally, with his own blood. Once having taken Antikamnia, the layman, unless informed as to its true nature, will often return to the drug store and purchase it, with the impression that it is a specific drug, like quinine or potassium chlorate, instead of a disguised poison,

exploited and sold under patent-rights by a priva,te concern. The United States Post Office, in its broad tolerance, permits the Antikamnia Company to send through the mails little sample boxes, containing tablets enough to kill an ordinary man, and these samples are sent not only to physicians, as is the rule with ethical remedies, but to lawyers, business men, "brain-workers," and other prospective purchasing

classes. The box bears the lying statements, "No drug habit--no heart effect." .

361. An Australian physician informs me that he sometimes orders 15-grain doses of acetanilid. The law allows it, and there is no check at all; but Dr. S. 0. Potter says, page 63 :-"In all cases overdosing should be avoided, both as to quantity and

repetition, especially in persons who are strangers to the prescriber, on account of the susceptibility to the poisonous action of the drug which is possessed by many individuals."

362. Just as this is going to press, the following significant case comes in from J ow a :-"Farmington, Iowa, October 6.-(Special to the Constitution-Democrat)-Mrs. Hattie Kick, one of the best and most prominent ladies of Farmington, died rather suddenly Wednesday morning, at 10 o'clock, from an overdose of antikamnia, which she took for a severe headache from which she was suffering. Kick was subject to severe headaches, and was a frequent user of antikamnia, her favourite remedy for this ailment."

There is but one safeguard in the use of these remedies : to regard them as one would regard opium, and to employ them only with the consent of a physician who understands their true nature. Acetanilid has it uses, but not as a generic pain-killer. Pain is a symptom; you can drug it away temporarily, but it will return clamoring for more payment until the final price is hopeless enslavement. Were the skull and bones on every box of this class of poison the danger would be greatly minimised.

363, With opium and cocaine the case is different. The very words are danger signals. Legal restrictions safeguard the public, to a greater or less deg1·ee, from their indiscriminate use. Nc.rmal.people do not knowingly take opium, or its derivatives, except with the sanction of a physician, and there :seven spreading abroad a belief (surely an expression of the law of self-presenation) that tl:e licensed

practitioner leans too readily toward the convenient naTcotlc;,;. *97267-N But

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Samuel Hopkins Adams-continued.

But this perilous stuff is the ideal basis for a patent medicine, because its results are immediate (though never permanent), and it is its own best advertisement in that one dose imperatively calls for another. Therefore it behoves the manufacturer of opiates to disguise the use of the drug. This he does in various forms, and he has found his greatest success in the "cough and consumption cures " and the soothing syrup class. The former of these will be considered in another article. As to the "soothing syrups," designed for the drugging of helpless infants, even the trade does not know how many have risen, made their base profit, and subsided. A few surviYe,,probably less harmful than the abandoned ones, on the average, so that by taking the conspicuous survivors as a type, I am at least doing no injustice to the

class.

· 364. Some years ago I heard a prominent New York lawyer, asked by his office scrub-woman to buy a ticket for some "Association" ball, say to her, "How can you go to these affairs, Nora, when you have two young children at home "Sure, they're all right," she returned blithely, "just wan teaspoonful of Winslow's, an' they lay like the dead till mornin'."

What eventually became of the scrub-woman's children I do not know. The typical result of this practice is described by a Detroit physician, who has been making a special study of Michigan's high mortality rate.

365. " Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup is extensively used among the poorer classes as a means of pacifying their babies. These children eventually come into the hands of physicians with a greater or less addiction to the opium habit. The sight of a parent drugging a helpless infant into a semi­ comatose condition is not an elevating one for this civilised age, and it is a very common practice. I can give you one illustration from my own hospital experience, which was told me by the father of the girl. A middle-aged railroad man, of Kansas City, had a small daughter with summer diarrhma. For this she was given a patent diarrhma medicine. It controlled the trouble, but as soon as the remedy was withdrawn the diarrhma returned. At every withdrawal the trouble began anew, and the final result was that they never succeeded in curing this daughter of the opium habit which had taken its hold upon her. It was some years afterward that the parents became aware that she had contracted the habit, when the physician took away the patent medicine and gave the girl morphine with exactly the same result which she had experienced with the patent remedy. At the time the father told me this story, his daughter was 19 years of age, an only child of wealthy parents, and one who could have had every advantage in life, but who was a complete wreck in every way as a result of the opium habit. The father told me, with tears in his eyes, that he would rather she had died with the original illness than to have lived to become the creature which she then was."

366. The proprietor of a drug store in San Jose, California, writes to Collier's as follows:-"I have a good customer, a married woman with five children, all under 10 years of age. When her last baby was born, about a year ago, the first thing she did was to order a bottle of Winslow's Soothing Syrup, and every week another bottle was bought at first, until now a bottle is bought every third day. Because the baby has become habituated to the drug. I am not

well t)l10ugh acquainted with the family to be able to say that the weaned children show any present abnormality of health due to the opium contained in the drug, but the after-effects of opium have been thus described. . . . . Another instance, quite as startling, was. that of a mother who gave large quantities of soothing syrup to two of her children in infctncy, then becoming convinced of its danger, abandoned its use. These children in middle life became neurotics, spirit and drug takers. Three children, born later and not given any drugs in early life, grew up strong and healthy.

"+fear the children of the woman in question will all suffer for their mother's ignorance, or worse, in later life, and have tried to do my duty by sending word to the mother of the harmful nature of the stuff, but without effect. " P.S.-How many neurotics, fiends, and criminals may not 'Mrs. Winslow' be sponsor

367. This query is respectfully referred to the Anglo-American Drug Company; of New York, which makes its handsome profit from this slave trade. .

Recent legislation on the part of the New York State Board of Pharmacy will tend to decrease the profit, as it requires that a poison label be put on each· bottle of the product, as has long been the law in England.

368. An Omaha physician reports a case of poisoning from a compound bearing the touching name of" Kopp's Baby Friend," which has a considerable sale in the Middle W P.-t nnd in Central New York. It is made of sweetened water and morphine, about one-third grain of morphine to the ounce. "The child (after taking 4 drops) went into a stupor at once, the pupils were pin-pointed, skin

cool and clammy, heart and respiration slow. I treated the case as one of opium poisoning, but it took 12 hours before my little patient was out of danger."

369. As if to put a point of satirical grimness Ul o:t the matter, the responsible proprietor of this particular business of drugging helpless babies is a woman, J'1rs. J. A. Kopp, of York, Pennsylvania.

370. Making cocaine fiends is another profitahlc enterprise. Catarrh powders are the medium. A decent druggist will not sell cocaine as such, steadily, to any customer, except upon prescription, but most druggists find salve for their consr:iences in the fact that the snbtle and terrible drug is in the form of somebody's eure cure. There is need to say nothing of the effects of cocaine, other than that it is destructive to mind and body alike, and appalling in its breaking down of all moral restraint. Yet in New York City it is distributed in "samples" at ferries and railway stations. Yon may see the empty boxes and the instructive labels littering the gutters of Broadway any Saturday night, when the drug-store trade is briskest,

99

Samuel Hopkins Adams-continued.

371. Birney's Catarrhal Powder, Dr. Cole's Catarrh Cure, Dr. Gray's Catarrh Powder, and Crown Catarrh Powder the ones most in demand. All of them are cocaine ; the other ingredients are

unimportant-perhaps even superfluous. Whether or not the bottles are labelled with the amount of cocaine makes little difference. The habitues know. In one respect, howmer, the labels help them by giving information as to which nostrum, is the most heavily drugged.

" People come in here," a New York City druggist tells me, " ask what catarrh powders we've got, read the labels, and pick out the one that's got the most cocaine. When I see a customer comparing labels, I know she's a fiend."

372. Naturally these owners and exploiters of these mixtures claim that the small amount of cocaine contained is harmless. For instance, the "Crown Cure," admitting 2! per cent., says :-"Of course, this is a very small and harmless amount. Cocaine is now considered to be the most valuable addition to modern medicine it is the most perfect relief known."

373. Birney's Catarrh Cure runs as high as 4 per cent., and can produce testimonials vouching for its harmlessness. Here is a Birney "testimonial" to the opposite effect, obtained "without solicitation or payment" (I have ventured to put it in the approved form), which no sufferer from catarrh can afford to miss.

" Read what William Thompson, of Chicago, says of Birney's Catarrh Cure-Three years ago Thompson was a strong man; now he is without money, health, home, or friends" (Chicago 1'ribune):-" I began taking Birney's Catarrh Cure (says Thompson) three years ago, and the longing for the drug has grown so potent that I suffer without it.

" I followed the directions at first, then I increased the quantity until I bought the stuff by the dozen bottles."

37 4. A famous drink and drug cure in Illinois had, as a patient, not long ago, a 14 year old boy, who was a slave to the Birney brand of cocaine. He had run his father $300 in debt, so heavy were his purchases of the poison.

375. Chicago long ago settled this cocaine matter in the only logical way. The proprietor of a large downtown drug store noticed several years ago that at noon numbers of the shop girls from a great depa.rtment store purchased certain catarrh -powders over his counter. He bad his clerk warn them that the powders contained deleterious drugs. The girls continued to purchase in increasing numbers and

quantity. He sent word to the superintendent of the store. "That accounts for the number of our girls that have gone wrong of late," was the superintendent's comment. The druggist, Mr. :McConnell, had an analysis made by the Bof1rd of Health, which showed that the powder most called for was nearly 4 per cent. cocaine, whereupon he threw it and similar powders out of stock. The girls went elsewhere.

Mr. McConnell traced them, and started a general movement against this class of remedies which resulted in an ordinance forbidding their sale. Birney's Catarrhal P0wders, as I am informed, to meet the new brought out a powder without cocaine, which had the briefest kind of a sale. For weeks

thereafter the downtown stores were haunted by haggard young men and women, who begged for "the old powders: these new ones d"n't do alJ..Y good." As high as $1.00 premiurr. was paid for the 4 per cent. cocaine species. To-day the Illinois druggist who sells cocaine in this form is liable to arrest. Yet, in New York, at the corner of Forty-second Street and Broadway, I saw recently a show window display of the

Birney cure, and similar displays are not uncommon in other cities. ·

376. Regarding other forms of drugs there may be honest differences of opinion as to the limits of legitimacy in the trade. If mendacious advertising were stopped, and the actual ingi·edients of every nostrum plainly published and frankly explained, the patent medicine trade might reasonably claim to be a legitimate enterprise in many of its phases. But no label of opium or cocaine, though the warning skull and

cross-bones cover the bottle, will excuse the sale of products that are never safely used except by expert advice. I believe that the Chicago method of dealing with the catarrh powders is the right method in cocaine and opium bearing nostrums. Restrict the drug by the same safeguards when sold under a lying pretence as when it tlies its true colours. Then and then only will our laws prevent the shameful trade that stupefies helpless babies, and makes criminals of our young men and harlots of our young women.

377. An Australian woman, wife of a worthy tradesman, has had five babies. She gave them all soothing powders as advertised. Four are dead. She gives the powders to the present baby. "For God's sake,n implored my informant, "use them no more, and give the baby its chance of life."

More Injury and DeathlfromiAcetanilidl(oriAcetanilide ) . . · 378. On 25th January, 1900, an inquest was held at Liverpool, England, on a httle girl, ret. 6 years 10 months, who died from taking a" Daisy Powder," acetanilid. The directions were that it was to have half a powder, but by mistake took a whole one.

Dr. Baxter said he found the child breathing with great difficulty, with lips and skin very blue in appearance. He had no doubt the child died from paralysis of the centre of respiration, caused by taking much of the powder. He did not think it was sufficiently stated that the powders were not for young

children. In his opinion a whole powder would be sufficient to produce the death of a child of such age as the deceased. 379.

171

100

379. A case is described by Dr. Phillip King Brown in the American Journal of the Medical Sciences for December. A man, aged 37 years, was given 60 grains of acetanilide in six powders for headache, and he took them all within a few hours. When seen by his medical attendant (after what interval of time is not stated) he was slightly delirious, and complained of pain in the head and of the left umbilical region. There were pyrexia, rapid heart, marked constipation, slight jaundice, nausea, and vomiting. Calomel in . small doses, followed by salts, produced a copious but bloody motion, and the urine was dark red.

On the following day he was admitted to hospital. The pulse was 78, soft and compressible; the temperature was 1 00·2 degrees Fahr. ; the lips and nails were extremely cyanotic, and there was slight jaundice. He complained of pain . in the left side of the abdomen, and there was tenderness in the epigastrium and the region of the left kidney. The skin was moist, and the gums were bluish ; the urine

was strongly alkaline and deep red, nearly black ; the colour was shown to be due to hrematoporphyrin ; there was a small sediment which showed granular casts ; on boiling, a large coagulum formed. On the day after admission only 150 cubic centimetres of urine were passed ;. after this there was complete suppression. There was great thirst, which was quenched with milk, but soon everything that was given was rejected, and rectal feeding had to be adopted. Though nothing was given by the mouth for days, the vomiting continued. Cough and expectoration were persistent. There was slight delirium, and the reaction of the pupils to light became more and more sluggish; in the end the pupils were widely dilated. The reflexes were first exaggerated, then they gradually disappeared. The extremities were .;;onstantly cold. The temperature fell slowly to normal on the fourth day, and was subsequently subnormal, reaching 95·5 degrees in the rectum on the evening before death, which took place on the eighth day of the illness.

There was alternately constipation and diarr·h(m, and forty-eight hours before death and twenty-seven hours after the suppression of urine, blood-colouring matter and broken-down blood cells were constantly in the freces, which previously were blood-stained only occasionally. The heart began to fail on the fourth day; the skin became more and more jaundiced. On the fifth day after admission, mucous casts were

passed. Examination of the blood showed destruction of the red corpuscles, which finally were reduced to 1,166,000 per cubic millimetre, while the Ieucocytes were 66,450, and the nucleated red cells, 22,150. The alkalinity of the blood was diminished by 80 per cent.

380. Authorities agree that the average number of red blood-cells in the body of a healthy adult human being is 4,500,000 to 5,000,000 to a

cubic millimetre. Worsley calculates that one grain of blood contains 825 million red cells, wejght of a red cell one eight-hundred-millionth of a grain. White cells 7,000 to a cubic millimetre. A millimetre is one twenty-fifth of an inch.

381. We do not know, no one has yet had time to know, what are the exact physiological effects of this drug and of the other so-called analgesics (pain-removers). Pain is Nature's sentinel. You may drug the sentinel and leave the cause untouched; you may remove the warning watchman and leave the citadel of life open to the enemy. The feeders of your body are the red corpuscles ; the soldiers and defenders who are ever alert to chase, to seize, and to destroy your countless enemies, are the white corpuscles-the leucocytes. The investigations now proceeding of the hypothetical "opsonin," do not disturb, but rather account for the recorded obser-·vations concerning the leucocytes. What they are in themselves, how they originate,

how they are potentially contained in the ovum and the spermatozoon our race does not know, and probably never will lmow, so long as the race shall last. But -we can see and count some of the damages. You have them in the case quoted by Dr. Fred. J. Smith, in Taylor's Medical Jurisprudence of 1906. And we recall the immature membranes of the infantile intestinal tract "which act," according to von Behring, "like a coarse-pored filter."

382. You observe how a patient who took as little as two and two-fifth grains (about one-sixth of a gramme) exhibited alarming symptoms, and how a child of about 7 years died with only one proprietary acetanilide powder. Can reckless indifference farther go in the rush to exploit the public, and to sell for the use of adults and

children, a cheap and insidious poison ·which is more terrible under our circumstances than the notorious Aqua Tofana of the seventeenth century. It will be seen that it can go further. The '11ofana's ·w:as secret poisoning, with outlawry. Ours is open poisoning, and under the shadow and protection of the law. We protect the label of the poisoner, nor permit another to poach upon his preserves. . In the Canadian list

we read the puff of an acetn,nilide nostrum : "These powders are very good for children cutting their teeth."

383. Well may the great toxicologist Sir Thomas Stevenson write, in answer to my question No.7," There is an increase of late of the use of synthetic drugs whose effect

101

effect is to interfere with the normal action of the heart. Among such drugs are headache powders such as acetanilide (antifebrin) whichlis very potent. I_have known it to produce injury and death." 8. "I am of opinion that the cases of suffering and of death are much more

frequent than are recorded by Courts or by public prints.''

384. Sir Thomas premises: "I am not a physician in practice, and have no charge of patients, either public or private." His experience of poisonings, from a

385. A physician and surgeon in ordinary practice, who has also been the Pathologist for sixteen years to London Hospital, situated in a densely congested district, the largest and busiest institution of its kind in the Empire, answers the same questions thus:-

There is a very large increase in the use of synthetic remedies (acetanilide and its congeners) as so-called headache powders, &c. These are dangerous to the heart, and cause many fatal accidents. 'rhey should never be administered except under strict medical supervision.

8. I am quite convinced that the amount of suffering, and the'number of deaths, are quite out of proportion to the publicly recorded cases. Not a tithe of the cases ever get into print, as such. I should be pretty certain that not even 1 per cent. of the mischief is recorded, or even suspected, by the average layman."

386. The reader is requested to peruse carefully the column "Remarks" in the Canadian list, when he cannot fail to be struck with the reckless audacity of the purveyors of pills and powders of acetn,nilide, "guaranteed harmless in continued use." That. poison which is so vigorously condemned by the highest authorities of

Europe and America is freely recommended by the drug-packers for use at all times, by the sick and healthy, the invalid and the babe . •

387. The pathologist before quoted, whose opportunities of observation are amongst the scores of thousands of patients per annum relieved in London Hospital, answered my questions under this heading (cardiac depressants, &c.) as follows:--1. Q. In your practice and in your general sources of knowledge have you observed that wholesale

prescription by public advertisement of drugs included in the classes mentioned in the preceding paragraph is the cause of a large consumption of those poisons 1 (Cardiac depressants, irritant and narcotic poisons sold under proprietary labels, together with a Government stamp label.) A. From my knowledge, general, and I may say universal, constant and persistent, there can be no

shadow of doubt that the prescribing of drugs of this class does lead to an enormous sale of the same, with a proportionate consumption. 2. Q. Is there a debasement of morals as a direct consequence, ·and is there a tendency to further debasement 1

A. There most distinctly is a debasement of morals as a direct consequence; of this I have personally seen and known many examples. 3. Q. In your knowledge, and belief, is there debauchery ol' people, especially ot women, resultant upon the usc of these compounds 1 Is the evil of such 111agnitude as to be accounted of grave national

importance, and has it increased of late years, and does it show increased activity at present 1 A. To my certain knowledge, and belief, there is such debasement as can only be described by the word debauchery, especially amongst women, resulting from the use of these articles. The evil therefrom is of very grave nat!onal importance. It has increased of !ate years; and is still increasing.

"Industrial Efficiency," I, 198 :-"Elberfeld has the honor of housing the renowned 'Farban Fabriken' Company, at whose enormous works 160 expert chemists are said to he employed. Among other blessings showered upon the world by their labours are constant additions to the interminable series of synthetic and other new drugs, including those anodynes and sedatives which are largely responsible for the incraasing prevalence of neurasthenia and inebriety among women of the upper classes."

How the finest Home Journal of the World upholds the National Life.

388. Here may be seen how the proprietors of the Ladies' Home Journal, of Philadelphia, address theie five millions of women readers. Invaluable advice, side by side with clean and decent advertising. Most of the home journals for women, printed in English, though quasi-religious and moral in the reading matter, are

unscrupulous and even impudent in their announcements of fraudulent and immoral things. 389.

- 173

102

389. The Ladies' Home Journal.

e

Why Headache Remedies are Dangerous By H. W. Wiley, M.D. ChJef Chemtst to the United States Department of ASrtc:;lture at Washtnaton

E.dito(s'Note- Doc. tor Wiley, the author of this article, occupies a position of the largest authority and importanc.e as the Chief .of the Bureau of Chemistry at Washington. lt is to Doctor Wiley that Congress has entrusted the carrying out of the ptovisions of the Pure food anct Law in the analysis of all foods and drugs. He has given years of fhe c.losest study to this whole question. and is. perhaps. the leading authority thereon in \he country. What he therefore, of Hw dangers of headache powders may

well be accepted by the women of America as carrying with it the force of not only unquestioned authority, but as the fina\ word.

l ·r IS now required under the Food and Drugs Act that the !abel on the bottle or box of every ''patent medicine'' manufactured in one State and sold in another shall distinctly tell the quan· tity or proportion o( any alcohol, motphine, opium, cocaine, heroin, alpha or beta eucaine, chloro· form, cannabis indica, chloral hydrate or acet· anilide, or any derivative or preparation of aQY such subs_tances contained therein. But although these drugs are

required to be mentioned on the label, tbe fact stHl remains that many will not know their significance There are, for example, a number .of headache powders or dies sold which, under the new law and its regulations, must state on their labels whether they contain one or more of the drugs namOO above. Caffeine and antipyrine are also frequent ingredients in head· ache powders and mixtures but are not required to be named by the

Act. In so .far as labeling is concerned, therefore. our people have only a partial protection against the dangers of such preparations. Now, any .one of these drugs when not used under the supervision of a competent physici:m is dangerous and their mixture is apt to be deadly, and in otder that thl' public may he fully· informed of what chey are doing when they take one of these drugs the following eX· planation is offered:

One of the Most Active Agents Used In Medicine

ACETANILIDE is a dangerous drug:, one of the slrongest l\ o{ at! the drug<; used in headache renwdies-so dangerous, in !act, that reputable physici'-l.ns are growing more and more careiul of its use, while many are its use altogether. :\celanilide is a derivath·e o( aniline, whtch is ol11ained from coal·tar It IS a sedative­that is, it has a quieting effect on tht: SfllSN)" ner\·es and produces a depressing influe-nce on the spinal cord lt dcpresscs the dr<·ul.1· tion: it lowers the tcmpcr,nurc of tht' body, .1nd in this \.\"ay it undoubtedly \\·ill effect a relief oi headache without, bow·

Never Take Druas Unless Prescribed by a Physician

THESE r .. , ..... n.ll nave their rightful place in medicine, and

knows his patient's constitution and knows what her heart ur her S)'stem can stand; and third, if he prescribes one of these powerful drugs he the amount of the drug in accordance with what

he thinks his patient can safely bear. Buc all this is not true with the headache remedy bought at the drug·store. lt has a fixed quan· tity of one or rnore of these powerful drugs in it. Some of these

remedies contain as much as fifty per cent. of acetanilide, others as high as per cent. Now, suppose the patient has a weak

heart and her system is at a low ebb: a physician would see at once, if he prescribed acetanilide, that the most he could safely give his patient would be perhaps one-third of the quantity of the proprietary ri'medy. Fancy. ·then, the effect of from thirty to forty per cent. more of this powerful drug on a weak system. The patient herself does not know, she cannot know, how much acetanillde or caffeine or phenacetine or antipyrine (or various mixtures of these) she can safely use; only her physician can tell her that. For this reason have we such lamentable results from headache remedies on lt.·omen who have no idea of the powerful drugs they contain, and can have no idea of how

much of such drugs it h, possible for them to stand without serious effect \\'omen, too, have no idea of the tremendous danger these reme· dies have in forming the habit of using them. And this is one of the gravest dangers of all-the fearful da11ger which they offer of forming a hab1t. A woman has a headache and she uses one of these remedies.

[\ relieves the pain. \Vhen she has !lnother attack she uses it again and again with the same result. After a while she fmds the

amount of the remed:-· docS not cure the pain, bur only relie\·es !he sutTering She uses two portions, and so the habit is formed until danger is confronted For one thing must not be forgotten

these remedies are powerful, for if they u·ere not they would be of no effect

Thev are m certain deadlv. thev

t'\"f'r, a cure. But the headache is cured tempararil.J· at

EDITOR'S dcO.uCLLon 10 be orawn the nervous system. they. disturb

tile thcv interfere with natural

sleep they require to be used in !hcreas· i.ngly larger quantities as the ::.ystem be· comes accustomed to rhdr use thev arc almost without exception excrNed b.y the ktdneys. thus adding an additional bur­ den to

remedy but agamst the whole system, and espeCially should we decry the prac1ice of using fanciful names to co\"er up the sale of any of the drugs which enter Into the composition of these poll'ders

ca!>es unconsciousness be produ,'t'd nnd in other ca:=.es a dcbilit3.ting

ct1ecc

If the Headache Remedy You are Taking Says on the Label That it Contains E.ither

What Caffeine .Is as a Drug Acetanilide

0! 1\N"T!FESR!NE

CAFFtlXE (or theine), the a\kalmdal \lrinuple of coffee and tea and other j,; another drug frcqucnily used in

headache remedies, and its effect as a drug upon the human system is so pro· nounted as (o render ils use in headache

01 PHENYLACS'fAMfD!i:

Caflelne

m THEINE

rcmcd!es a matter of the import

a nee £yen in tea and Hs ct1eu

or METHYL·TH£0BROMINE

Jf the nature of these drugs were known they would not be so extensively used This is best illustrated in a recent case which came under my own personal a'b­ servauon where a lady addicted to the headadw powder habir asked that an exammanon of the powder she "'as usmg

be made 1\.n el'.aminatton revealed that tt was composed of acetani!idtc> and caf· feme Oo sendmg her not1cc of the

compostrion I received from her the fol·

is so sLrong that many persons drinking them late at night will ha\·e the1r sleep disturbl·d or oftl'n pass an enurcly sleep­ night But ,,·hen caffeine i,; separated

from a·a ,1nd co\'\c.e and '..\S.';:od a separate drug it exerts a much marl;' spenhc actlon U!JOn the sy,;tem than when in nawral <:ombinadon. ln fact. 1hose persons who

rould use a certain an1ount of caffemc tn co!Tee or tea without notable inJury, or re-sulting w more than u few sleepless hours or a ni(';ht, might be injured

by Jhe same amount as a drug in head­ ache remedies, for l:'xarnple Caffeine has a direct stimulating effect upon the ncr\·es, the brain and the spinal cord, and in this way it acts upon a headache of a partiCUlar kind; but when used as a drug its general effect is to induce that unhappr state described, for lack of a

better word, as nervousness with deranged digestion and impaired health.

'" LRl·METHYI..·XANTfi!Nit ,..luchmc3l»lhcsameth.ne-.

Phenacetlne '" AC:ETPHENETID[NE cr ETHOXY·AN'f!FEBRINE 01 PARA·OXVETHYL-A.CETANILIDE

or PARA-ACETAMIDO·PHENETOL or PHENEDINE or PHENIN& or PHENETIDINE:

Antipyrine

01 PH8NAZ0?WE

ur SEDATINE u• PARODVNE w ANODYNlNJ: "' PHENVLONI!.

lowtng reply

,;orry to lind tt con tams atetamlide, as It has often relieved e.xquJSite pam for me and for friends of mme a relief wluch a know!edgt of tts potsonous qualities must make us fon·3o new. bu\ tt rmght. ot han•

rour

o• OXY·DIMETHYL·CHrNlZINB

Nor does t\'hat l havt- S

to those whtch the drugg1s1 pur:.

up himself and sells. lt 1s lltten tht'" ..:ast that the drugg1st has <1 headarht n·m .. of hts own making. and 1n almost t'l'en case does this remedv Lik(• tht 1dvt:r1lst>d

remedies. contatn ont 1•l rhc:oe !JLI""erlul drugs

or PHENYL· DrMI!:THYL · PVRAZOLON& wlucn meall$tneta.wc

A Drus rhat WJll be Much Usecl

(or at'ctphenetldine)

used

You are TakinS PqwertuJ and Oangerou$ Drugs

t:ause of the fae1 that a ft·w months ago the patent t·ontrolling tht' article exp1red, and the price then dropped from sixteen dollars a pound to abour one• SIXteenth of that sum And because the dangers of acetanilide and caficine have been so rnuch written ·about and the publit has been warnc-d, many of the manufacturers will undoubtedly nor w1sh to put acetanilide on thdr labels. and they will therelorc use phena·cetioe instead.

11 is, in consequence, vital\y unportant that the public should know that this drug is only harmful w us effc('J upon the human

system Ihan either acetanilide or <:affeme Ltk.e these drugs, it has a most soothing e[lect, parttcu!arly un the bratn and sp1na! cord, 1:1.nd thus relieves a pain in the head Du1 1t ;1 heart-depressant,

and this IS the :>enous potnt to bl· l'Ons1dcrcd by alt. users of these headache remedies that while a IH.'adache rna\'. b1· of ttleo.t'

strong, powerful and dangCrous drug5., be thr relief a:>

gained at the risk of the heart and of a depressing eftect upon the whole svstem. \Vhat, too, must be cons1dered the mora! attnude of a minufanurer who has used acetamhdc rn h1s ::iO·c;;.lJcd rcmed v as long a.s the prin· of phenaretme was bigh-and when the pric\: falls uses phenacenne without the name or the t:haracter of

the advertising or the :;o-called rernedv' Antipyrine (or analgesine) ts another of these powerful drugs [..lscd in headache remedies. It is. the other drugs. a derivat1ve ot

coal·tar, and as a drug 11 is highly valued as a. relieycr of pam. It ts oft<'n used in levers berause it Lowers the tempcratun.· of the body So dangerous is it. however, that physJctans prcscribl· 11 only under Cbe most

When o Woman ts 5ale

hea.dache she IS •:mflering, for tt should be remembered thar ont' ktnd of headache ts caused by the eyes, another by the stomach. and stilJ anvther by some other cause. and each requ1res iL different treatment When 1t i!'l considered tha\ there are two generat corvd\t\OUI'

m ordinary headache wh1ch dfe oppoS!te m their character, the danger of taking a wrong remedy without competent advtce IS readily seen In most tases ol" headache there ts a congestion of the blood n'ssels of the bratn and tts and the n.numl remedial att to

retnm·e pain be to reduce the congestion. On the other hand,

when a headache 1s caused by fat1gue or lack of blood in the bram. iUt>t the oppositt: rouCI'ioon is present and a stimulating treatment mdicared Cv 10 the root of the trouble u.nd let ;: phystcwrr

dtscover where the trouble lies. Then let him prescribe for you ht:, prescriptwn rnadl;' up m the house. as long a.s he mav din·ct

you lo do !jU. and be gulded. tn furure attack.:>, by the arjvtce whtch he gn·es you If presrnptton docs not happen ll• hf'Lp you

about m unu:. lf not at once, l.! rl'Sult far more senous lh;w i/w hL·dd· actw 1rself Vo no1 bt: conlt'ftl wtth the relic[ ol the tv

t:radJtate th<: cau;;c pro

When the School-days Come. To boy whose

body is properlynour­ tshed school-days bring the en;oyment of a keen-edged curi­ osity and a mind

athirst fur new things. To the poorly nour­ ished boy Trouble ' comes with the Bur­

den of the Books.

Hts tmpoverished body becomes an easy prey to the diseases of childhood. The tdeal food for growing boys and girls, w school

and out of school, is SHREDDED WHEAT. It is rich in the ele­

ments that rep at r

wasted ttssue, that make bone and SHREDDED INH EAT con tams a II the n u­

trttive elements of the whole wheat gratO made dtg<:sttble by cuokmg, shredding and baktng.

A breakfut of Sh.1'9dd .. d Wheat Bi.-:uit with bot milk •up·

11liee all th• phy•ical and m.ental en01'11 nooded for 1tud,. or play; •M it k•epe tho diae•tiYo ortro.n• heahby ant\ M:

wheat wd.r. u••d •• ., with

butter -.nd .. "' •ub.htute for whit• flo-.-;, bread. At aU fTOUra.

His' -

29

103

His Excellency the Governor-General of Canada on,. Quack) Medicines. .... . ... 390. From other sources, and from another side, in conneetion with the same series of compopnds, we see that some knowledge of the wrongs done to society has penetrated to a distinguished statesman in the exalted position of Governor-General of Canada. In an address delivered to the medical students of the McGill

University, at :Montreal, on the 13th JTehruary, 190U, His Excellency :Earl Grey is reported next day by the Montreal Daity Star to have said of proprietary drugs that "he read in the daily Press wonderful advertisements about ' How to fool a lazy liver,' 'How to cure catarrh,' and a number of other almost miraculous cures that

might be effected by the virtues of certain drugs. 'rhis reminds me,'' he said, " of my old friend, Peruna. In polite circles whiskey is called Pcruna. Recently I bought a bottle of Peruna, and sent it to be analysed. It was returned to me showing that it contained 40·5 proof spirit. To add to this, recently I received a report from a friend in Washington showing that thousands of children died every year through these medicines, and the tragedy of it is all the more intensified

because the stuff is administered by mothers who do not know the effects of the mixtures they are giving their children. "I am of the opinion that laws should be made that it would be required to show what patent medicines contained. . It should be set down that all1dmgs

containing alcohol and narcotics and other patent drugs should have the percentages of these drugs printed on the labels of bottles. If not, the shadow of the undertaker will mingle with that of the medical profession."

........ --·-··-""'" ' • - vnVL.C.I It:..,

Mr Menesippe Cholette, Ste. Therese de Bb.irville, P .Q., W'l'ites:-··r SHALL BE ABL·E 'l'O SPEAK I:-.1 'l'E•RM:::; HIGH ENOUGH TO

EXPRESS 'l'HE ENTIRE CONFIDENCE I HAVE IN PERUNA. ''There is nothing better to reS>tore I took eiaht

"A!! the pains I .h!l>d in the. beau and oGw

tle. . . .

"PERU:-.TtA WAS .SUCCESS.FUL WHERE TWO DOCTORS HAD FAILED. . ··were I the first to testify in favo1,1r <:f this remedy, it might be tilought that I e;:aggerate, but many testimonia-ls before mine po!r,ted oe1t the great virtue of this effective tonic. ·

"·ould. be unTeasona.ble to underva1ue a JcmE·:!Y wh.ch bas snatched· from

premature death poo}r human beings .who were bevGnd rescue by the ·joctcrs. "Th!s remedy has restored many a vic .1:n of 'incipient CD'!lSUm!)tion and o-ther dise:.ts§.s. "PERUXA IS THEl BES·T FOR ALL CA'l'ARRHAL DISEASE'S."

391. There is reason for profound thankfulness that a man of brilliance and distinction, an ardent Imperialist and friend of his race, should thus openly take side and use his great name and influence in the cause of right and decency. Probably he knows that his suggested remedy is quite inadequate, for the average

woman ·with a " splitting headache " would be little the wiser and not at all protected when the proprietors of the dangerous drug "11henalgin" openly state, as they do, that it is " ammoniated phenylacetamide," or if plainly told that "orthoform," to give it its full title, is really para-amido-meta-hydroxybenzoic-acid­

methy1-ester, or that the "fashionable" remedy "piperazine " is simply dietbylene­ diamine. These drugs with imposing and sonorous names are not hereby recom­ mended as headache cures. Appended is a short list of analyses of acetanilide mixtures (headache powders and preparations, handed me by Dr. George H. Simmons

of Chicago, editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association), together with an editorial thereon. I add a concise statement of the qualifications of the analysts. FOOD FOR THOUGHT.

(From the Journal of the AmM·ican Medical Association, Chicago, Ill., 3 June, 1905.)

[Editorial.]

392. For several weeks the Committee on Chemistry of the Council of Pharmacy and Chemistry, with the assistance and co-operation of other chemists, has been carefully investigating and analysing a number of proprietary articles on the market, with the object (1) of dAtcrmining as nearly as possible their composition, and (2) of acquainting the medical profession of the United States with the true character

some of the medicines offered them and for which claims of great therapeutic value are made. The Council publishes in the Department of Pharmacology in this issue the results regarding a few of the preparations investigated. We hope th2-10 our readers will carefully study tl1e report, and at the same time will to a.ppreo1ata

175

., . .. ,

'.i

104

Journal of American Medical Association-continued.

appreciate all it means. To realise its full import, however, one should bear in mind the claims made by the manufacturers for these preparations in regard to both their composition and their properties as remedial agents. Most of these preparations have been analysed by several members of the committee, but to leave no room for doubt as to the facts stated, the services of expert and trustworthy chemists, not

members of the Council, have also been utilised.

393, As will be noticed, the statements made in the report are extremely conservative. _For instance, the minimum amount of acetanilid found by any chemist is the amount reported. This, in part, will explain why in no instance is the total percentage 100. In cases of tablets, the amount of starch or other excipients used in forming the tablets is not in the report. Thus the analyses show that

these preparations are mixtures of acetanilid, with one or more of the following; sodium bicarbonate, sodium salicylate, ammonium carbonate, caffein, and citric acid.

394. It will be noticed that included in this report are four so-called "proprietary" preparations and two so-called "patent medicines." Medicines bearing trade names, placed on the market for physicians' use, are usually referred to as " proprietary medicines," whereas those that are offered directly to the public are called "patent medicines." We have more than once asserted that there is no difference between a certain class of "proprietaries" and "patent medicines." The report here presented, we believe, illustrates the truth of this assertion.

The report is presented to the members of the medical profession of the United States for their thoughtful consideration.

CouNCIL ON PHARMACY AND CHEMISTRY.

American Medical .Ass9ciation.

Official Report on Acetanilid Mixtures.

395. The following report has been approved by the Council;­

To the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry of the American Medical Association. In response to the request of your Chairman we have investigated the belo1v-mentioned preparations and report as follows:- ·

Specimens of the articles were bought in different cities in the open market, and in original, sealed packages, and were analysed by some of us or under our direction. Ea.ch article was examined by at least two chemi&ts, and some were subjected to several analyses. While certain of the preparations are represented as being chemical compounds, the specimens examined were all found to be mixtures ; the

principal ingredient being acetanilid. The percentage proportions of acetanilid given below are the minimum obtained by any of the analysts. Soda and amm(mia, combined with ca,rbonic acid, are calculated and reported as sodium bicarbonate and as ammonium carbonate (U.S.P.) respPctively. Salicylic acid is calculated and reported as sodium salicylate. Diluents and other constituents than those reported were not determined.

Ammonol.

According to the analyses of the contents of the original sealed packages as purchased, this was found to be a mixture, and to contain the following ingredients approximately in the proportions given ;­ Acetanilid, 50; Sodium bicarb., 25; Ammonium carh, 20.

Antilcamnia.

According to the analyses of the contents of the original sealed packages as purchased, this was found to be 11 mixture, and to contain the following ingredients approximately in the proportions given;­ Acetanilid, 68 ; Caffein, 5; Citric acid, 5; Sodium hicarb., 20.

Koehler's Headache Powders.

According to the analyses of the contents of the original scaled packages as purchased, this was found to be a mixture, and to contain the following ingredients approximately in the proportions given:­ Acetanilid, 76 ; Caffein, Orangeine.

According to the analyses of the contents of the original sealed packages as purchased, this was found to be a mixture, and to contain the following ingredients approximately in the proportions given;­ Acetanilid, 43; Sodium bicarb., 18; Caffein, 10. Other c0nstituents said to be present were not determined.

Phenalgin.

According to the analyses of the contents of the original sealed packages as purchased, this was found to be a mixture, and to contain the following ingredients approximately in the proportions given;­ Acetanilid, 57; Sodium bicarb., 29; Ammonium carb., 10. Certain packages of phenalgin were purchased which on analysis did not show ammonium carbonate.

Salacetin.

According to the analyses of the contents of the original sealed packages as purchased, this was found to be a mixture, and to contain the following ingredients approximately in the proportions given;­ Acetanilid, 43; Sodium bicarb., 21 ; Sodium salicylate, 20.

vVe recommend that this report be printed in The of the American Medical Association. Respectfully submitted,-J. H. Long, M.S,, Sc.D., vV. A. Pnckner, Ph.G., S. P. Sadtler, Ph.D., J. Stieglitz, Ph.D., H. \V. vViley, M.D., Ph.D., Committee on Chemistry, Council on Pharmacy ami Chemistry of the A.M.A.

The

105 Journal of American Medical Association-continued.

The committee signing the report and vouching for its truthfulness consisted of-'-J. H. Long, M.S., Sc.D., Professor of Chemistry in the North-western University Medical School and Director of its Chemical Laboratories, the author of "A Text-book of Physiological Chemistry" and other works on Chemistry, and, last year, President of the American Chemical Society;

W. A. Puckner, Ph.G., Professor of Chemistry in the School of Pharmacy of the University of Illinois, and a contributor of scientific articles to chemical journals ; S. P. Sadtler, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry in the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, author of "A Text-book on Chemistry," associate editor of the U.S. Dispensatory, and a member of the Committee on Revision of the U.S. Pharmacopooia;

Julius Stieglitz, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry in the University of Chicago, a man of wide repute as a chemist, and the author of several works on Chemistry ; and. W. H. Wiley, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Bureau of Chemistry of the Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.

Besides the above, other chemists assisted in the work, and the following made analyses of phenalgin :-H. M. Gordin, Ph.D. (Berne), Professor of Chemistry in the School of Pharmacy of the North­ western University, who has done a large amount of original work, as his contributions to chemical literature will show ; and

Max D. Slimmer, B.S.M.A. (University of Chicago), Ph.D. (Berlin), who has several fellowships in Chemistry in the University of Chicago, who has done considerable original work in chemistry, and who is recognised as an honorable and capable analytical and consulting chemist.

Pre.IJing on the Sick.

396. The moral principle governing the action of secret proprietary and patent medicine men is an unknown quantity ; sometimes it would seem to be a negative one. Just how much lower in the scale of humanity a man can go than to prey on the fears of a people in the time of a terrible epidemic for the sake of a few dollars we do not know. There may be something more despicable, but what is it 7 Two weeks ago we referred to the cold-blooded methods of the Peruna people ; this week we reproduce an advertisement from the New Orleans States that tells another story of man's inhumanity to man.

397. This brings up the problem that we are trying to solve, viz., "What is the difference between a 'secret proprietary medicine' advertised in medical journals to physicians, and a 'patent medicine' advertised in newspapers to the public." Hydrazone is being advertised in nearly all medical journals, and at the same time in the newspapers. Where shall we place it? ' And if hydrazone, with the methods

recently adopted to exploit it, is tolerated in the medical Press, why not peruna?

Tongaline and Yellow Fever.

398. Tongaline, too, is good for yellow fever if we are to believe the absurd claims made by its enterprising salesmen, Here is the advertisement from current medical journals:-"Stegomyia fasciata has produced an epidemic of yellow fever in certain sections of Louisiana and adjoining States.

"Stegomyia punctata has inoculated thousands with virulent malarial germs throughout the balance of the Mississippi Valley. "Tongaline, Mellier, in one of its forms as indicated, antagonises and destroys the effects of these parasites on account of its extraordinary eliminative action on the liver, the bowels, the kidneys and the pores, whereby the poison is promptly and thoroughly expelled. For full literature, &c."

The Dominion of Canada, and Exposure of Dangerous Frauds. 399. The following "Bulletin No. 113 " of the Canadian Bureau of Chemistry exhibits the method of issuing official information adopted by the Government of Canada. The Commonwealth can in this manner obtain valuable knowledge

without incurring the needless expense of duplicating the work by examining all drugs on sale in the market. Moreover, inasmuch as the more dangerous, fraudulent, and demoralising preparations come from the American Continent, Australia will thus be advised in advance. Fraud, and rascality of other kinds, will never cease; therefore the closest watchfulness will never suffice completely to protect.

The white-spirit intoxicants, which are chiefly advertised and sold in Australia for use by teetotallers and by women and children in their homes, are included in the "Miscellaneous Drug Samples." Alcoholism, lunacy, and death from drinking these articles are elsewhere narrated.

400. The "Liquozone" swindle, advertised in Australia as a "blood food," containing only sulphurous acid and water, hut palmed off as "liquid oxygen," is also included. This is one of the precious medicaments to enforce whose admission to Australia and New Zealand the meeting was held in Sydney, mentioned on

*97267-0 page

177

< -

106

page 329. The deaths of two daughters in one family from its use are narrated on page 334. I particularly inquired into that case in London. The toxicologist who held the necropsy was Sir ',rhomas Stevenson. The pathologist who informed me as to post-mortem appearanees was Dr. }.,red. J. Smith. Mr. Samuel Hopkins Adams relates of this impudent and mendacious fraud on page 123. But

for the boon of Dr. Williams' Pink Pills, which " raise from the death-bed," and cure mortification of the bone, and for the introduction of the corrosive poison, " Liquozone "-both derived from Canada-we amply repaid our cousins by the Great Australian Discovery of Bile Beans (page 200). Both countries will save much money to their wage-earners, much painful and many valuable lives by absolutely stopping the interchange of secret or advertised drugs altogether. 'l 1he whole of the vast and over-swollen pharmacopceias, dispensatories, and formularies of the wide world will remain. To these there will be no lack of additions from ten thousand sources, including the ceaseless torrent of synthetics and derivatives poured forth by Bayer (the Farbwerke of Elberfeld) Meister Lucius and Bruning, N achfolger, of Hochst, and Schering, and Merck, and all of that genus. The poor human frame, with the infinite delicacy of its alimentary tract ; its nervous system governed and actuated no one knows how ; its circulatory

system performing daily miracles for ever beyond human knowledge; the very constitution of the blood unknown ; the operation of the primordial sense of equilibration, without which life is impossible, absolutely removed from our ken; that human frame, ultimate masterpiece of Divinity, will never lack experi­ menters and drug-producers. We shall have enough; the serious question is, after eliminating quackery, whether we shall still not have too many.

401. To facilitate the reader's work, the information supplied by Bulletin No. 113 has been simplified. The other items are the pernicious Headache Powders, " which cause many accidents and death.'' The reckless disregard of health and life shown by the packers of the drug acetanilide (or acetanilid) is here conspicuous.

402. That so many children die is no wonder. More die in some districts.than when medical knowledge, with all its undoubted benefits, was less, and when these modern drugs were unknown. The mortality of infants in some countries rises, though, happily, not so in Australia. We know that acetanilid destroys a proportion of the red corpuscles. What is the ·effect upon children who survive, or upon grown people? No cme can answer. These powders, mentioned in the Canadian list and largely sold in Australia, contain, it seems, the maximum dose of the pharmacopceia. Four are directly recommended for children and the rest by implication. All are

aimed at women, the chief consumers. Continued use is "recommended." They (acetanilid) are warranted to cure "neuralgia, feverishness, sleeplessness, fatigue, la grippe, nervousness, biliousness, schtica, painful menstruation, rheumatism, indigestion, lumbago, colds, mE!ntal strain, sick stomach, exhausted nerves, worry,

anxiety, depression of spirits in all forms, dysmenorrhcea, pains from any cause, menstrual. pains, constipation, toothache, earache, pain in the back, bowels, or stomach, pain in any part of

403. These powders, containing full doses of the potent and dangerous drug, are declared to be-Very good for children cutting their teeth ; to leave no trace of drug effect from continued use ; to contain no article which could injure the most delicate ; to contain no injurious substance; instead of acting as a depressant, they stimulate and strengthen the heart; they can be taken at any time with perfect safety, but act better when taken on an empty stomach ; pleasant and harmless; to

contain no injurious narcotics ; without any unpleasant action in the stomach or nervous system; simple and harmless, guaranteed to be absolutely free from drugs in the least degree harmful ; guaranteed not to affect the heart; a wonderful success, and deserving of all praise; absolutely free from opium, morphine, codeine, cocaine, and other simple narcotics; have proved their efficiency when such drugs as phenacetine and antipyrine have failed; perfectly safe, new, and very efficacious.

404. Those murderous lies are calculated to lull the unfortunate purchasers into a false sense of securitv when they are confronted with danger and death. The case of the woman who ;as troubled, and who took fifteen of acetanilid in twenty-four hours, is purposely mentioned by the drug packer .to induce the habit. It is truly hard to understand how legislators, administrators and Governments allow their citizens to be thus tricked, defrauded, poisoned and killed for the mere cash beneiit of brigands.

LABORATORY

107

LABORATORY OF THE INLAND REVENUE DEPARTMENT OTTAWA, CANADA.

Bulletin No. 113.

PATENT MEDICINES AND HEADACHE PowDERS.

W. J. Gerald, Esq., Deputy Minister of Inland Revenue. Sir, Ottawa, Ont., 9 January, 1906.

405. I beg to submit herewith a report addressed to me by Mr. A. McGill concerning certain samples of patent medicines and headache powders which were collected in accordance with your request. In addition to what Mr. McGill has said regarding these, I beg to offer the following remarks for your consideration :-

Peruna.-From the small percentage of total solids contained in this article, less than is found in ordinary rye or Scotch whiskey, it does not appear to belong to the class of patent medicines. The quantity of alcohol found in it ( 40 per cent. proof spirit) is considerably higher than the strongest port wine and about two-thirds that of thwordinary grades of whiskey. It becomes a question as to whether it can be legally sold by druggists without a liquor license. In the New Hampshire Sanitary Bulletin of the

present month, it is stated that an order has been issued by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Treasury Department of the United States, requiring dealers in certain patent medicines to pay a revenue tax as liquor dealers. The following medicines are referred to in this ruling :-Atwood's La Grippe Specific, Cuban Gingeric, De Witt's Stomach Bitters, Dr. Bouvier's Buchu Gin, Dr. Fowler's Meat and Malt, Duffy's Malt Whisky, Gilbert's Rejuvenating Iron and Herb Juice, Hostetter's Stomach

Bitters, Kudros, Peruna, Rockandy Cough Cure. These preparations contain so small an amount, if any, of effective drugs or medicines, and so large an amount of alcohol, as to make their use as intoxicants not uncommon. Ozone.-Since this article contains a substance whose properties are the opposite of those indicated

by the name, its sale would appear to be illegal under section 2 of the Adulteration Act, according to which a drug shall be deemed to be adulterated "if its strength, quality, or purity falls below or differs from the professed standard under which it is sold or offered for sah" Extract of Sarsaparilla.-The foregoing quotation from the Adulteration Act seems also to apply

to some of the samples sold under this name. Headache Powders.-Although these cannot very well be classed as patent medicines, they are no doubt proprietary. It does not appear possible to prove adulteration in connection with any of them, but they seem to deserve the attention of the different Provincial Boards of Health. The course prescribed by

section 34 of the Pharmacy Act of Ontario, as to the inspection and analysis of patent or proprietary medicines, would seem to be well fitted for application to some of these headache powders. I have, &c., THOMAS MacFARLANE,

Chief Analyst.

Thos. Macfarlane, Esq., F.R.S.C., &c., Chief Analyst. Sir, Ottawa, 18 December, 1905.

406. I beg to hand you a report, dealing with the analyses of thirty samples of headache powders and simi.IJ!,r preparati

characteristic substance in soccalled,'' O:(:one" (No. 26689), and "Liquozone" (No. 24897). The quantity of iodide present in every case, much less than the minimum pharmacopoeial dose (5 to 10 grains). With regard to the headache powders,. I may say that quantitative estimation of the active drug

acetanilide-antifebrin or phenacetin) has, in every case, been attempted. Owing to the presence of interfering substances of very indefinite nature, such as ginger, liquorice, &c., these estimations are less exact than could be wished, they have demonstrated acetanilide is present to the extent of about 3 grains in most of the powders containing it, while the amount of phenacetin present in the two (2)

preparations containing it does not exceed 5 grains. Of the three drugs wh{ch are recognised as having specific effect in relieving headache, and which have lately come into popular use for this purpose, acetanilide is not only prescribed in smallest doses by the British Pharmacopreia, but is much the lowest priced drug. The respective doses prescribed by the

B.P. are as follows :-

Acetanilide Phenacetin ..• Phenazone ...

Grains. 1 to 3

5 to 10

5 to 20

The prices at which drugs are quoted by the vendors named, are as follows :-

Acetanilide Phenacetin Phenazone

Harrington Bros., 1905, per lb. 1s. Od. 3s. 3d.

lOs. Sd

Evans and Sons, 1903. $0 50

2 00

4 50

407.

179

108

Bulletin No. ll3-cJ1itinued.

407. If there be any different degrees of toxicity in the use of these drugs, it remaim for the medical fraternity to pass a verdict upon the matter. I may say, however, that the habitual use of any substance so potent in its physiological effects as acetanilide must be attend'ed with danger to the person who uses it. It will be noted that in most cases the depressant effect upon the heart is sought

to be counteracted by the addition of caffeine, bi-carbonate of soda, or other drug of like character. A large share of the work here recorded has been done by Mr. Lemoine. I have, &c.,

d

-o O:_o .Sal "::l Ao 0 Nature of Sample. No.

of

Sample.

408. MISCELLANEOUS Drug Samples.

Name and Address of Manufacturer or Furnisher.

P· c.

A. McGILL.

Remarks.

June 27 Peruna ....................... 26682 Peruna Medicine Co., Columbus, 38·87 Contains no iodide of potassium.

,, 27 Ayer's Sarsaparilla ......... 26683

,. 28 Bristol's Sarsaparilla . . . .. . 26688

,. 28 Ozone .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. . 26689

Ohio.

D. J. C. Ayer & Co., Lowell, Mass. 38·71 Contains 0·415 grms. potassium iodide per 100 c. c. ( = 1·81 grains per oz).

L:mnmn and Kemp, New York ...... 12·43 Contains 0·282 grms. potassium iodide pet 100 c. c. ( = 1·23 grains per oz).

The Public Drug Co., Bridgeburg, None. Contains no iodides ; contains 0·1568 grms, Canada. sulphurous acid per 100 c. c.

, 28 Dr. Madison's Peruvian 26693 The Madison Pharmacal Co., New 25·18 Contains 0·066 grms. potassium iodide per Tonic. York City, U.S.A. 100 c. c. (=0·288 grains per oz).

22 Extract of Sarsaparilla ... 24895 J. D: Tully, Peterborough, Ont.... ... 3·85 Contains no iodides, although these are claimed to be present.

, 22 Standard Sarsaparilla .. . 24896

, 22 Liquozone ... ... .. .. .. . .. .. . 24897

, 22 Nyal's Celery Nervine ... 24898

, 22 Paine's Celery Compound 24899

July 17 Massey's Sarsaparilla ...... 24890

TheCanadianPharmacalAssociation, 31·03 Contains 0'349 grms. iodide of potassium per Toronto. 100 c.c. (=1·525 grains per oz).

The Liquozone Co., Toronto, Can .... None. Contains no iodides; contains 0·1278 grms sulphurous acid per 100 c.c.

New York and London Drug Co., 25·01 Contains no iodides. New York, U.S.A.

Wells, Richardson, & Co., Burling. 32·19 ton, Vermont. " "

D. Massey Laboratory Co., London, Eng., and Toronto, Can. 5·01 Contains o·398 grms. potassium iodide per 100 c.c. ( = 1•7:!9 grains per oz).

,, 17 Burdock Blood Bitters ... 24891 The T. Milburn Co., Toronto ......... 28·62 Contains no iodides.

, 17 Stringer's N ervine .. .. .. .. . 24892 Stringer Medical Co., 77, Victoria- 1·51 street, Toronto. " "

, 17 Dr. Hodder's Burdock and 24893 Sarsaparilla Compound.

, 17 Dr. Pierce's Favourite 24894

Prescription.

Peruna .. , ...... , ............. Special

Union Medicine Co., Toronto ......... 34·32 ·Contains 0·083 grms. potassium iodide per 100 c. c. ( =0·363 grains per oz).

World's Dispensary Medical Asso- None. Contains no iodides. ciation, Proprs., Buffalo, N.Y.

41•85

400.

'. "'"''"'. vt s ..... vk·l slt.l I "'0 I !>!o·oot!v""

I I I I

Mathieu's Ner-1 26680 vine Powders.

Cachets du Dr.! 26681 F. J. Demers.

Orangeine ......... ! 26684

Depot : 1157 Rue St. Laurent, Mon· treal.

Orangeine Chemi­ cal Co., 15, Michi· gan Av., Chicago.

Mathieu's Nervine Powders for headache and · neuralgia ; contains no opium, morphine, or, chloral. One powder will relieve and a few powders will c1ue you. If you have a bad

headache ; if you are feverish ; if you do not sleep well ; if you are nervous ; if you have Ia grippe ; if you suffer from neuralgia. These powders are very good for children cutting their teeth.

Cachets du Dr. F. J. Demers, contre le mal de tete-a sure cure for headache. Guerison prompte et certaine des nevralgies et de tous manx de tHe nerveux ou bilieux ; ce cachet est inoffensif et superieur il. tous les autres. Depot, 1,157 rue St. Laurent, Montreal.

Orangeine cures headache, nervous'

headache, neuralgta, sciatica, sick headache, hemicrania, painful menstruation, la grippe, rheumatism, &c.

Lyman's Head·\26685\ Lyman,Sons,&Co., ache Wafers. Montreal.

Lyman's Headache Wafers, a positiYe cure for sick and bilious headache and neuralgia ; price, 25c. a box ; manufactured by Lyman, Sons, & Co., Montreal; established 1800.

Alpha Wafers ... 1 26686

Raphael's Head-! 26687 ache Wafers.

Lambly's Head-! 26690 ache Cure.

Campbell's Head-1 26691 ache Wafers.

W. J. Brown, De­ troit, Mich.

Raphael Chemical Co., London, Paris, and New York.

vV. J. Brown's Alpha Vi7a.fers, a guaranteed cure for headache and neuralgia, ne,·er fail if taken as directed. W. J. Brown, Detroit, :Mich., and Windsor, Ont. ; for sale at all drug stores. Price 25 cents.

Raphael's Headache Wafers, Raphael Chemical Co., London, Paris, and New York.

J. W. Lambly,, Lambly's Headache Cure, warranted to cure head. Montreal. ache, toothache, neuralgia, earache, pain in

the back, bowels, or stomach.

Kenneth Campbell! Campbell's Headache Wafers for the immediate & Co., Montreal. relief of nervous, bilious, or neuralgic head­ aches, Kenneth Campbell & Co., Montreal.

Directions-One powder every three hours ; how­ ever, the dose can be repeated after one hour if not relieved ; for children, 1 to 2 years old,

divide one powder in twelve ; 3 to 4 years,

divide one powder in eight; 5 to 10 years,

divide one powder in four; 10 to 15 years, divide one powder in two. How to take them : place a. powder on the tongue and drink a little water after. 25c. per box:.

Directions-.Soften the wafer by placing it for a moment in a little water, then swallow with a drink of water ; if 1·elief is not obtained, a second wafer may be taken half an hour or an hour later, but more than two wafers should not be taken in succession ; the wafers should be taken as early

in the attack as possible.

A grand rule o{ health ; take an orangeine powder whenever chilled, exposed, overwrought, nervous, or upset ; all good prescriptions should be taken only according to ca.refuJly prepared directions, and to secure best results, you should never take more than six " Orangeine " powders at regular intervals during the twenty-four hours,

Directions-'-Soften the wafer by placing it for a moment in a little water, then swallow with a drink of water ; if relief be not obtained, a second wafer may be taken half an hour or an hour later. Directions-To prepare the wafer, put it into a glass

of water, leave there until it is perfectly soft, about one minute, place it in the mouth when soft, and swallow with a drink of water; see full directions inside.

Directions -Place the wafer in a glass of water till thoroughly softened and place in the mouth while soft, swallow with a little water ; the wafer should be taken as early in the attack as possible. If relief is not obtained, repeat in an hour, then not for four hours.

Dose-One powder eYery two to eight hours ; children one quarter to one-half of above quantity; to be taken in a little water, broth, &c. Pre­ pared by J. \V. Lambly, Montreal. Directions-After moistening it thoroughly, swallow

a wafer with a wineglass full of water ; it may be repeated in half an hour or an hour.

8·5 grains Acetanilide and Carbonate of Soda

10·0 grains Acetanilide, Caffeine, Carbonate of Soda.

5·0 grains Acetanilide, Caffein, Carbonate of Soda.

8 ·O grains Acetanilide, Caffeine, Carbonate of Soda.

6 ·5 grains Acetanilide and Carbonate of Soda

9·5 grains Acetanilide, Caffeine, Carbonate of Soda.

10·0 grains Acetanilide, Cafieine.

11 ·O grains Phenace­ tin, Caffeine, Carbon­ ate of Soda.

Remarks.

An enclosure contains the follow ing statements :- Composition " Orangeine " contains in a harmles five-grain powder the following well known remedies : podophyllin, versi color iris, soda bicarb., acetanilid, nux vomica, and caffeine, so carefully balanced by years of human test as to leave no trace of drug elJect from continued use. ' Maximum effect­

minimum dose.'

An enclosure contains the following : Containneithermorphine, antipyrine, bromide, nor any other article which could injure the most delicate, they are therefore the best and safest

remedy in all cases of neuralgia and headache, whether arising from indi­ gestion, biliousness, or nervous troubles.

Directions-Allow the cachet to re­ main in a teaspoonful of water till softened, which will require about ! to 1 minute, then place it in the

mouth and swallow with a little water. If relief be not obtained,

another wafer should be taken in to about one hour ; if any depression be S felt, take a small glass of wine or ;­

whiskey. 5·

The following note is printed on the box :-These powders contain no ·,_. antipyrine, morphine, or any other t; injurious substance. Instead of acting I as a depressant, they stimulate and 8 strengthen the heart. They can be taken at anytime with perfect safety, but act better when taken on an

empty stomach. •

f-1 0

00

410. ExAMINATION of Headache Powders and Similar Preparations-continued'.

1

-

Nature of Sample. of ·

Sample.

Name and Address of Manufacturer or

Description .as found on th L!!.bel•

Nelson'sl H ead-1 26692 ache Cachets.

Albert's H ead -) 26694 ache Wafers.

Steam's Head-1 26582 ache Cure.

Perfect Headache) 26583

Hedrite ............ 1 26584

Bromo-Seltzer 26585

Phenyo-Caffein . . . 26586

Hoffman's less Headache ; Powders. ;

Put up for vendor ' by the Toronto

Pharmacal Co. {V endoi:-'s state­ ment). :vendor ... .. .. .... .

Dr. Nelson's Headache Cachets Cure. Quick relief. Nelson Me(lical Co., New York and Montreal.

Albert's H eadache Wafers, immediate cure for headache and neuralgia. M. Albert, druggist, 169, St. Lawrence St., cor. Dorchester,

Montreal.

Not known to ven-1 Stearn's Headache Cure dor.

Toronto Pharma­ cal Co., Ltd., To­ ronto, Montreal, Winnipeg. The Herald Rem­

edy Co., Chicago, Montreal, Can­ ada.

Phenyo-Caffein Co., Worcester, Mass., U.S.A.

Hoffman' Drug

Co. , Bridgeburg, Ont., Can., New Rochelle, N .Y.

P erfect Headache Powders·

Cures headache ; pleasant, harmless, speedy relief

Phenyo-Uaffein, 25c. size. These anodine and nervine pills contain no opium, and are the most efficient remedy for sick and nervous headache and neuralgia, giving almost imme­

diate r elief. Inestimable in relieving rheuma­ tism, lumbago, nervousness, sleeplessness, feverishness and colds. Hoffman's Harmless Headache Powde.rs, a simple

and effective cure for all headache&. W e guarantee these powders to contain no opium, quinine, bromides, or narcotics; price,. 25c. For sale by all druggists, or . sent by mail on

receipt of · price. The Hoffman Drug Co., Brid.geburg, Ont., Can., New Rochelle, N.Y.

J;. _._ ······· . .. -- ···--·

Directions. for use, as found on the La bel.

Directions-Place the cachet for a few moments in a glass of water until thorot1ghly softened, then swallow ; another may be taken in an hour if the first has not given sufficient relief ; a seidlitz

powder frequently gi ves valuable assistance. Directions-Soften the wafer by placing it for a moment in a little water, then swallow with a drink of water. If relief be not obtained, a

second wafer may be taken half an hour or an hour later. Place the wafer in a glass of water until thoroughly softened (about one-half to one minute) and place

it in the mouth while still soft ; swallow with a drink of water. If relief is not obtained, repeat it in an hour, but it is not advisable to take more than two wafers in succession. The wafers should

be taken as early in the attack as possible. Take one powder dry on the tongue, or in a little water, and repeat in half an hour if not relieved. Take as early in the attack as possible. Do not

repeat needlessly. Place the lozenge on the tongue and swallow with a drink of water. The imprint in the middle of the lozenge makes it easy to break in two pieces,

and is convenient for people who are troubled with enlarged tonsils. Take early in the attack.

Dose.-Two or three pills; if these do not afford entire relief at end of one hour, take two

more. Repeat above every six or eight hours, if necessary. Between ages of 5 and 10, half the above. These pills may be pulverised and taken in water, spirits, or jelly.

Directions-Place a powder on the tongue ·and swallow with a draught of water, if not relieved in half an hour take another powder. Is not a cathartic.

Contents

13 ·o grains Phenacetin, Carbonate of Soda.

9·0 grains Phenacetin, Caffeine, Carbonate of Soda.

8 ·O grains Acetanilide.

I'

11 ·5 grains Acetanilide.

10 ·5 grains Acetanilide, Carbonate of Soda.

4 ·o grains Acetanilide, Caffeine, Carbonate of Soda.

9 ·o grains Acetanilide, Carbonate of Soda.

i(temarks

s·

r These wafers contain no injurious in- i. gredients, and are warranted free ;:: from . antipyrine; morphine, chloral · or opmm. These wafers contain no injurious nar­ cotics, and are warranted free from a ntipyrine, morphine, chloral, or opium. Are an instantaneous cure for sick or nervous headache and neuralgia. They promptly relieve sick stomach, exha usted nerves, mental strain, sleeplessness, worry and anxiety, and all forms of depression of spirits. Directions-Take one powder in a little water, and repeat in half a n hour if not relieved. Take as early in the attack as possible. They are much preferable to any opiate, as they are efficient and curative, without any unpleasant action on the stomach or nervous system. Con­ tinued use does not require an of the dose, nor does the system become ·habituated to them. \Ve have never known of but one case in which more than eight of these pills were required during twenty-four hours, and that was an unusally severe case of dysmenorrhrea, when fifteen were taken, causing " complete relief." These pills con­ tain no opium nor morphine. Usually a dose of three, or not less than two, pills is t o be taken, as the beneficial effect is more certain tha n from re­ peated emaller doses. A possible exception to this . rule is a case of very a dvanced age or of greatdebility, when one pill repeated e very half hour till three are taken, sometimes answers best. Children can take pro­ portionately larger doses than adults. One-fourth of a pill for a child one Year old nearly always has a happy efte.ct ln allaying fever and pro.duclng sleep. If a second dose is r equired, it could be given at the ex piration of :ro .....

b

-!i tlfliW ol Srunpltt or Sample.

Standard Head-1 26588 ache Powders

Miller's Head-1 26589 ache and Grip

Templeton's Headache 'Vafers.

26590

Zutoo T11blets ... 1 26591 1

Standard Head-1 24880 ache Powders.

Headache ders. Pow-1 24881

uf or Furnisher.

Canadian Pharma­ cal Association, Toronto.

C. H. Gunn & Co., Chatham, Ont.

R. Templeton &

Co., Belleville, Ont.

B. N. Robinson & Co., Coati cook, Que.

lJ@Ol'Ipllon fOUiitl on tho Lnbol.

Standard Headache PoWders. A simple, harmless and almost instanto,neous relief for headache from any cause; prepared by the Canadian Pharmacal Association, Toronto.

Miller's Headache and Grip Powders; a quick cure for nervous headache, sick headache, neuralgic pains or pains from any cause; put up by C. H. Gunn & Co., Chatham, Ontario. Suc­ cessors to E. Miller & Co., Dresden, Ont. : price, 25 cents.

Templeton's Headache Wafers; a safe and positive relief for all forms of nervous headache or neuralgia ; they are guaranteed to be abso­ lutely free from morphine, opium, cocaine, or

drugs in the least way harmful; for additional description as well as directions regarding use, see circular accompanying each package; R. · Templeton & Co., wholesale druggists, Belle­ ville, Out. In the treatment of sick or nervous headache, neuralgia, rheumatism, or menstrual pains, these wafers will be found a most appro­ priate specific ; for the relief of sleeplessness they are especially valuable.

Zutoo Tablets, .To,panese beadache cure. B. N. Robinson Co., Coaticook, Que., sole owners for Canada and United States ; price, 25c. Zntoo tablets cure sick headache, bilious head­

ache, nervous headache, neuralgia and car sickness ; they break up a cold and give

prompt relief to rhuematic pains ; guaranteed not to affect the heart.

Canadian Pharma-1 This sample is identical with No. 26588 cal Association, Toronto.

Put up speciallyfor vendors by H. K. Wampole Co.

(This statement made by vendor.)

Headache powders ; prepared by Medical Hall (R. 0. Snider, prop.), 133, Yonge-st., Toronto, Ont.

Dli'tieHmm 15!! fi!i t.il tlie

.. ' ' Contents.

Directions-Place a powder on the tongue andl 7·0 grains Acetanimi.e. swallow with a draught of water; if not relieved in half an hour, take another powder ; do not repeat again for four hours.

Dosec....Adults, one powder; 5 years, one-third of ai 6·0 grains Acetanilide. powder; 8 years, half a powder; 12 years, three-quarters of a powder; repeated in one hour, if necessary, and if after four hours a1l pain is not gone, repeat. One or two doses will arrest the worst case of sick headache, and will cure the most distressing attack of nervous headache.

Directions regarding use-For ordinary headache arising from a disordered condition of the

stomach, or from biliousness, constipation, &c., one (I) wafer should be taken and repeated every three (3) hours if necessary ; for neuralgia,

rheumatic, or menstrual pains, one (l) eYery two (2) or three {3) hours, as requirEd; for sleepless­ ness or nervousness, one (I) on retiring to be repeated in one (l) hour, if sleep is not produced.

Dose-Take two tablets and repeat in half an hour if not relie\'ed by first dose ; females and delicate. persons will require only one tablet repeated as second dose (see special directions on inside circular).

Directions--For headache, one powder, repeated in twenty or thirty minutes if necessary ; for

neuralgia, rheumatic pains, &c., one powderl every two or three hours, as required .; for sleep­ lessness and nervousness, one powder on retiring, to be repeated iu one hour if sleep is not pro­

duced ; taken in a little water they will lower the temperature and induce sleep ; for sick and nervous headache and neuralgia, also a cure in cases of sudden cold with fever ; directions inside.

16 ·o grains Acetanilide, Caffeine, Carbonate of Soda.

4 ·o grains Acetanilide, Caffeine, Carbonate of' Soda.

8·0 grains Acetanilide, Caffeine, Carbonate of Soda.

Rcnw . .-1'1{'3.

These powders have met with wonder- ful success and are certainly deserv- e. ing of all praise. They are guaranteed absolutelyfreefromopium, morphine, s·

codeine, cocaine, and other similar z: narcotics, and have prqved their ?

efficiency where such drugs as phen- .-. acetin and antipyrine have failed. For sick or nerv.ous headache, neur- .I algia, rheumatic, and menstrual g

pains these are unsurpassed,

and their soothing qualities are also especially ind_icated in cases of sleeplessness, "iiiirvo·usness,- lie.

8

f-l

00 DJ

412, EXAMINATION of Headache Powders and Similar Preparaticns-continued.

Nature of SAmple. of of Description as found on the Label. Directions for use, as found on the Label. Contents.

I No, I Name and Address I . I I l

Sample. or Furmsher. Remarks-

The Chemists'! 24882 Headache Pow- ders.

Da Costa's Head-! 24883. ache vY afers.

The Chemists'! 24884 Headache Pow- ders.

Bond's Headache! 24885 Powders.

Hoffman's Harm-! 24886 less Headache Powders.

Goodman's Head-! 24887 ache Powders.

Dr. W eaton's Headache Tab­ lets.

24888

Carter's . Pleasant! 24889 Headache Pow- ders.

- I t

The Chemists' Co_ of Canada, Ltd., Hamilton, Tor­ onto, and 'Vinni­

peg.

Vendor .. ,_,_,,, ...

The Chemists' Headache Powders ; harmless, pleasant to the taste, easily taken ; these pow­ ders are an effective cure for headache and neuralgia_ They are efficient and prompt in their action, without disturbing the stomach or nervous system.

Directions-For adults, place the powder on the tongue and swallow with a draught· of water; if not relieved in half an hour, take another

powder ; do not repeat again for four hours.

DaCosta's Headache Wafers; a safe and positive! Directions regarding use-For ordinary headache, relief for all forms of nervous headaCJhe or arising from a disordered condition of the stomach neuralgia; they are guaranteed to be abso- or from biliousness, constipation, &c., one (1) lutely free from morphia, opium, cocaine orl wafer should be taken, and repeated in frum dru s in the least way harmful. Prepared by twenty (20) to thirty (30) minutes, if necessary ; Hall (R. 0. Snider, prop-), 133, Y onge- for neuralgia, rheumatic, or menstrual pains, one

st., Toronto, Ont. (l) every two (2) or three (3) hours as required;

for sleeplessness or nervousness, one (I) on retir­ ing, to be repeated in one ( 1) hour, if sleep is not produced.

The Chemists' Co-l This sample is identical with No_ 24882 .. _ ........ of Canada, Ltd., ...............................................

Hamilton, Tor- onto, and Winni-peg.

J. R Bond, 453,1 Bond's Headache Powders. Y onge-street, To- headache, neuralgia, &c. ron to.

A positil·e cure for Ditections-Place a powder on the tongue and swallow with a draught of water_ If not relieved in half an hour take another; price 25c. J. R. Bond, chemist and druggist, 453, Y onge-st.,

opp_ Bank of Commerce, Telephone North, 350, Toror:to.

Hoffman Drug Co.,! This sample is identical with No. 26587 ......... _ .. Bridge burg, Ont., & New Rochelle, N.Y.

··········· ····································

Vendor . --·1 Goodman's Headache Powders, safe, pleasant, and effectual, giving almost instant relief; contains no dangerous drugs. Directions-Place a powder on the tongue, swallow

with a draught of water_ lf not relieYed in half au hour take another powder. Do not repeat again for three or four hours For children,

quarter to half a powder. E. A- Goodman,

chemist, 380, Y onge-st_, Toronto.

Dr_ Weston Pill\ Dr. W eaton's Headache Tablets ..... Co., 356, Yonge­ street, Toronto. ..I These tablets immediately relieve nervous and sick

headache, neuralgia, pains in any part of the body; perfectly safe-do not contain any opiates -are new and very efficacious. Dose-Two tablets at once ; Iepeat by taking one in half

hour, if necessary. Pour les directions en

Francais voir le circulaire inclus.

Carter Drug Co., Toronto. Carter's pleasant Headache Powders cures ncrv.ous or sick headache, headache arising from neu­

ralgia, fatigue of body or mind, over-eating, alcohol or tobacco habit, &c. These powders are guaranteed to contain no opium, quinine, bromides,. or .narcotics. Manufactured only

Directions-Place this powder on the tongue and swallow with a draught of wa1 er, or stir the powder briskly in water and drink quickly ; if not relieved in one hour take another powder ;

children under 12 years old, half a powder.

I

16·0 grains Acetanilide,! These powders do not contain any Phenacetin. opium, morphia, quinine, bromide,

or any narcotic.

20·0 grains Acetanilide, Phenacetin, Caffeine.

9-5 grains Phenacetin, Caffeine.

9-o grains Acetanilide, Carbonate of Soda.

6·5 grains Acetanilide, Caffeine, Carbonate of Soda_

12-0 grains Acetanilide.

l't"

.,..

s-,__.

,__.

e..

I .-. g I­

,......

113

The Mortal Danger of a London Surgeon.

413. "I will tell you my own experience of acetanilide," said to me, in connection with my investigation, a surgeon who occupies an important position in one of the great medical institutions of the United Kingdom. " I had some heavy literary work to do, and was suffering from a violent headache. The work must be

finished that night; so, well knowing the risk, I decided to take some acetanilide for temporary relief. I obtained cachets, containing each 5 grains of the drug, and swallowed two of the cachets. In an hour the headache was no better. I then took two more cachets, this time cutting them partly open, so as to make sure of

their action. Probably all four coincided, and I had taken one twenty-fourth of an ounce. My pulse fell rapidly. I knew the danger I was in, so sent for a medical man, composed myself as much as possible and lay absolutely fiat and still on the bed. He gave me strong coffee and injections of strychnine, under

which I gradually came round ; but it was a close shave. I can tell you it is an awful thing to feel your own pulse drop down to nothing." Plainly, when a surgeon, possessing full knowledge and with all means at hand to save him, makes such a mistake and barely escapes death, there are terrible risks abroad to laymen and young women who believe adve1'tisements which say, "good for babies teething, no

drug habit, no heart effect," and swallow quantities of poison not knowing it to be poison.

Deaths from '' Harmless" Headache Powders. 414. A case reported in Taylor's Medical Juri.'lprudence, II, 631, is instructive :-The victim, Ada Waterhouse, ret. 22, took a "Daisy Powder" at 1 p.m. Seen in less than five

minutes, and then said the headache, for which she had taken the powder, was worse, and said she felt as though she would go out of mind. Screamed, went into a sort of fit, and said, "Hold me ; I must be going to die." Was conscious at intervals, when not convulsed. Artificial respiration brought back colour, and improved respira.tion, slowing it, and making it less laboured. Pulse very rapid, thready, and uncountable. Gave rational answers. Intense pain in legs. No convulsions from 1·30 to 1·45, when she

was much better; but she died about 2 p.m., i. e., in one hour. Convulsions unlike those of strychnine. Mr. J. C. Loam, chemist, said he sold the powder, which was one of a consignment from Messrs. Ellis & Co., Holbeck New Mills, L eeds. He had had only one previous complaint. Dr. Chesnutt said there was no doubt in his mind that death was due to poison by the "Daisy Powder." He had obtained similar powders from the same chemist, and had analysed them in conjunction with the latter, and found it answer

to the tests for antifebrin, and he found that the three powders all varied in weight, an evidence of gross negligence on the part of the dispenser. The certificate of Mr. J. J. Beynes, Public Analyst for the East Riding, was then put in. It confirmed generally the doctor's evidence. He had also purchased twenty-one powders and weighed them, and the weights varied from4·60 to 10·89 grains, and that they consisted of

pure acetanilide. From that it appeared that the powders were most variable in weight, and that great carelessne:,;s had been shown in weighing them. Verdict: "Death by misadventure."

415. In this, and in all other cases cited, it must be urged upon the reader not to let his sympathy for the unfortunate victims or their friends mislead him. They are not narrated to excite compassion, and thus the reader's sense of duty be falsely satisfied. Just as a trivial case in civil law may decide momentous issues, so it is

hereby earnestly pressed that the cases throughout be taken as illustrative only, and that the mind dwell rather upon the suffering-often torture-now going on, and untimely death of valuable young lives in the future, to say nothing of the anguish of the relatives. Thousands must die, tens of thousands must bitterly suffer, before

any remedy can be instituted to stop the wrong.

416. Casually regarded, it may seem insignificant that in less than a couple of dozen powders (when the headache powders are sold by millions) there were doses varying from 4! to about 11 grains. Remember that the German total limit in any one prescription, no matter how much divided, is 7! grains; and the decisions. of

Imperial Health Office at B::-rlin are arrived at after analysis and tests of all kmds m institutions magnificently installed and maintained by the . State, whereas in Gre.at Britain and in Australia nothing of the kind exists for the protection of the pubh.c. The dose of 11 grains is highly dangerous, and if repeated with.in one hour m

many cases be fatal. It cannot be too often repeated that there IS no State superVIsiOn of the mixing; no submission of the formula (which would be by itself no real protection); noknowledge; no check; no control at all. "Business is business,'' *97267--P the

1B5

····· .I,:

114

the" business is not a philanthropic institution," and so why waste money in costly checks when "the law" does not require it? It will be seen that there was no suggestion as to punishing anyone for the killing of the girl, nor any procedure towards seizing all other packets of the poison. In Germany the vendor would be liable to three years' gaol for selling the stuff which the analyst (mark!) purchased, and he who sold the fatal dose would be liable to five years' penal servitude, with such sub.sequent surveillance and restraint as would tend to public safety. There would

be Ill Germany no foolish forensic wrangle-nWJ'e Britannica-as to whether there were malice, or it were murder or manslaughter. There is a law and a penalty where we have neither. As we have seen, we call it every time "misadventure." The other is paternal government. The object and interest of the cases now cited is to show that only paternal care by Government can save the citizens, young and old, from murderous exploitation. Nothing else can.

' '

417. The close of the British Pharmacopceia is from 1 to 3 grains. In Germany, as aforesaid, the entire quantity obtainable, no matter for how many doses, is only 7t grains.

How to Drug the Public and Dodge the Revenue. JJaisy Headache Powders.

418. The following has been sent to me in Australia (28th February, 1907) by a gentleman in an official position in London :-. A headache powder composed of acetanilide, and sold under the proprietary name of "Daisy Powder," has an extremely large sale in Great Britain. The powders are sold at ld. each, and can be obtained from chemists, grocers, and little hucksters' shops. Until two years ago these powders were exempt from payment of medicine stamp duty, being composed of a pure drug. In 1903 a new interpretation was placed upon the clause

(of the Medicine Stamp Duty Act) which exempted from duty medicines composed of a single drug, and it :was .shown by a decision of the High Court that such medicines. were only exempt from duty when sold by and persons who were licensed to sell patent

medicines. This placed the " Daisy " people in an

position, for a large portion of their trade is

9-one through little shopkeepers who hold no such license, and are not. chemists. They therefore decided to take advantage of the anomalies of the Act, and while

:retaining the name " Daisy powders for Headache " when doing business through chemists, changed the p.mne of . the powders sold through grocers to "Head powders prepared by the Daisy Co., Limited." 'l'he alteration was so made that unless one looked carefully at the package one did not notice the difference. The proprietors were informed that they were still infringing the law and that the "head powders" were liable to duty, because although the wording was different the contents _of the package

was the same. According to the Act, a medicine which is not liable by reason of the wordmg on the label is rendered liable if advertised in any way as a cure for a disease. The "Daisy" people were not to be outwitted. They promptly changed the powders sold by grocers, replacing acetanilide by phenacetin, and thus placed them!:!elves out of the reach of the authorities. The point is this :-The proprietors of "Daisy" powders have for years 1mphed by their advertisements that there is no drug under the sun which cures headache like the "Daisy." Yet when they find themselves faced by a technical difficulty, they have no hesitation in substituting for this wonderful discovery a totally different substance.

Their advertisements of "Daisy " powders sell the "Head powders manufac­ tured by the Daisy Co., Limited." 'l'he man in the street does not know there is any difference between the powders, neither do those who retail them.

Lightning Changes of the

419. It becomes necessary to reprint an indignant protest from Journal of the American Medical .Association of 26th January, 1907, upon the Impudent methods of the acetanilide packers. It is well worth the study of those who concerned with protection of the public health. When the import of the case IS understood, the justification for the angry and contemptuous 'language of the writer of the _article will be apparent. What more immediately concern$ the

· · Commonwealth

115

Commonwealth is the manifest necessity, the imperative demand, for the total prohibition of the advertisement of curative agents, real or alleged. For society . it is an anarchic condition which allows it at all. For the

medical profession it is a growing mischief, the honour and purity of their noble vocation requiring that their journals be kept clear of the evil and that they themselves hold aloof from nostrums altogether. If, as is the case, a medical ¢an holding membership in a corporate body may not have a nostrum to himself,

may not have a" trade secret," then he ought not to prescribe the nostrums of others. So splendid a temple must not become a house of merchandise. · Not merely the glorious examples of the past make appeal, which in Lincoln's Inn Fields look from the canvas and the marble with expression of sympathy and gentle anxiety, but also

heroes, such as those of Uganda in our own time, in the year of 1907, who belong to other nations and who on our British territory have :fought and have conquered the so-called "sleeping sickness" (trypanosomiasis), that threatened to annihilate entire races. · The laws of those other nations will not allow it-why should ours ?

420. Shortly stated, is acetanilide, a seductive and dangerous

drug, as shown above. Inasmuch as the new American federal law requires a revelation of that particular drug on the label, they must lose the chance to deceive and with it their business, or substitute another drug which also attacks the red corpuscles, under a name unknown to the public. The copyright name phenacetin

the public know, but they do not know the article as acetphenetidin. So, for America, the packers drop the acetanilide and slip in the other stuff, of which the public are as ignorant as they are of trypanosomes. But for Australia it is still acetanilide, thus both are sold under the same faked name-the trade secret-.A.nti­ kamD.ia. Same "testimonials" as before, same labels, same lies in general. Our laws give drug-packers absolute freedom to do what they like with the blood of our

women and children and to make all the money they can. Moreover, we do not inspect, or test, or interfere in any way, save that our laws and our courts can and do and will protect their faked names and mendacious advertisements from imitators. They may lie and cheat as much as they like, but one rogue must not poach on the

preserves of another. And Australasia is declared by themselves to be their best hunting-ground, proportionally, in all the world, which is flattering when we see how thick is the game in the coverts of England. The trick played on the public is identical with that of the" Daisy Powd{lrs,'':

which, again in Australia, contain acetanilide (see Analysis, page 113).

Antikamnia-Changes in Secret Drugs-The Honour of Drug-packers.

[From the Journal ofthe American Medicctl Association, 26 January, 1907.]

ADDING INSULT TO INJURY,

WHEN the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry, nearly two years ago, began its work of independent and• scientific investigation of proprietary preparations, some of the questions asked were:-421. "What guarantee has the medical profession that the formulas of these proprietary medicines· are not changed at the will of the manufacturers 1 How can the physician who confidingly prescribes them

for his patients know that the preparation which he orders to-day is the same as that which was furnished· him last year, or which may be given him next year under the same name 1" At once a wail, as of injured innocence, went up from countless vendors of proprietary medicines, who replied with one voice:-

"The honour and reputation of the proprietors and manufacturers is sufficient guarantee of the stability and permanence of these preparations." So vehement were their protestations, and so well simulated were their declarations of Pecksniffian • virtue, that many physicians were deceived thereby. Many medical journals (whose views were, perhaps,

slightly biassed by the consideration of fat advertising contracts) also were apparently convinced. But the fact was overlooked that guarantees based on honour are of value only in proportion to the amount and quality of honour possessed by the guarantors.

422. The enactment of the National Food and Drugs Act is bringing many things to light. Some of them are interesting; some of them would be amusing were they not so utterly despicable. Among other things, it has furnished a demonstration of the value of the "honorable assurances" of nostrum vendors. The nostrum Antikamnia has pointed out a model in the campaign in the last two years. It was · hardly to be hoped that it would deliberately furnish a demonstration of the utter lack of honesty on the

part of a certain class of proprietary manufactp.rers. Yet, relying apparently on the ignorance of the public, and the long-continued lethargy of the medical profession, its promoters ha. ve, in the last few weeks;· ' unwittingly

187

116

Joul'nal of tke A.M.A.-continueiJ. unwittingly convicted and stultified themselves. Having first advertised their mixture to the profession as a chemical compound, and later on advertised and sold it direct to the public as a sovereign remedy for countless ills, it was shown by analysis made for the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry that their preparation was a mixture containing acetanilide, caffein, citric acid, and sodium bicarbonate. Now, when the pure food Jaw went into effect, the proprietors of this mixture found themselves in a sad dilemma. If they had labelled their mixture in accordance with the provisions of the law they would have to admit that it contained acetanilide, and that the charges against them were true. Failing to comply with the law they must go out of business. The latter alternative was not to be thought of. The profits gained by selling,

with the aid of careless or ignorant physicians, a 5 or 10 per cent. mixture for one dollar were too great to be surrendered without a struggle. Was there no way out? There was. The same brilliant intellect, perhaps, that first saw the commercial possibilities in the business, said :-"Change the formula. Phen· acetin is about as cheap as acetanilide; the patent has just expired, anJ, consequently, we can get it at a low price. Let us substitute phenacetin for acetanilide."

No sooner said than done. But how about the "honour and reputation of the manufacturers Never mind that, so long as the profits are undiminished and the public, both lay and professional, is ignorant and credulous.

423. As a result, the profession is treated to an edifying exhibition of virtue-triumph, a wolf so completely covered by the harmless coat of a sheep that he flatters himself that his wolfish nature is com· pletely concealed. No longer are skulls and skeletons sent out in calendar form as grinning advance agents to be displayed in every doctor's office, but instead a beautiful domestic scene, showing a convalescent child nestling in the arms of its mother. The familiar "AK" however, as usual, is in the lower right­ hand corner, and what a change in labels ! No longer is antikamnia a chemical entity, but the label now openly, but ingenuously declares that "Antikamnia tablets in this original package contain 350 grains acetphenetidin, U.S.P., per ounce. Guaranteed under the Food and Drugs Act, June 30, 1906. Serial

No. 10." While below, as an entirely unnecessary display of conformity to the Pure Food Act, appears the statement : " The antikamnia tablets in this original ounce package contains no acetanilid, antifebrin, antipyrin, alcohol, morphin, opium, codein, heroin, cocain, alpha- or beta-eucain. arsenic, strychnin, chloro­ form, cannabil:l indica, or chloral hydrate."

424. Truly, Satan is appearing as an angel of light. What a gratification it is to the long-exploited profession to know that antikamnia contains no alcohol, no chloroform, no cannabis indica, no chloral hydrate. How unfortunate that this spontaneous display of confidence is not carried far enough to inform the profession of the ingredients, aside from phenacetin, contained in the mixture.

The label is an admission that the nostrum does not contain what it was never supposed to contain, with the exception of acetanilid, and is indirectly an attempt to conceal the real contents. The proprietors knew that the dear public, whose "pains, headaches, neuralgias, women's aches and iJls, grippal, neurosis, nervousness, insomnia, rheumatism, lightning pains of locomotor ataxia, sciatica, &c.," they are longing to assuage, will not know that the acetphenetidin is the official designation for what is popularly known as phenacetin, and that this dangerous product is found in the new mixture in the proportion of approximately

4 grains to a 5-grain tablet. Evidently they also presume considerably on the ignorance of our profession, or why should they make the brazen statement that 4 grains of phenacetin is the "most reliable remedy" for the long list of diseases enumerated on their advertising calendar. On the outside of the envelope in which this interesting collection of misleading statements is mailed, appears the appropriate caution: '' Please do not bend this package." Evidently the calendar is not so elastic as are the consciences of those who circulate it.

425. "Can a leopard change his spots 1" We have the assurance of Holy Writ that it is a most difficult process. But evidently, as John P. Robinson said, "they didn't know everything down in Judee." That was before the days of nostrum vendors and advertising agents, who do not hesitate to sacrifice what honour they may have once possessed for the sake of continuing their humbuggery, and who even have the effrontery to attempt to make capital out of their deception by brazenly announcing that they were "the tenth firm to file their label with the Pure Food Commissioners" .at the very time they were perpetrating

their fraud on physicians. When the formula, for which such wonderful virtues were claimed, was suddenly thrown overboard, was the medical profession, which by its short·sighted patronage had built up this business, notified in any way of the change 1 Search the new advertising matter of this nostrum from beginning to end and you will find not one word to show that "the antikamnia tablets in this original ounce package" differ in the slightest particular from those sold to the profession and the public for years past. This being true (and

the statements of the promoters themselves are our authority for it), what remains of the pratings of "honour" and the "guarantee of the manufacturers "? Has a physician no right to know when a change is made in the formula of a preparation which he bas been prescribing for years ?

426. What assurance has the profession that, at any moment, a cheaper or more dangerous drug may not be substituted for "acetphenetidin," if thereby the law can be evaded or the profits of the delectable business enhanced ? How can any conscientious physician prescribe for those who confide their lives to his care a pr€paration the stability of the formula of which must depend absolutely on its owner's whim 1

How can a physician, with the slightest sense o£ responsibility to his patients, allow his office to be used as a free advertising bureau for a preparation manifestly founded and developed on deceit and misrepresentation 1 How can any medical journal, except those avowedly and unblushingly seeking to aid the nostrum· maker to exploit the profession, whose interests they claim to serve, continue to carry the deceptive and misleading advertisement of a twice-exposed fraud ?

How can any physician with a particle of self-respect or manhood continue to support, by subscrip· tion or contribution, any medical journal which, by accepting such advertising, allies itself with the army of deceit and chicanery 1 WANT

117

Journal oJ tke A..M.A..-continued.

WANT REFORM IN NOSTRUM BUSINESS.

427. It is but too well known that a large portion of the pharmacist's business consists of the sale of "patent medicine," and that these nostrums are sold by him without attempting, in any way, to protect the public from fraud. And, with much truth, it has been argued that the numerically strongest association of druggists in the United States has for its chief aim the methods of increasing the sale of

"patent medicines." It is therefore worthy of note that pharmacists fully realise that they cannot serve the physician and the public on the one h and, and the "patent medicine" concern on t;be other hand, at one and the same time. This is indicated by a resolution reported to the executive committee of the Illinois Pharmaceutical Association. The resolution reads in part:-

"The honest and conscientious pharmacist who desires to do the square thing by his medical friends and his customers cannot go out of the way to assist any manufacturer who makes dishonest claims for his product, as to their contents or medicinal Talue. "The public has been thoroughly aroused in regard to the 'patent medicine' question and looks

to the pharmacist for information on it. For the pharmacist to cater to the patronage of physicians on the one hand, and on the other to assist in selling quack nostrums under flagrant misrepresentation, is undermining our very foundation for confidence of the public in our competency and integrity.

"We therefore beg to submit that an earnest appeal be drafted to the manufacturers of 'patent medicines' so to revise their advertisements as to make it possible for honorable pharmacists to tvlerate traffic in 'patent medicines.'"

The trouble with the last proposition is that the druggists are asking too mu ch ; if the manufacturers of "patent medicines " revised their advertisements to make it possible for "honorable pharmacists to tolerate the traffic " the manufacturers must tell only the truth, in which case their sales would fall off to the vanishing point.

428. This "twice-exposed fraud," Antikamnia, a very dangerous d,rug, is now largely puffed and sold in Australia. The gross impudence of the packers in America is actually surpassed by themselves in Australia, for here their packets do contain the drug acetanilide as chief, almost sole, inO'redient. 1'he American law condemns

that drug (acetanilide), therefore the condemn it also; but they work it off upon Australians under the same labels, same advertisements, and same faked testimonials, through most respectable firms. And to all this lying, and fake, and fraud, and poisonous humbug, under particularly attractive guise to the innocent

buyer, our law is absolutely supine.

Danger and Death from Analgesic Drugs.

" Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine and Surgery," Vol. I, p. 1620.

429. The majority of the analgesic drugs act upon the pain-conducting paths in the spinal cord, but at the same time affect both the brain and the blood. The grey matter of the cerebrum is slightly depressed, and the perception of impressions lessened. The great medullary centres are depressed, ·thus leading sometimes to respiratory and cardiac disturbances, or to collapse from a more or less rapid dilatation of the peripheral blood vessels owing to an action on the vaso-motor centres. Hremoglobin is

altered by many of them, causing disintegration of the red corpuscles. Above all, drugs of this class are peculiarly apt to cause different effects upon different individuals, and upon the same person upon different occasions.

430. Antifebrin -AcetaniHde.-Orystalline almost insoluble in water, soluble in alcohol. Murral', p. Z£1 Used as an antipyretic. Caution should be used in prescribing this as it sometimes induces unexpected effects. The symptoms recorded are the following :- A feeling of fati gue, faintness, and anxiety; nausea, vomiting, and purging ; pulse weak and thready, r espiration at first hurried, then impaired and

laboured ; lividity, cyanosis, and sweating ; tremors, convulsive movements, and collapse. The following cases serve to illustrate the toxic effects produced by the drug :-H ealthy young woman took a teaspoonful in water (alcoholic solution ?), and repeated it in ten minutes. Becoming alarmed, she took an emetic and vomited. In a few minutes giddiness, singing in the

ears, throbbing in the temples, and dull pain in the head. Four hours later face livid, lips blue, pupils contracted, mental condition unaffected; followed by symptoms of collapse, pulse too feeble to be counted, breathing shallow, and every appearance of speedy dissolution. For three and a. half hours condition critical, and not out of danger for fourteen hours.

Another case. After ten grains profuse perspiration, weak pulse, dilated pupils, shallow respiration and collapse. Improvement in one hour under treatment. Another: Girl of 13, two doses, 4 grains each, blue in face, faintness, palpitation, prostration. See also Brit. Med. Journal, July 25th, 1896. Patient took four-fifths of a grain three times in an hour, or two and two-fifths grains. Cyanosis,

palpitation, diplopia, and feeling of anxiety. Symptoms resemble those of aniline poisoning.

431.

---

118

431. Stearns' Headache Cure consists of acetanilide (see Canadian list).

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It.s cure' is ZO%. and the timo taken-minutes. You prove on our r.-ce offer. _ Send st.amped envelope, and we will send

you two powders FREE. You ger. to know: the value or th s remedy at our expense. MentiCin Ma"aune.

Ot ni-t Chem ists nt 1/• and 2 ."6 per box. or post free from The zox: co., 11 Hatton Garden, :t.on

Consists of acetanilide. ' lll:i

ST£ARNS' HEADACHE CURE A Reliable and QuicK Cure for Headaches of AU Hinds, as well as Allied Pains, such as ralgia, Rheumatism, La Grippei etc:.

THIS REMEDY contains the most reliable remedies known to science for such troubles, and is safe and

pleasant to take. It does not irritate the stomach, cause nausea, or produce any bad after-effects ; nor does the system become habituated to its use, so as to produce a noxious drug habit. Stearns• Headache Cure contains no opiates, such as morphine and other narcotics, and is free from antipyrine, chloral and other dangerou• drugs.

"itearns• Headache Cure seldom if ever fail< to relieve all t, rms of nervous headache, whether caused by undue fatigue, loss , .f sleep, indigestion, dissipation, excessive female weakn 'ss, etc.

Stearns' Headache Cure is of great value in rheuma­ tism, sciatica, lumbago, Ia gnppe, colds, etc., and it not orily relieves the pain, but reduces and controls the fever manifes· tat ions.

Stearns' Headache Cure acts admirably as a nerve sedativ.e. relieving sleeplessness, res.tlessness, irritability an.:l nervous conditions generally. It is also highly recommended for the pelvic troubles peculiar to the female sex, such as

menstrual, uterine and ovarian pains.

FREDERICK STEARNS CO. Manufacturing

432. Acetanilid.-Marshall's "Materia Medica," 1905, p. 250. On account of its toxicity, other compounds are to be preferred.

433. Acetanilid.-Sajous' "Annual of the Universal Medical Sciences' (F. A. Davis Co., Phila., 1896, Vol. 5). . Induces severe symptoms of intoxication more frequently, perhaps, than any other of the aromatic sel·ies. Fallof temperature, accompanied by profuse perspiration, may attain maximum in two or three hours, and finally bring on depression and collapse, but may send temperature up. Prolonged · administration may give rise to decided amemia.

434. Chronic Acetanilid Poisoning.-Professor Alfred Stengel (Journal of the American Medical Association, 22nd July, 1905, p. 243). Chronic acetanilid poisoning is probably more frequent than is supposed, for the symptoms may be inconspicuous. The drug in its pure form, or in combinations, is so easily obtained, that its indiscriminate use has resulted.

Case 1.-A man aged 38, with increasing weakness, nervousness, and shortness of breath; pulse 85, rising to 105 or 110 ; heart enlarged to left and right. Repeated blood exa.minations showed ma.rked polycythremia; nucleated red eells never found. The face was of a dark, almost mahogany colour, somewhat swollen ; on the back of each hand was a wheal of similar colour, pyriform in shape, with the apex at the styloid process of the radius, and . the base extending from the metacarpo-phalangeal joint of the thumb to that of the third finger. The shirt was thrown open at the neck, disclosing another wheal of much lighter colour on the right shoulder, about the size and shape of the palm of the hand. There were no wheals anywhere but on these exposed

portions of the body. A t intervals the patient had sudden jerking of the whole body. He was extremely anxious, and afraid that he was about to die. .

The mercury wo uld not rise in a thermometer graduated down to !.i5 ; pulse very feeble, 100, ; regular. There was a systolic mitral murmur, and sibilant and sonorous rhonci all over the chest. The urine appeared on inspection to be normal. The points of interest in the case were the distribution of the rash only on portions of the body exposed to the air, the extreme depression of the temperature, and the profuse perspiration from the forehead, with dryness of the rest of the skin. He was well next day (B.M.J., I, 1896, p. 146).

Case 2.-A woman aged 27; had excellent health up to 18 years; began to suffer from sick headaches, . took acetanilid tablets to relieve tl•c pain, and continued them for about four years; stomach increasingly irritable, skin greyish or light blue ; hter became a deeper blue. Heart murmurings. Blood examinations showed reduced blood corpuscles, 3,460,000; leucocytes 6,960; and hremoglobin, 72 per cent.

485.

191

119

435. Poisoning by Veronal.-On 13th December, Hl03, I found her (a young woman, aged 19) in Taylor,U, what appeared to be a sound sleep. With some difficulty she could be aroused, but relapsed immediately P· 636. the pupils reacted to light. AR time went on the symptoms gradually subsided, and by midnight I was able to learn from her that she had taken something to make her sleep, but of what character that something

was she absolutely refused to tell me. It was not until the next morning that I became acquainted with the drug in question, when I received from her husband a box of verona! cachets, each containing eight grains, which had been found in her room. I saw her again the same day, when she had apparently quite recovered, having slept soundly throughout the previous night. An erythematous rash appeared all over the body. There was a great amount of irritation of the skin, especially of the face, which presented a

very swollen appearance. There was little or no elevation of temperature, and the symptoms passed off in the course of three days with the aid of sedative lotions. On the 21st I was again called to see the patient, whom I found suffering the following symptoms : tenderness in the right mastoid region, with enlargement of the glands n,round ; a thick ceruminous discharge from the right ear ; n, temperature of

100 F.; the tongue strawberry coloured and pointed; and a pulse of 125. She appeared to be in a very drowsy condition, but assured me that she had not taken any more veronal. Refusing absolutely to take any form of liquid medicine, I ordered her sulphate of quinine tabloids, each contai11ing two grains, to be taken every three hours. This I did more as a "placebo" than anything else. The next day, the 22nd,

the patient had periodical attacks of delirium alternating with periods of semi-coma, in which she lay on her back with her eyes half open. There was also a peculiar scarlatiniform rash over the face and arms; the bowels were obstinately confined. On the 23rd the patient was about; the same. Fearing the symptoms might be due to some obscure brain lesion (due to a sun attack in Jersey), I called in further

advice, but could not obtain any decided opinion. On the 24th the patient was still about the same, the temperature ranging from normal to 101. Constipation was obstinate even nfter two enemata and half an ounce of castor oil in capsule had been given. Having great suspicion that the patient was still taking veronal by means of trickery, I again impressed the husband to redouble his efforts to find out if this was

so. This he did by the very ingenious method of telling the nurse that my orders were for the patient to be moved into an adjoining room on account of the light and ventilation, and whilst telling this he had full view of his wife by standing in front of a looking-glass and pretending tobrush his hair. It was not long before he noticed the patient trying to get' her hand beneath the mattress, and on going immediately to the bedside he discovered that his wife had another bottle of veronal tablets concealed there. On each

of tbe subsequent visits the patient implored me to give her some more of the drug, even going so far as to threaten if I did not comply with her wish. With the aid of a strong purgative and regular

nourishment recovery was very speedy; all the symptoms disappeared except those of the skin, which still remained in a rough condition. On the 29th she was able to leave London for the country. Before leaving she gave me the following information :-436. "A few days before I first saw her, 13th December, she had consulted a medical man about

sleeplessness. He prescribed verona! in the form of the cachets, telling her to take one cachet containing 8 grains just before retiring to bed. Instead of keeping to his directions, on the evening of lOth December she took two cachets (16 grains). Being dissatisfied with the result obtained, she took 24 grains on each consecutive night. Immediately after this I s;1w her for the first time, and found her suffering from the

symptoms described in the beginning of this article. It was uot until the 21st that she commenced taking the drug again, and during the time I was attending her until her secret was found out she took 128 grains. The8e -w-ere taken in the form of chocolates made up to contain 8 grains of the drug in each sweet." 1 have inquired of several druggists who deal in this narcotic as to its composition, but have

failed to find one. who can answer my question.

437. Poisoning by Antipyrin, also called Phenazonum.--On 18th January, 1896, P.L, aged 24, was Taylor, 11, suffering from "neuralgia" (self-diagnosed). On the advice of his brother-in-law, whose wife was under p. 634. treatment for a nervous complaint, and who was taking 15-grain doses of antipyrin, l'.L. applied to a chemist for 10 grains of antipyrin. This was taken in the shop at the time. Within a quarter of an hour after taking the dose the patient felt very ill. When I saw him shortly afterwards his face was

cyanosed, his lips and nose swollen and blue, and his eyes almost closed through swelling of the eye-lids. His skin was cold and clammy; he was sweating; and his pulse was 128, very weak, small, and compressible. The pupils were widely dilated. He was very much alarmed, and expressed himself as in fear or impending death. He had been sick previous to my seeing him, but the vomited matter appeared to have

been, from his description, simply a little mucus mixed with saliva. He walked to my consulting-room, distant nearly a mile from where the dose was taken. I at once administered a draught containing 5 grains of carbonate of ammonia, -}6 th grain of digitalin, -l6 th grain of strychnine, and oz. of vinum aurantii. I got him to lie down, and in the course of the next quarter of an hour his condition improved so far as the symptoms of cardiac depression were concerned. The pulse grew fuller and steadier, the feeling of

faintness passed off, and he expressed himself as feeling better. He was still perspiring freely, and the pupils were moderately dilated. After resting for an hour he went home, and I advised him to go to bed and stay there for the next twenty-four hours. In reporting this case I cannot too forcibly draw attention to the fact that antipyrin is a dangerous drug, and the careless and casual way in which patients are

advised to "take an antipyrin powder" by utterly irresponsible persons cannot be too strongly condemned. I am sure it is not putting the case too strongly to say that antipyrin ought to be scheduled as a poison, only to be dispensed on a written order from a qualified and registered medical practitioner being produced.

438. Poisoning by Phenacetin.-J.H., aged 40, on the morning of 23rcl .July, 1895, complained of neural

tea, he began to feel very ill ; his wife noticed that his face was very pale. He was taken u pstmrs w1th difficulty, and put to bed. When seen soon afterwards he was complaining of shivering, inspirrJory dyspncea, and profuse sweating from the fen} t:i!.d.

Causes

12(}

Causes of Headache.

439. Surely we may spare a few lines to consider, always upon the dicta of authorities, the origin of the malaise which these dangerous drugs are used to quell, though temporarily. As aforesaid, only the sentinel is drugged, and the causa causans continues. Some short extracts are here supplied.

440. Dr. George M. Gould, of Philadelphia, read an essay on "Headache and Eye-strain," in the Section of Practice of Medicine of the American Medioni Association at the 57th Annual Session, June, 1906 (The Journal of tke American Medical Association, Vol. XLVII, No. 19, page 1521) :-·

HEADACHES FROM EYE-STRAIN.

That a vast majority of all cases of headache, certainly nine-tenths, are due to eye-strain is a truth beyond question. That. with headache, and often without it,, a large indefinite proportion of digestional, nervous, and psychic disease is due to the same cause is quite as true. A few cases may be due malfunction or organic disease of other organs, but it is not known in how many of these cases eye-stram is the primary cause of these extraocular diseases; it is also unknown in how many the eye-strain may be

the and contributing cause of the headache ascribed to the extraocular disease.

441. Wilson, of Montrose, Pa., thus puts his finger on this ailing place:-"It is a fact that nearly all the headaches just above and back of the eyes are caused by defective vision, and that large numbers of school children go to their physicians and are given headache remedies without end. This is to no purpose, and they finally have to give up school on account of becoming nervous wrecks, unless by chance they happen into some jewellery store and are given some kind of lenses to wear, which may relieve the ·brouble to some extent. The country physician should take up refraction

work, because the great mass of working people simply cannot pay the fee demanded by the oculists, and are forced to put up with the indifferent work of the so-called opticians. Two or three hundred dollars will buy the necessary equipment, and a month's work in some eye infirmary will give one a start, and one can do as well at once as any optician will ever be able to do. "

442. Moreover, there are at the least 15,000,000 American children and adults aftlicted with lateral curvature of the spine. All the smiles of incredulity will not, ahs ! lessen the number, nor the horror of the consequences of the abnormalism. There is no existing machinery, no care or solicitude to prevent the headache and other sufferings, none to prevent the very existence of these millions of scoliotics. The defect arises unknown and unsuspected by physicians and by orthopedists ; when it is incurable, the orthopedist learns of a few of the cases. Surely over 90 per cent. of these scoliotics owe their tragedies to ocular function and malfunction, readily demonstrable, and its result always preventable.

At the same session was read another instructive paper, of which only the opening lines are here given:-443. HEADACHES DuE 'l'O AuRAL DISEASE; by Philip Hammond, M.D., Instructor in Otology, Harvard University.-Headache to-day, as in the time of Hippocrates, is one of the most common symptoms presenting itself to the practitioner. The modern classification varies somewhat from that laid down by the father of medicine, but, notwithstanding the progress of the ages, many cases continue to be intractable. There are few symptoms whose control affords more relief to the suffering patient.

Among the organs of special sense whose derangement may cause the utmost discomfort to the patient, the nasal accessory sinuses and the eye have been prominently mentioned. I add to this list a consideration of certain diseased conditions of the ear, some of them capable of causing not only the most violent headache, but even death. ·

The ear is generally looked on as a means of communication with the outside world, and its intimate relation with the more vital structures of the head is, in consequence, likely to be overlooked. Then, too, the ear, although exceedingly sensitive in responding to sound impulses, does not betray a slight falling off in function as does the eye. A loss of vision of 50 per cent. could scarcely pass unnoticed, and yet half the hearing power may be lost without the patient being aware of it. Because of this fact it is natural

that the attention should have been called flrst to ocular defects as a cause of headache.

Still another, by Dr. George L. Walton, of Boston, Mass. CONSTITUTIONAL HEADACHE. 444. A young woman complains of constant headache of many years' duration. Being asked if it is really continuous, she answers, "Certainly, it never leaves me day or night." The headache is not distinctly localised. There is an obvious refractive error, but its correction affords no relief. There is obvious nasal defect, the treatment of which is· negative, a possibility Dr. Coakley has emphasised. There is malposition of the uterus, but local treatment proves' inefficacious, and the patient returns to the

neurologist ready for the next therapeutic procedure. I assume, of course, that organic disease of the brain, kidney, or other organ, has been eliminated and that no toxic cause has been discovered. What is the probable diagnosis 1 Constitutional headache. This symptom is included among the stigmata of so-called degeneration, or, as I prefer to name it, deviation, but its adequate description and pathogeny I do not find. I propose, therefore, to give my own idea of it.

And he proceeds to describe with painful exactitude the neurasthenic girl or woman whose case is only too familiar to us, but not the causes of the trouble. Lastly,

121

Lastly, but not in importance:-445. CHRONIC HEADACHE AssOCIATED WITH PELVIC DISEASE; by Dr. F. H. Davenport, of the same city.--By chronic headache, as I understand it in this discussion, is meant not a constant headache, but one which recurs at more or less freq uent intervals, and is of uniform type. This symptom is not very common in connection with 11elvic disease. In taking 1,000 cases from my note-book, I find it mentioned.

ninety-eight times, constituting only about 10 per cent. 446. In studying these cases and noting the pelvic condition with which the headache is associated, I find the greater part may be placed under two heads. First, those connected, as regards to time, with the· menstrual function; second, those which see m to be due not especially to the particular pelvic disorder found in the case, but that seem to be an expression of the neurasthenia of which the pelvic lesion is one

of the predisposing factors.

447. But in all four of these valuable papers, when dealing with the prevention, or the curative treatment, of the disorders, there is no single suggestion towards the use of cardiac depressants or hematocyte destroyers such as acetanilide. That other medical men prescribe them widely and largely to the unfortunates, is not a matter for this Report, and must be therefore left for other dealing or to their own collective

conscience through their organisations.

Poisoning by Exalgine, or Methylacetanilide. 448. This is another coal-tar derivative used as an analgesic and sedative. It is not official; its dose Taylor, U, is stated to be ! to 1 or 2 grains, consequently it is distinctly a dangerous drug for the public to play with. p. 633. Several cases have been recorded of unpleasant effects ; for instance, 8 grains caused fainting and sense of

dying (B .M.J., 1899, p. 1518), and only 5 grains caused complete unconsciousness for three hours (Lancet, I, 1895, p. 1307). 449. A single woman, aged 30, extremely thin, was under my care for severe asthma and consequent insomnia. On 3rd May of this year she was given by a friend, without my knowledge, 5 grains of exalgine. Within five minutes "she screamed out, becoming perfectly stiff." Twenty minutes later, when I saw her, she was profoundly unconscious, her respiration being very shallow and infrequent, and rapidly falling. The lips and finger-tips were markedly cyanosed, and the extremities were cold ; the pupils were

widely dilat ed and fixed; the knee-j erks were absent ; the pulse was 95, small and feeble. One-fifth of a grain of apomorphine was given at once, but failed to produce emesis. Free stimulation with brandy and coffee, vigorous flagellation, faradaisation, and occasionally artificial respiration were employed for three hours, at the end of which time the cyanosis had nearly disappeared and respiration was fairly well

established. Tbe patient when aroused was incoherent, and failed t o recognise her surroundings, rapidly relapsing into unconsciousness. About an hour afterwards t.here was an evident tendency to hear t failure, the pulse dropping repeatedly below 50, and becoming irregular and fe eble. Ether was given at regular intervals hypodermically. Nine hours after taking the drug the pulse and respiration were both good, the pupils reacted well, and the knee-jerks were present. ·No urine could be drawn off with a catheter. The next day the patient was perfectly well except for aphonia, which lasted for some hours. The points of

interest in the case appear to be rapidity of onset of the toxic effects and the evident danger of giving even moderate doses of exalgine-a respiratory poison-to asthmatics.

Deaths from Mixing of Drugs.

450. One case came under my own observation which, comparatively with those quoted from inexpugnable authorities, I desire to attribute but slight importance, yet checked by my inquiries in other part-; of the world I believe it may be safely included amongst the typical cases. One of my employees, a very healthy, energetic

woman, in charge of an office, left her business in the morning because of a bad headache. Feeling no better at home, yet without any grounds for anxiety, she accepted medical treatment. The doctor, a qualified physician, prescribed powders of antipyrine only (phenazonum) in 10-grain doses, of which several were supplied.

She took two packets, with an interval of about an hour and a quarter between them. She was shortly after convulsed, throwing her arms about and struggling. The doctor was promptly sent for, and upon arrival was alarmed, insisting upon the attend­ ance of another, who arrived before the patient expired that same day. I was informed of the death, and inquiring into the circumstances at the house of her

relatives elicited the foregoing facts, obtained the prescription and the remaining powders. The taste of these was intensely bitter. I thought there were strong grounds to suspect accidental poisoning and applied to Coroner and police to obtain an exhumation order in the public interest. The police officials politely and smilingly noted all the particulars. Calling next day at the police station I was informed that the police had referred to the two doctors, who said it was "all right." It appeared to be nothing very unusual to the police, and my persuasion to at least make sure for the public safety was unavailing. Some weeks later in the same suburb

(Redfern, Sydney) a man died with symptoms of strychnine poisoning after a dose of antipyrine obtained from a local pharmacist. The pharmacist was prosecuted for *97267-Q manslaughter,

: ,,;,,;':··/ ; ;, · j.

'•i:"·: ·': .. ,.

122

manslaughter, but was acquitted upon the defence that he had obtained the antipyrine from the wholesale druggists in the same condition as that in which he supplied it to the poisoned man. 'H1at satisfied our law, so the case dropped. In the Federated States of Gern1any, and in many other countries of civilisation quite as much advanced as our own-more advanced, as I venture to suggest-society protects itself by holding the pharmacist responsible to make sure of what he is selling. It is there no defence that he sells it just as he bought it. The health and life of the public is the first and last consideration in some countries, and checks are provided to its protection, of which we British have no knowledge or experience

excepting as applied to lower animals. In England the same verdict would probably begiven as in Sydney provided the deceased were human. But at least in Great :Britain if it were a farm animal under the definition of "cattle" that chemist would not, under 56 and 57 Victoria, chapter 56, section 3, lawfully escape both civil and criminal liability. Under the same section there would be recourse against the wholesale vendor, as thus:-

Section 3, subsectio!:! 3. A person alleged to have committed an offence under this section in respect of an article sold by him shall be entitled to the same rights and remedies, civil or criminal, against the person from whom he bought the article as are available to the person who bought the article from him, and any damages recovered by him may, if the circumstances justify it, include the

amount of any fine and costs paid by him on conviction under this section, and the costs of and incidental to his defence on such conviction.

451. Now, in the Redfern case quoted above we heard nothing of a transfer of the prosecution to the wholesale vendor of the poison, nor of any inquiry and seizure. Both would follow in other countries with disastrous to those

who caused death or, respectively, suffering.

452. The English law quoted as applying to" cattle" (farm animals generally) is surely admirable legislation, and an amendment has extended the provisions to poultry. The whole intent is plainly to make the statutory law comprehensive in protecting this important form of property in accordance with historical practice.

Otherwise there is and has been ample legal recourse when one man in any way pecuniarily damnifies another. Place the Food and Drug Acts in juxtaposition, which relate to persons, and as elsewhere shown the intent is quite the contrary; they are not to be comprehensive. It will be seen that recourse is limited and much qualified, whilst the exemptions are so important as to exclude the many thousands of proprietary drugs and foods en bloc (Section 6, subsection 2).

453. The principle of placing the care of the public health and life under the Board of Agriculture in Great Britain differs nlso from the practice of many foreign countries. It would appear to be a saving and concentration of energy to associate the care of the two kinds of life and health, but it would also appear advisable to place positively and unmistakably human life first.

Poisoning by Hypnotic Drugs.

La1wet, 30th December, 1906, page 1914 :-454. On 4th September, sulphonal claimed a victim in the person of Dr. T. H. Littlejohn, Medical Officer of Health of Hampstead. The deceased gentleman had resorted to the drug occasionally for insomnia. On the fatal occasion an accidental overdose was taken, >J,nd the Coroner's jury returned a verdict of "Death by misadventure."

455. To illustrate the ease with which poisonous drugs can be obtained by the public, we recorded the death from veronal poisoning of a lady named Bird at Guernsey. Mrs. Bird purchased by letter an ounce of veronal from a firm of London druggists. She received it on a Thursday, and two days later was drowsy. The following Tuesday she died, having taken half an ounce of the narcotic. No written directions for doses were sent. His Majesty's Comptroller obtained from the druggists Mrs. Bird's letter and also a box of veronal like that supplied to her. It is notorious that dangerous medicines are sold by druggists to ordinary customers.

456. Sulphonal, trional, tetronal, all may produce the cherry-red urine which is due to hmmato­ porphyrin, an iron free-product formed by the decomposition of hmmoglobin. Successive doses of sulphonal may give rise to poisonous symptoms from cumulative action.-(W. E. Dixon, Examiner in Pharmacology to the Universities of Cambridge and Glasgow.) Manual of Pharmacology, 1906, p. 68.

457. There are many recorded cases of poisoning and death from sulphonal. As people know that hypnotics are dangerous, it seems unnecessary to cite the cases. 'fhe disintegrated blood in the urine, common to aniline poisoning and poisoning by aniline derivatives, is worthy of note. Compare with the opsonic observations of the blood and of cerebral effusion. " Collier's

123

" Collier's Magazine " on Liquozone and other Frauds. Collier's, for 18th November, 1905:-458. Twenty years ago the microbe was making a great stir in the land. The public mind, ever prone to exaggerate the importance and extent of any new scientific discovery, ascribed all known diseases to microbes. The infinitesimal creature with the mysterious and unpleasant attributes became the leading topic of the time. Shrewdly appreciating this golden opportunity, a quack genius named Radaminvented a drug

to slay the new enemy of mankind, and gave it his name. Radam's Microbe Killer filled the public prints with blazonry of its lethal virtues. As it consisted of a mixture of muriatic and sulphuric a.cids -with red winr, any microbe which took it was like to fare hard; but the ingenious Mr. Radam's method of administering it to its intended prey, via the human stomach, failed to commend itself to science, though 'ilnormously successful in a financial sense through flamboyant advertising.

Liquozone "Cures" Thit'ty-set·en Varieties.

459. In time some predaceous bacillus, having eluded the "killer," carried off its inventor. His nostrum soon languished. To-day it is little heard of, but from the ashes of its glories has risen a mightier successor, "Liquozone." Where twenty years ago the microbe revelled in publicity, to-day we talk of germs and bacteria; consequently Liquozone exploits itself as a germicide and bnctericide. It dispenses with

the red wine of the Radam concoction, and relies upon a weak solution of sulphuric and sulphurous acids, with nn occasional tmce of hydrochloric or hydrobromic ncid. Mostly it is wnter, and this is what it "cures" : "Asthma, abscess, bronchitis, blood poison, bowel troubles, coughs, colds, consumption,

contngious disenseH, cancer, cntarrh, dysentery, diarrhmn, dyspepsia, dnndruff, eczema, erysipelas, fevers, gall stones, goitre, gout, hny fever, influenza, la grippe, leucorrhma, malnria, neuralgin, piles, quinsy, rheumatism, scrofula, skin diseases, tuberculosis, tumours, ulcers, throat troubles, nll diseases that begin with fever, nll infinmmation, nil cntarrh, all contngious diseases, nil the results of impure or poisoned blood. In nervous diseases Liquozone nets as a vitaliser, accomplishing what no drugs can do."

These diseases it conquers by destroying in the human body the germs which cnuse, or are alleged to cause, them. Such is Liquozone's clnim. Yet the Liquozone Compnny is not a patent medicine concern. We hnve their own word for it. "We wish to state at the start that we nre not patent medicine men, and their methods will not be employed by us. Liquozone is too important a product for quackery."

460. The head and centre of this non-pntent-medicine-cure-all is Douglns Smith. Mr. Smith is by profession a promoter. He is credited with n keen vision for profits. Several yenrs ago he ran upon a worthy ex-pinna dealer, a Cnnndian by the name of Powley (we shall meet him again, trailing clouds of glory in a splendid metamorphosis), who was selling with some success a mixture known as Powley's Liquefied

Ozone. This was gunranteed to kill any disease germ known to science. Mr. Smith exnmined into the possibilities of the product, bought out Powley, moved the business to Chicago, and orgnnised it as the Liquid Ozone Compnny. Liquid air wns then much in the public prints. Mr. Smith, with the intuition

of genius, and something more thnn genius's contempt for limitations, proceeded to cntch the public eye with this frank assertion : "Liquozone is liquid oxygen-that is all."

461. It is enough. That is, it would be enough if it were but true. Liquid oxygen doesn't exist above a temperature of 229 degrees below zero. One spoonful of it would freeze n mnn's tongue, teeth, nnd throat to equal solidity, before he ever hnd time to swallow. If he could, by any miracle, manage to get it down, the undertaker would have to put him on the stove to thaw him out sufficiently for n respectnble

burial. Unquestionably, Liquozone, if it were liquid oxygen, would kill germs, but thnt wouldn't do the owner of the germs much good because he'd be dend before they had time to realise that the temperature was fnlling. That it would cost a good mnny dollars nn ounce to make is, perhaps, beside the question. The object of the compnny was not to make money, but to succour the sick and suffering. They sny so

themselves in their ndvertising. For some reason, however, the business did not prosper as itR new owner had expected. A wider appeal to the sick and suffering was needed. Claude C. Hopkins, formerly advertising manager for Dr. Shoop's Restorative (nlso a cure-all) and perhaps the ablest exponent of his specialty in the country, wns brought into the concern, and a record-brenking campaign was planned. This

cost no little money, but the event proved it a good investment. President Smith's next move showed him to be the master of a silver tongue, for he persuaded the members of a very prominent lnw firm who were acting as the company's nttorneys to take stock in the concern, and two of them to become directors. These represent in Chicngo something more than the high professional standing of their firm ;

they are prominent socially and forward in civic nctivities; in short, just the sort of people needed by President Smith to bulwark his dubious enterprise with nssured respectnbility.

The Men who Back the Fake.

462. In the Equitable scandal there has been plenty of evidence to show that directors often lend their names to of which they know prncticnlly nothing. This seems to have been the case with the lnwyers. One point they brought up-was Liquozone harmful? Positively not, Douglas Smith assured them. On the contrary, it was the greatest boon to the sick in the world's history, and he produced an

impressive bulk of testimonials. This apparently satisfied them; they did not investignte the testimonials, but accepted them at their face value. They did not look into the advertising methods of the company; as nearly ns I cnn find out, they never snw an advertisement of Liquozone in the papers until long afterward. They just beeame stockholders and directors, that is all. They did as hundreds of other upright and well-menning men hnd done, in lending themselves ton business of which they knew prnctically nothing.

463, While the lawyers continued to practice lnw, Messrs. Smith nnd Hopkins were running the Liquozone Company. An enormous advertising campnign was begun. Pnmphlets were issued contnining testimoninls nnd clniming the soundest of professional backing. Indeed, this matter of expert testimony, chemicnl, medical, and bncteriological, is a specialty of Liquozone. To-day, despite its reforms, it is

supported by an ingenious system of pseudo-scientific charlatanry. In justice to Mr. Hopkins, it is but fair to

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Collier's Ma gazine-aontinued.

to say that he is not responsible for the basic fraud; that the general scheme was devised, and most of the bogus or distorted medical letters arranged, before his advent. But when I came to investigate the product a few months ago, I found that the principal defence against attacks consisted of scientific statements which would not bear analysis, and medical letters not worth the paper they were written upon. In the first place, the Liquozone people have letters from chemists asseverating that the compound is chemically

scientific.

Faked and Garbled Indorsements.

464. Messrs. Dickman, Mackenzie and Potter, of Chicago, furnish a statement to the effect that the product is "made up on scientific principles, contains no substance deleterious to health, and is an anti;;;eptic and germicide of the highest order." As chemists the Dickman firm .'ltands high, but if sulphuric and sulphurous acids are not deleterious to their health, there must be something peculiar about them as human beings. Mr. Deavitt, of Chicago, makes affidavit that the preparation is not made by compounding drugs. A St. Louis bacteriologist testifies that it will kill germs (in culture tubes), and that it has apparently brought favourable results in diarrhcea, rheumatism, and a finger which a guinea-pig had gnawed. These and other technical indorsements are set forth with great pomp and circumstance, but when analysed they fail to bear out the claims of Liquozone as a medicine. Any past investigation into the nature of Liquozone

has brought a flood of "indorsements" down upon the investigator, many of them medical. My inquiries have been largely along medical lines, because the makers of the drug claim the private support of many physicians and medical institutions, and such testimony is the most convincing. "Liquozone has the indorsement of an overwhelming number of medical authorities," says one of the pamphlets.

465. One of the enclosures sent to me was a letter from a young physician on the staff of the Michael Reese Hospital, Chicago, who was paid 25 dollars b make bacteriological tests in pure cultures. He reported: "This is to certify that the fluid Li•tuozonc, handed to rrie for bactcrinlogical examination, has shown bacteriological and germicidal properties." At tho same time he informed the Liquozone agent "that the mixture would be worthless medicinally. He write3 me as follows: "I have never used or indorsed

Liquozone; furthermore, its action would be harmful when taken internally. Can report a case of gastric ulcer due probably to its use."

466. Later in my I came upon this certificate again. It was quoted, in a report on

Liquozone, made by the head of a prominent Chicago laboratory for a medical journal, and it was designated "Report made by the Michael Reese Hospital," without comment or im·estigation. This surprising garbling of the facts may have been due to carelessness, or it may have some connection with the fact that the laboratory investigator was about that time employed to do work for Mr. Dm!lglas Smith, Liquozone's president.

467. Another document is an enthusiastic "puff" of Liquozone, quoted as being contributed by Dr. W. H. Myers, in 'l'he .New Yor·k Journal cif Health. There is not, nor ever has been, any such magazine as The New York Journal rif Health. Dr. vV. H. Myers, or some person masquerading under that name, got out a bogus "dummy" (for publication only, and not as a guarantee of good faith) at a small charge to the Liquozone people.

For convenience, I list several letters quotPd or sent to me, with the result of investigations. The Suffolk Hospital and Dispensary of Boston, through its president, Albert C. Smith, writes : !'Our test shows it (Liquozone) to possess great remedial value." The letter I have found to be genuine; but the hospital medical authorities say that they know nothing of Liquozone, and never prescribe it. If

President Smith is prescribing it, he is liable to arrest, as he is not an M.D. A favouring letter from "Dr." Fred. W. Porter, of Tampa, Florida, is quoted. The Liquozone recipients of the letteZ' forgot to mention that "Dr." Porter is not an M.D., but a veterinary surgeon, as is shown by his letter head.

468. Dr. George E. Bliss, of Maple Rapids, Michigan, has used Liquozone for his cancer patients. Dr. Bliss writes me, under the flaming headline of his "cancer cure," that his letter is genuine and "not solicitated." Dr. A. A. Bell, of Madison, Georgia, is quoted as saying : "I found Liquozone to invigorate digestion." He is not quoted (although he wrote it) as saying that his own personal experience with it had shown it to be ineffective. I have seen the original letter, and the unfavourable part of it was

blue-pencilled.

469. For a local. indorsement of any medicine, perhaps as strong a name as could be secured in Chicago is that of Dr. Frank :Billings. In the offices of Collier's and elsewhere, Dr. Billings has been cited by the Liquozone people as one of those medical men who were prevented only by ethical considerations from publicly indorsing their nostrum; but who, nevertheless, privately avowed confidence in it. Here is what Dr. Billings has to say of this:-

"Chicago, Illinois, 31 July, 1903. To the Editor of Collier's Weekly: Dear Sir,-I have never recommended Liquozone in any way to anyone, nor have I expressed to any representative of the Liquozone Company, or to any other person, an opinion favourable to Liquozone.-FRANK BILLINGS, M.D."

470. Under the heading, "Some Chicago Institutions which constantly employ Liquozone," are cited Hull House, the Chicago Orphan Asylum, the Home for Incurables, the Evanston Hospital, and the Old People's Home.

471. Letters to the institutions elicited the information that Hull House had never used the nostrum and had protested against the statement; that the Orphan Asylum had experimented with it only for external applications, and with such dubious results that it was soon dropped; that it had been shut out of the Home for Incurables; that a few private patients in the Old People's Home had purchased it, but on no recommendation from the physicians ; and that the Evanston Hospital knew nothing of Liquozone, and had never used it.

472.

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.Collier's

472. Having a professional interest in the "overwhelming number of medical indorsements" claimed by Liquozone, a Chicago physician, Dr. W. H. P elton, went to the company's offices, and asked to see the medical evidence. None was forthcoming; the lists, he was informed, were in the Press and could not be shown. H e then asked for the official book for physicians advertised by the firm, containing "a great deal

of evidence from authorities whom all physicians respect." This also, they said, was "in the Press." As a matter of fact, it has never come out of the Press, and never will; the special book project has been dropped.

473. One more claim, and I am done with the "scientific evidence." In a pamphlet issued by the company, and since withdrawn, occurs this sprightly sketch :-" Liquozone is the discovery of Professor P auli, the great German chemist, who worked for twenty years to learn how to liquefy oxygen. When Pauli first mentioned his purpose, men laughed at him. The idea of liquefying a gas-of circulating liquid oxygen in the blood-seemed impossible; but Pauli was one

of those men who set their whole hearts on a problem, and follow it out, either to success or the grave. So followed out this problem, though it took twenty years. He clung to it through discouragements whteh would have led any lesser man to abandon it. H e worked on it despite poverty and ridicule," &c.

Liquozone kills a great German Scientist.

474. Alas for romance! The scathing blight of the legal mind descended upon this touching story. The lawyer directors would have none of "Professor Pauli, the great German chemist," and Liquozone destroyed him, as it had created him. N ot t otally destroyed, however, for from thm;e rainbow wrappings, now dissipat ed, emerges the humble but genuine figure of our old acquaintance, Mr. Powley, the ex. piano

man of Toronto. He is the prototype of the Teutonic savant. So much the Liquozone people now admit, with the defence that the change of Powley to P auli was, at most, a harmless flight of fancy, "so long as we were not attempting to use a name famous in medicine or bacteriology, in order to add prestige to the product." A plea which commends itself by its ingenuousness at least.

475. Gone is "Professor P auli," and with him much of his kingdom of lies. In fact, I believe there is no sin gle definite intentional misstatement in the new Liquozone propaganda. . For some months there has been a cessation of all advertising, and an overhauling of materials under the censorship of the lawyer directors, who were suddenly aroused to the real situation by a storm of protest and criticism, and, rather late in the day, began to " sit up and take notice." The company has recently sent me a copy of the new

booklet, on which all their future advertising is to be based. The most important of their fundamental misstatements to go by the board is "Liquozone is liquid ozygen." "Liquo zone contains no free oxygen," declares the revision frankly. No t estimonials are to be printed. The faked and garbled letters are t o be dropped from the fileo. There is no claim of "overwhelming medical indorsement." Nor is the statement

anywhere made that Liquozone will c1tre any of the diseases in which it is recommended. Yet such is the ingenuity with which the advertising manager has presented his case, that the new ne wspaper exploitation appeals t o the same hopes and fe ars, with the same implied promises, as the old. "I'm well, because of Liquozone," in huge type, is followed by the list of diseases "where it applies." And the new list is more

comprehensive than the old.

All Ills look alike to Liquozone.

476. Just as to Peruna, all ills are catarrh, so to Liquozone, every disease is a germ disease. Every statement in the new prospectus of cure "has been submitted to compet ent authorities, and is exactly true ar1d correct," declares the recently issued pamphlet, "Liquozone, the Ton ic Germicide"; and the pamphlet goes on to ascribe, among other ills, asth ma, gout, neuralgia, dyspepsia, goitre, and "most forms of kidney,

liver, and heart troubles" to germs. I don't know just which of the eminent authorities who have been working for the Liquozone Company fathers this remarkable and epoch-making discovery. It might be Professor Pauli, or perhaps the sulphuric-acid-proof firm of Dickman and Mackenzie. Whoever it is ought to make the definite facts public, in the interests of humanity as well as their own. Monuments of

discarded pill-boxes will celebrate the Liquozone savant who has determined that dyspepsia is a germ trouble. The discovery that gout is caused by the bite of a bacillus, and not by uric acid, is almost aP important an addition to the sum of human knowledge as the determination of a definite organism that produces the twinges of neuralgia, while the germ of heart disease will be acclaimed with whoops of

welcome from the entire medical profession.

477. Unfortunately, the writer of the Liquozone pamphlet, and the experts who edited it, got a little mixed on their germs in the matter of malaria. "Liquozone is deadly to vegetable matter; but helpful to animals," declares the pamphlet. . . "Germs are vegetables "-and that is the reason tha t

Liquozone kills them ; but malaria, which Liquozone is supposed to cure, is positively known to be due to animal organisms in the blood, not vegetable; therefore, if the claims are genuine, Liquozone, being "helpful to animaJs," will aid and abet the malaria organism in his nefarious work, and the Liquozone Company, as well-intentioned men, working in the interests of health, ought to warn all sufferers of this

class from use of their animal-stimulator.

478. The old claim is repeated that nothing enters into the production of Liquozone but gases, water, and a lit tle harmless colouring matter, and that the process requires large apparatus, and from eight to fourteen days' time. I have seen the apparatus, consisting of huge wooden vats, and can testify to their impressive size_; and I have the assurance of several gentlemen, whose word (Pxcept in print) I am willing to take, th at fourteen days' time is em ployed in impregnating every output of liquid with the ga•. The result, so far as can be determined chemically or medicinally, is precisely the same as could be achieved in fourteen seconds by mixing the acids wi th the water. The product is still sulphurous and sulphuric acid

heavily diluted, that is all.

479. Will the compound destroy germs in the human body? This is, after all, the one overwhelmingly important point for determination ; for if it will, dl tho petty fakery and forge ry, the liquid oxygen and Professor Pauli, and the mythical medical journals may be forgiven. For more than four months now Collie,r's

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ColNer' s ]lfa gazine-aoliUnued. Collier's has been patiently awaiting some proof of the internal germicidal qualities of Liquozone. None has been forthcoming, except specious generalities · from scientific employees of the company-and testimonials. The value of testimonials as evidence is considered in a later article. Liquozone's are not more c_onvincing than others. Of the chemists and bacteriologists employed by the Liquozone Company, there 1s not one who will risk his professional reputation upon the simple and essential statement that Liquozone taken internally kills germs in the human system. One experiment has been made by

Mr. Schoen, of Chicago, which I am asked to regard as indicating in some degree a deterrent action of Liquozone on the disease of anthrax. Of two guinea-pigs inoculated with anthrax, one which was dosed with Liquozone survived the other, not thus treated, by several hours. Bacteriologists employed by us to make a similar test failed, because of the surprising fact that the dose as prescribed by Mr. Schoen promptly killed the first guinea-pig to which it was administered. A series of guinea-pig tests was then arranged (the guinea-pig is the animal which responds to germ infection most nearly as the human organism responds), at which Dr. Gradwohl, representing the Liquozone Company, was present, and in which he took part. The report follows :-

LEDERLE LABORATORIES.

Sanitary, Chemical, and Bacteriological Investigations.

518, Fifth-avenue, New York City, 21 October, 1905.

480. Anthrax Test.-Twenty-£our guinea-pigs were inoculated with anthrax bacilli, under the same conditions, the same amount being given to each. The representative of the Liquozone people selected the twelve pigs for treatment. These animals were given Liquozone in 5 c. c. doses for three hours. In twenty­ four hours all pigs were dead-the treated and the untreated ones.

Second Anthrax Test.-Eight guinea-pigs were inoculated, under the same conditions, with a culture of anthrax sent by the Liquozone people. Four of these animals were treated for three hours with Liquozone as in the last experiment. These died also in from thirty-six to forty-eight hours, as did the remaining four.

. Test.-Six guinea-pigs were inoculated with diphtheria bacilli, and treated with

Lrquozone. They all died in from forty-eight to seventy-two hours. Two out of three controls (i.e., untreated guinea-pigs) remained alive after receiving the same amount of culture. TubM·culosis Test.-Eight guinea-pigs were inoculated with tubercle bacilli. Four of these animals treated for eight hours with 5 c.c. of a 20 per cent. solution of Liquozone. Four received no

L1quozone. At the end of twenty-four days all the animals were killed. Fairly developed tuberculosis was present in all. To summarise, we would say that the Liquozone had absolutely no curative effect j but did, when given in pure form, lower the resistance of the animals, so that they died a little earlier than those not

treated.

LEDERLE LABORATORIES, BY ERNST J. LEDERLE.

. 481. Dr. Gradwohl, representing the Liquozone Company, stated that he was satisfied of the of the tests. He further declared that in his opinion the tests had proved satisfactorily the total

meffect1veness of Liquozone as an internal germicide. . But these experiments show more than that. They show that in so far as Liquozone has any effect, 1t tends to lower the resistance of the body to an invading disease. That is, in the very germ diseases for which it is advocated, Liquozone may decrease the clwnces of the patient's with every dose that is

swallowed; but certainly would not increase them. In its own field Liquozone is sui generis. On the ethical side, however, there are a few "internal germicides," and one of these comes in for mention here, not that it is in the least like Liquozone in its composition, but because by its monstrous claims it challenges comparison.

482. Since the announcement of this article, and before, Collier's has been in receipt of much virtuous iii:dignation froni a manufacturer of remedies which, he claims, Liquozone copies. Charles Marchand has been the most active enemy of the Douglas Smith product. He has attacked the makers in print, organised a society, and established a publication mainly deYoted to their destruction, and circulated far and wide injurious literature (most of it true) about their product. Of the relative merits of Hydrazone, Glycozone (Marchand's products), and Liquozone, I know nothing; but I know that the Liquozone Company has never in its history put forth so shameful an advertisement as the one reproduced on this page, signed by Marchand, and printed in the New Orleans States, when the yellow fever scare was at its height.

And Hydrozone is an "ethical" remedy; its advertisements are to be found in reputable medical journals.

TiLe same old Fake.

483. Partly by reason of Marchand's energy, no nostrum in the country bas been so widely attacked as the Chicago product. Occasional deaths, attributed (in some cases unjustly) to its use, have been made the most of, and scores of analyses have been printed, so that in all parts of the country the true nature of the nostrum is beginning to be understood. The prominence of its advertising and the reckless breadth of its claims have made it a shining mark. X orth Dakota has forbidden its sale. San Francisco has decreed against it; so has Lexington, Kentucky; and there are sigm that it will have a fight for its life soon in other It is this looming danger that impelled Liquozone to an attempted reform last

summer. Yet, in spite of the censorship of its legal lights, in spite of the revision of its literature by its scientific experts, in spite of its ingenious avoidance of specifically false claims in the advertising which is being scattered broadcast to-day, Liquozone is now what it was before its rehabilitation,-a fraud which owes its continued existence to the laxity of our public health and the cynical tolerance of the national conscience.

Deaths

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Deaths from Liquozone.

Lancet, 16th December, 1905, page 1798 :-484. In Dr. Fred. J. Smith's experience within the last few months a case in point had occurred. Dr. Wynn Westcott asked him in September last to make a post mortem examination on two children who had died after taking .Liquozone-a strong solution of sulphurous acid. .At the necropsy he could find no

possible or even probable cause of death, and had it not been known that repeated doses of simple irritant poisons might leave no traces in the alimentary canal beyond those attributable to mere post rnortern changes, he would have been obliged to say that he could find nothing to account for death, had he not had the invaluable-nay, indispensable, if justice were to be done-support of the evidence of Mr. 'l'. W. Morcom Harneis, who had attended the deceased children for some three or four days, with all the symptoms of irritant poisoning. It was on his evidence, combined with his own (Dr. Smith's), that a, correct verdict was given, viz. "Poisoning from the effect of taking Liquozone in repeated doses."

J;ancet, 1st July, 1905, page 38 :-LrquozoNm IN THE CoRoNF.R's CouRT.

485. On 26th June, Dr. W. Wynn \Vestcott concluded his inquiry into the deaths of Constance Adelaide Sheppard and Dorothy May Sheppard, who were alleged to have died from the effects of a patent medicine called "Liquozone." The proceedings at the opening of the inquiry were summarised in the Lancet of lOth June, 1905, p. 1594. At the adjourned inquiry Sir Thomas Stevenson gave the results of

his analysis of Liquozone. The principal ingredients were: sulphur dioxide 0·269 per cent., and sulphuric acid 0·848 per cent. ThE> preparation was practically a solution in water of sulphur dio:x;ide which had been oxidised into sulphuric acid. Taken internally it would act as an irritant, and might cause von;:titing in a child. Mr. A. J. Pepper said that in his opinion the symptoms were due to food poisoning, possibly watercress, and Dr. A. P. Luff also said that food poisoning was to blame. He did not think it was

possible for Liquozone to have caused the deaths, The jury returned the following verdict : " Both the children died from exhaustion, after vomiting and diarrhcea, set up by taking Liquozone. They further wish to add their deep sympathy with the parents in the loss of their children. They further consider that some representation should be made to the proper authorities, in order that in future some investigation should be made as to the nature of these patent medicines before they are placed on the market." In the course of the case, Mr. Andrews, on behalf of the children's parents, asked Sir Thomas Stevenson, {' ShQUld I be exaggerating if I said that the pamphlet was nothing but lies ? " to which Sir Thomas Stevenson. replieq "Not greatly. It has no foundation in fact."

Systematic Trea.chery.

Lancet, 7th October, 1905, page 1050:-THE BRITISH LrQuozoNE CmiPANY and its methods. 486. We have before us a letter addressed by this concern to a druggist, which is typical of its methods, and we call attention to it, in the hope that if any are unscrupulous and foolish enough to fall in with the suggestions such as are made in it, their customers may recognise the methods employed, and may take steps accordingly. The letter is accompanied by a slip of pink paper, having an explanatory additional matter printed on one side of it, including a list of "germ diseases," in which are comprised varicocele, dyspepsia, dandruff, "women's diseases,'' hay fever and piles, and on the other side ruled spaces for the

names of the druggist's diseased customers to whose notice he is to introduce "Liquozone." On the receipt of the slip with the patient's name duly inscribed, the Liquozone Company proposes to forward an order to each sufferer, whereby he will obtain a free bottle of Liquozone from the druggist who has supplied his address and furnished particulars of his ailment to it. He will, however, only be informed that H a friend"

who knows about told the company that he, the patient, needed it. Another mode of

doing business is explained, and commended to the druggist in the following paragraph, which we extract from the letter referred to:-"In a great many instances you can discern your customers' complaints by the nature of their purchases, and ca.n suggest at that time that if they had not tried our preparation you will be pleased to add their name to the list for a bottle, By so doing you are enabled to extend a

courtesy to your customers at our expense, which courtesy is reciprocated by a return to your store not only for Liquozone but for their other requirements also." (For Scott, Henderson, & Co.'s advertisement, see page 333.) These are the methods suggested by the Liquozone Company to those who have bottles of Liquozone still on hand, which have been sent them for free distribution, and which seem likely to remain

on hand, owing to what the company calls "our cessation of advertising preceding our autumn campaign." The suggestion is not a new one, but has, we believe, been frequently made in T1·uth with regard to touting circulars, that the enclosure of offending platter in an envelope and its return unstamped to the sender is perhaps the best method of getting rid of it.

Liquozone.

487. Analysis of the North Dakota Agricultural College, quoted by Dr. Potter (Mat. Med., X, 866) :-One sample was found to contain a total acidity of 1·34 per cent., of which 1·18 per cent. was m the form of sulphuric and sulphurous acid. Other samples have shown an acid content as high as

1·73 per cent., indicating that the product is not by any means uniform in its composition.

488. Seventeen and one-third parts of sulphur acids in one thousand of solution is an acidity that would explain the deaths of the two sisters very readily. After the injuries and deaths caused by this despicable fraud of sulphuric acid and water, and

199

128

and all the exposures in public prints of the trickery and lies of the man Powley, alias "Professor Pauli, the great German chemist, who learned how to liquefy oxygen," the fraud is being revived. In pursuit of these studies, he is said to have discovered .Liquozone, "which is liquefied ozone." Powley was a maker and repairer of organs in Toronto, Canada-not human organs, but just wooden wind­ organs, and pianos-which is a hard row to hoe, so to speak, and the money harder to collect.

489. But Professor Pauli is once more plain Mr. Powley, having coined money out of sulphuric acid and water beyond the J ohnsonian dreams of avarice. In guile Dr. J obnson was as the children and knew nothing of twentieth century cupidity. Your Excellency . will perceive that a 6s. bottle cannot contain one pennyworth of the acidulated water at cost price. A dozen such bottles would not contain one pennyworth of the diluted acid. Its claim to be a " tonic germicide "

_The British Liquozone Co. Ltd., GO Witson-street London, E-!?·· are taking steps to pus!;

produ_cts on the ;\ustrahan market. In addition to

Itsel_f. the hnes include antiseptic c:·eam, &he.v­

l?g soap sttcks and bars, toilet antiseptic soap, Jax o..· t1ves and All bear the word "Linnozonc," and

'l.re put up. They arc on the T. A. list

of :\ew WaleG, assuring to the ''endor freedom

!rom cuttmg. A guarantee plan has been arranged ,_,_ ith the wholesale agents, Scott, Hendcr:w.n & Co., 6-8 Loft ml · • street, Sydney. / c/..r;'.,r. /t)'d .7

has been shown herein to be a flagrant and fraudulent lie. Yet here in Aus­ tralia, in January, 1907, we see that a fresh start is being made to dose our children with this lethal drug-un­ checked, untested, uncontrolled in any way. Most respectable trade papers advertise it, and furnish editorial

notices to help it along, whilst most respectable mercantile firms are ready

and anxious to push it. As a matter of course, it belongs to the P . .A..T . .A..

(Proprietary Articles Trade Association), and, with the other nostrum-vendors constituting that body, is under the special patronage and protection of the London Chamber of Commerce. How pleasa,nt it would be to see Chambers of Commerce extend their patronage and protection to the interests and lives of little British children, and of their innocent and ignorant mothers, over against their plunderers ! 'rhere has been no lack of suggestion thereto, but there is no money in it.

490.

Weldon's Ladies' Journal xvii

Judge Liquozone by What It Does. The First Bottle Is . Free. It is not our pr•tdice to publish testimonial;-; ()U \V e prefer t l) g •vc the bottle, aod let the prud•tCt it:;d( prC)ve its power. A si•nple will do nu>re fO con· vi nce Y•>U than aoy argiU tte ut or dairns. .lfsk you tu IC'arn, ,lt o•u= this wonderful product mcam1 t!> you. yo•t arc dl, Lij{Hozo•:u hJ g-et wdl. as mrll10rn:1 done. Lcaro what it dot:s .that Oti1cr rcrncdir>s have not accomplis hed. J [ you .nrc wcJJ. use ·it to ke•:p well ; to ward oft gt!no nltacks and as· a tonic. What Liquozone Is. virtues of Liquor.one arl! $OleJy frouL gases. The formula is sent to each u8cr. The process of makiog Jargo apparatus, nnd from B to 14 days' time.. It is direc tod by chcm"t" of the ho!)·hest staodmg. The object is so to llx and combme I he gnsP. !:I as to carry into the system. a tonic germic ide. Couta.ct with I...iquozouc kills an y f orm of die­e:\sc germ. Y ct to the hody Liquozone is not only harmless, but helpful in the c> tr.: cne. Tha t is ita main distinction Conunon ncrmicides are poison when taken internally. is why medi­cine ha.s been so_ helpless in a germ disease. Liquozono is exhilarating, vitaliz.iog, purifying : ,·ct vo disease germ can exist in it. , W e puJ·ehosed the British rights of Liquo>.one thousands of tests had been made with it. 1 Its power had been proyed, again and again, in I lb:e most difficult germ diseases. Then we offered fo s upp(y the fir.,t ho •dt! f•·ee in di . ..;case tl;a l

requirerJ it !..':!00/)1)0 h;·p ·e bcr.n speni. lO

announ(;f: aod I ultll llu:> olf er. The rc:sult is trw.t 1 JIOOl)J )f)O ho11lo.r. J,avc bceu uccd. mos tly in t}JC p:t:;t two yeHr . .;. To·d•• .Y arc countless ooe::;. :scallerl'd C\·c rywhcrt>, wlH) lt: ll wl;al Li'lno zone lws done

.But l:'•l ntotny oth (' rs neccl it tf.:tt this offt·r is still puldislJcd_. In lat e yc;n s. has traced

of d1seases to germ atta(:k:e. Oldl"cme­

d!cs do uot apply to tll cm. \V c wish to show

those sufl'eren;-at o11r t:ost-wb.nt Liquozone c:a.n do.

-Wohere It Applies. These arc the di se::1ses in whic l1 Lirtuozonc hns been most employed. In these it lo a. earned its widest reputation. In all of fi1 esc troubles we supply the first bottle fret. And io all-no

matter l•ow Uitficult-wc ofl"cr each user a two further test without tho ri sk of a penoy.

ASI.hro.a Absecss-Ar.xmia Bronchlti3 Blood Potson Bowel Troubles Coughs- Colds t:on!'nrupt.ion Diseases

Cancer -C<\tan·b y-DiarrbG'a

.Kcz;erua- EiysJpelas

FcvcN-Gnll StOI1C5 Goi tre-Gout Hi\y Fev-er ·lntltJeuz.-.

Hhettru(\ti'!l. Ul

Sho Tutx:rclosls Turunn rs -Ulcer ... ':i."broat

AI !'O most fot·m s of tl.le (()I loWing :-Ktdocy Troubtc3, Ll\•e r TtoctbJ 69, Stomach 1-'cver. innammntJou ot C.'\ t:lrrh - 1mpuro o r poisoned blood -Uiutally ecr01

Jn nen-uu-3 dcbi!llY a C(S as a vllalizcr, otCCOUl·

pHsllfug rUH s.

A 2s. 3d. Bottle Free. 1f yoH nccrl Li•J!l07.•lnC, anU lia.\·a never tried it1 please setd this ro upon \Ve will then

post ym1 :tn ordm vn n loc·;;.l chemist for a is. 8d . bottle, which he will gi ve you 1 on our account, tft try. This is our free gift, made to convlnct:

you ; to show you wh<:1t is and what

it can do. fn justice tv yoursclf1 please a.;ccpt it to-day, for it ploces you under oo obligation whatever. Liquownc cdsl• l jl f, 2/3 and i ;"G.

CUT OUT THIS COUPON. Fill om the b l:'lllk and post it l 11 :1 envl!1ope to

the BrHish C.),, L:.tl., 60, Wllsoo Srcct., t'ins·

bury SI"Jll:\rc, Londou, !!;.(..'.

Mydisc;\se ig_ ...... ..

I h;lV e never tried Llquor.

Name

Street ..

489 Town .. . C!l .

Any doc!Ar or ll ut yet uslog J .. lqnozonc will bll

gladly :.tJpplict.l for :1

Injury

129

Injury to Health and Morals.-Insanity and Death from Causes 0, D, and E.

491. There is not evidence that the so-called aphrodisiacs are much sold or used. There are recorded cases of injury and death, but the subject will not be entered upon in this Report, as being of questionable interest, and it is certainly overshadowed by the importance of other causes. Alcoholism and the use of neurotics and heart­

depressants (as shown by the Chicago experience) may tend to debauchery in a worse degree than will ensue upon the administration of drugs directly designed for that purpose. ·

492. The subject of injury to health and morals, insanity and death, from the wide-spread use of preparations intended to prevent conception, and to induce abortion, has been dealt with in an elaborate and painstaking manner by the New South Wales Royal Commission upon the Decline of the Birth-rate.

The crime of induced abortion demands, however, in this present Report, further attention, which has already been given in the preceding pages.

493. The remaining division (E) is too revolting to elucidate at all. Beyond theMinister and officials of the Department of Customs there is no occasion for any­ one in the Commonwealth to be even aware of the existence of such abominations, which are exclusively of foreign origin. I related the following officially to the

Collector of Customs of the Port of New York in the presence of the Treasurer of the United States, of General Clarkson (Chief Landing Surveyor), and other gentlemen, at the Custom House. I told him, in pursuance of my duty, that at a sitting of the Sydney Royal Commission, a surgeon of twenty-five years' practice,

who had been through two military campaigns, upon examining samples of these horrors as seized by the Australian Customs, stated that he was unaware of the existence of such things. The President of the Commission, a medical practioner, member of Parliament, and of wide mercantile experience, had also been unaware, as,

of course, had others. It was brought to the knowledge of the Commission that the things had been imported by two firms, both of them prominent commercial concerns in a large way of business in Australia. I did not, for reasons of common decency, particularise the objects, but the Collector understood and said, "We know those

things well. They give us more trouble than anything else to discover, and when we do find them, they go straight· into our crematorium (a furnace at the A ppraism's warehouse kept for that and like purposes). Don't they, General ? " 1'he Chief Landing Surveyor assented with every appearance of satisfaction at this power of

summary treatment. To my remark that the source of these objects seemed from our information to be invariably Paris, the Collector added "Yes, we find that also, and they (meaning the makers and exporters) are perfectly Satanic in their productions." I was informed in Washington that great trouble had been experienced

some years before in various parts of the United States in chasing up and seizing such imports, whose sale was pushed by means of travelling agents as are other clandestine articles. Power is however retained, as was before remarked, by the Postal Department to refuse carriage by the mails. That power would be of more

effect in Australia because the express companies are not so developed as in the United States, where they may, and no doubt do, carry and deliver many forbidden things. Every trick is played, some with remarkable cunning, to deceive and bamboozle the officials, but against that must be allowed the advantage that the Department bas

generally, not always, in tracing evils to their source and then stopping them. I respectfully suggest that to import, manufacture, sell, offer for sale, or give away, or to knowingly retain in possession the articles herein indicated, should be made hy statute a felony. Further, that the articles be specifically prohibited, so that an

attempt to import them would constitute the offence of smuggling. Experience has shown that the articles are dealt in, when at all, by those importing and selling drugs for illicit practices. Upon inquiry I have been informed and verily believe that the s3lme is true in England. In company ·with an official of the British

Pharmaceutical Society I have visited many so-called chemists' shops kept hy (I was told) unqualified persons. Here were displayed for sale multif:.uious drugs, preparations and articles for procuring abortion, together 1rith preYentives. There is reason to suspect that such persons also traffic in the articles under the beading

(E).

*97267-R · 494 ..

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OF Boxnw, new .e nbrg·ed t"ciilion , 40 }8.

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'J.'I::IURSTOK'S CAIW TRICKS., l s AH Zo\:;a,',;,

jncluding Nn.na, Is cM.eh , }\ostcd. EuucA."'I'Jl'i:G •riiK }lomH: , ls. Vt.:N"I'-RILO"QWISM M .... oJr. EAsY, ls. UP•TO· lh:rv. COMIC ltto:crn·:R, \RiSH Colonc H.v.cnv.u. FA'I

] JI G )Jno1;. ASO How 1'0 'fuAts ·ruto:

l S ()d. Lovv. STOUIIo:s .. Is t.tc1.

Jtws OF Llf''r., ls lid. Nwozw S·l'lJMY ls.

,,.H\})()W 'f\CKV.TW itrns.o V .. \ t ' \ •. )\1-:cii .\NIC's

\VuJu;.suo J• 1!-l 3d. H.IIJ·:Il·\1 .\l'n rrH

CtlHY., lspo5tetl. M ,. N lr.HIIllltttt R .\ l s ; pnst, 1s :1 1. Gr.ok<.Hn,·v., ls; po.st, Is !J,J. 'l'UK CpcKUIIh, 11-l: vost. 1&34-l. A1JTnKUut.t,r.Tn\ ·na. CAunm'li Tn1C1<.li AND WITH CAIIlJ5, illus., lR. nc:Atl'I'\''M

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l086ct AUS'I'. Ml!'ilt.us' cuwn:.(simple test.sfor minerals); 3s ()c1.. MAHOMtT"s F'oH'rUC4E TELLING Sool< or FA:rK Sm·e l_ H·iee fs; J1 os t, Is 3d. Dxvn.

JN S\ IINRY1 J-i;lldhea s, ete.., ls }\Q;it.

2s. -WtLL PoWKA. (Pr.H.SOl"'AT. MAoNir.·rtSM) 11

S .\1\00W'g HI)OK o.-· - KrltY.XOTil, :.ls posted.

u.ut:.l:-tJ,v.·s J.'K.Y.KMAROXitl'i 3::dlJ posterl. or I'Arus, ht licl. llls-rou)· .,.,. TJJK Uov (Fiat!t>Hations And the (l'ln!!"e!laut.s),· :;car('e, Ox..:

LATr.!iT JlJo:GIT\Tinx.-;, 1 ..;. t :mx1,•1l\''li l'Ril>!ST , Wo:.t .U\ AND Tttlo: ,J,, ls f;lf. An·ror JuJ.,Jf'rsu,

9d o.nit I s GeL Clull AXIl Mv lOti. llm1'.\l':'i

Jl'OR TIIK IJm·rrsu. "''· 8ct:.sJ.:s, b 2cl. Uow

')'0 Tn.\IN •·oR. .ALr. Sl'ul: ls :3

AKU ST.\17\IS"O, 1/'t. PHOTOQR.-\rln' SJO:r.r!f.-\UOH-r, 113. }low 'I'O M .uu·: • .• J.\J.(H AND RYRlll'S, ls 2d. M-r.w 'iRlCllli W1'1'H Cl,)\);S, llOU!i.l(. l",A\S.'''U\G A);.])

""f.Al•V.RISQ, ls 2ft. Pnov. I''OWLEtt-'s lOs 6<1. Qu8Y.N lslld.

IT IS FROM TEChNICAl. TERMS, and shows up Hu;,an .' No.ture as it cx,st.s·.· Here are: 3.ltSwered, 1n p'ain n thou·

Se11t An,rwllere lor the Asking.

sand questions that Occur to Lhe mindG of young anrl old, but about which they {eel a delica.e.y m theil' physician. C hapters I'·

are.devoted to innumerable jnt.,erestrng subjects concerujng mar· 1 •·is.Ae . which makes it. a. supel'iOI' :;uitlt: to the action ot men and women both 1n and out .of mania.g·e. No mnn or woman who anticipatt.·s a bri::·ht future. and WIShes to enjoy married l.ife in its

fu l.lest seuse. can atfor<.l to dispense with t-he infot·rn ation embraced \n •ts covet'S. The new 20th Century edition just anived. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED. Complete, unabridged, cditiou of this grea,t worl,, It will be posted .to

ANY address for SJi:V£N SHILLINGS AND SIXP£NCE.

Ff!EIICH ART STUDIES, 600 kinds, ts 3d tlozen. Stu bsTRUC'I'oR: Evl!P.Y M.\1! llts OWN ScHOOLMAS'rEit, GIPSY FORTUNE TgLLING CARDS-LOVE, I s CARtNET MAKEtts HANOVHOOK, Is 3d. M AC· llUS1NES8, FUTURITY, &c., with full dirtctooHs, PAO_DEN s Pwv£tCAL THAINt,.G, Is. .£L£M£H'J'S oF SoctAL ls posted. 400 Sonos ANO B.

TKH!I.S, Sm.D£RJNO, GAs.Ftr·raNQ, t-tr.-:, Js3tl Is \VANNAN'H:a .EsGtNg l>RIVgtt,s .GUIDE, 5& <.IL.I

·P,!!':it. How •ra l'J.A\" BII,LlAROS, Js 3t.l. }>Oatt-d. VntiLH 1 OWKUS OY SUI'tor.nB MANUOOD, ful.

l'u."'--.' GV."'iTAVK Is; post ls CA;Jii.r,rr., ls Dt:c.Hr£FtON or P.otcA<.:Cle, lii·:I"I'AMr.u.os, and nw.uy

. post.. . How TO V uu• oN PlANtl, ls. PIANO 'l'UNINO AND a-t 2s _ (.)rl each l'OStctt . Ba.uut OP ·rult FtRST

ltllt'·AIRI.NG, ts :id. MoDERN u . rtovL"t.'s Ntowr. ls 3rl. ls G.&.Y

CAR!> G'"'" (llules for nil Gnm•s), Js. Bo11 K 0 , IN Mt

100 G.w.:s, Is. MAN FnoM SNowr ·HrvY.t<, 5s 6d. All tlteso prices Poet Paid.

l'{)U\inL\' -K?..Y.l'll'iG, 1 ':1 ).msted. PAkl.OlL M;.tnc, ls post..cd. MAS H1s OWN DtliLnr.rt, ls. Evto:R\'

MAtt H1s OwN CAitt'v.:nv.n., ls 8d. ilr.Ao'i Jtr.cKoN KR .ANI' LroH'I'NINa CAI.cur ... non, Is. AUS'f'RA r,JAN Doerun en res !or 1111 di•eascs, ls posted. WlliTKR u,.:

·ro-lh'l'E, ls posted. Si•Et:ctn:!i -AND 'l'oASTS, Pu1a .. tc ls. post.ed. t.iANu Ol<'

HuSHR"foi.Oims, i"Jiustt·ations and -portraH.s, ls; ilO!jt ls 2d. Br.Kcmwrrr SJ'li'L1! (ucw), ·f< £<1.

No Matter,, what Book want ·1•ve got It, . . Don't be 'fooled Into paying rnore. . Compare m)' prices with othora and save ;vour cash. g.- Hs!abli•hed !O 1"4Gr8.

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o ·

131

viee, every filth andhorror, disgusting pictures of perversion, instruments of crime, lust and treachery, a1·e held for sale and sold at the above address. And if there be, .anything in the range of}mman knowledge that can further debase and betray, it, can be procured. The law is indifferent. rrhere is a similar concern in Melbourne,

advertised in the same manner.

Sale qf Poisons in London.

496. order personally to test the actual working of the Poisons Act in London, and what kind of protection is afforded to the public, I visited many shops, more particularly in the parts of the city where the poorer inhabitants live. 'l'he test was quite superfluous, fOl' the evidence of the laxity of British control isoverwhelming.

I gave any child that came handy a little money to buy for me baby-poisons, and sent him into one shop or another, taking by preference those I was informed by the officer of the Pharmaceutical Society were not duly qualified chemists. The poison was obtained as a matter of course; mixtures of opium and chloroform enough to

kill many persons. One may purchase "penn'orth's of 'Mother's Friend' for a }>.aby" or " for mother " by sending a phial with the penny. In one case the dtuggist sent hack the little boy, who reported to me, "He doesn't sell sir, but he'll sell a shilling bottle." Another shop in a crowded street in the window almost exclusively abortifacient nostrums (without proprietary

and therefore duty free), and quantities of the instruments commonly ' used for the same purpose. The use and intent are unmistakable, but there is no law which can restrain or punish such a sinner as in Germany. He can go on selling as long as he does not sell straight out and specifically for the criminal purpose. Even if he doesl

the chances of a conviction are so small that the attempt to convict would be waste of time. Surely it is a chaotic condition of law which would theoretically punish a :tnan for selling that which it allows him openly to handle. In therefore,

punishment is a rare phenomenon.

Herbalists.

. . 497. Generally what applies to England in relation to the almost uncontrolled sale of drugs applies equally to Australia. Many vegetable substances are violently poisooohs, and the alkaloids or concentrations still more so. Of byoscyamil1: or of sC

may issue, and then only upon the prescription of a doctor, is 0·0005 gramme {say O·O'O'Z5 grain); but with us, when the confiding public follow advertisements ::iild tak.e "herbal " remedies, they may be taking metallic salts, as already shown herein, 61' may be incurring even gi·eater risks by swallowing really " herbal " mixtures

Of which "the law" takes no cognizance. No check or control exists in our behoof, no inspection, no qualification, no interference at all, so long as the h herbalist'' prescribes wholesale by advertisement, and does not deal out separate

ini.ttnres personally. He may do on the large scale what he must not do singly.

The Drug Habit in Children.

498. The physician of the" Port Jackson" mercantile training ship, Dr. Stanley informed me of a new vice which is affecting children in London. It is well

known to the physicians of London Hospital. Confectioners sell chlorodyne lozenges whi'Cb. are strongly impregnated with the narcotic compound. These sweets contain a'b'o'i'l.t 3 minims of chloroform, besides the proportion of opium usual to chlorodyn.e. Dr.lleale says children buy them for the sake of the prompt intoxication, and having

once acquired the taste will use no other sweet.

499. They are also sold in Australia in the various States. I purchased them a.t several sweet-shops, the proprietor of only one of the series ·visited saying that he had none, adding "we are not allowed to sell them." 2 oz. are sold for 3d., and contain twenty-four octagonal lozenges. Various names of makers and initials appear upon most being marked as below.

600.

.i

,. '•I 'I

··:

132

500. Thus for 3d. a child purchases 72 m1mms of chloroform, with what equivalent of morphine would depend upon the brand of chlorodyne employed. Collis Bro·wne' s contains 6 grains of morphine to the ounce.

501. I am not informed as to deaths from these confections, although from so wide and practically unrestricte:l sale they are quite sure to occ::tr. In such cases, to quote Dr. Fred. J. Smith, "they would be invariably attributed to some other cause.'' It is needless to enlarge upon the inevitable injury that must follow the consumption of these poisonous sweets. The drugging of children during the first stages of pleurisy and pneumonia, whereby they would be further exposed to the conditions most favourableto the multiplication of the pneumococcus of Fraenkel (according to my reading of the Professor's observations), must be mischievous in all cases and fatal

in some. Apart from all considerations that are called sentimental, which is a hateful word, these lives are of cash value to the Commonwealth and ought to be protected by rigorous measures. But it will cost money to do it. It will be seen from the letterg of the secretary of the Now South Wales Pharmacy Board that in 1889 there

were a couple of prosecutions. kind of thing is quite useless, and even unfair. The importer, who was present at the prosecution of the woman and spoke to Mr. Forster, said he had then to arrive two tanks (800 g·allons) of these sweets in one shipment. He said he would sell no more, and perhaps his resolution was well kept. Perhaps not. But now they are both manufactured locally and imported. There is no reason why the woman who kept the sweet-shop should have been punisl1,ed and tlie original vendor who helped to create the demand have esca1Jed. He was id Court whilst the woman to whom he sold the "goods " took the punishment. The reason that others are not prosecuted is that the .Pharmacy Board, in New South Wales at least, has no money and it is nobody else's business. If it were a case of sheep dyjng

from scab, or vines from phylloxera, there would be very prompt and very proper measures to stop the evil and to prevent its recurrence. Seven years have e1apsed, the sale is more extended, and it must be obvious to those who cater for narcotism that cocaine also readily forms a habit, and that if one importer can sell a couple of tons of intoxicating lozenges from one shipment there is considerable money in demoralising children; aJso, it is certain that this lucrative field for enterprise will not be neglected.

502.

Pharmaceutical Board of New South Wales,

Dear Sir, 7, Richmond-terrace, Domain, Sydney, 6 December, 1906.

Re linseed, liquorice, and chlorodyne lozenges I can give you the following information:­ 'rhe wholesale houses import these lozenges mainly from Gibsons, Manchester, and from Tarry. There are usually twelve to thirteen to the ounce. They sell tho goods in the usual wholesale manner practically to any person who asks for them.

There are also several local manufacturers of these ozenges, and I understand Messrs. -----, and ·-----, and , are making them. The confectioners, I understand, mostly buy from the local

manufacturer, whilst the chemist is usually supplied with the imported goods from the wholesale drug stores. The Sydney Morninp Herald, c£ 2nd September, 1899, gives the following report of two cases which the.Pharmacy Board brought before the magistrate in Sydney:-"At the Central Police Court yesterday Angus McLeod, inspector under the Pharmacy Board of New South "\Vales, proceeded against----- and----- for having ·sold linseed, liquorice, and chlorodyne lozenges containing poison, to wit, chloroform, being a poison within the meaning of the Sale and Use of Poisons Act, 1876, without having received a certificate from the Pharmacy Board of New

__ . · South

133

South Wales; Mr; Hamlet, Government :\.nalyst, stated that the lozenges contain two-e1e>'enths of a grain of chloroform each, or about 3 minims. He considered the lozenges were dangerous, as half a dozen miaht kill a. child. Defendant stated that she was not aware that. the lozenges contained chloroform. A of 20s. and costs was imposed. In the case of----, who was proceeded against for a similar offence a fine of 20s. and costs was also imposed." '

· I may add that I was in Court during the proceedings, and I know that the report is substantially correct. A wholesale confectioner, who at that time had a shop and factory at the foot of---- street, was in Court watching the case, and he told me whea we left that Mrs. . . . had bought the lozenges from him, that he had another big lot coming out, but that he would stop the importation as he would not sell them any more. Yours truly,

Octavius C. Beale, Esq., Annandale.

(Signed) A. FORSTER, Secretary.

503.

[Private.] Pharmaceutical Society of New South Wales,

Dear Sir, 7, Richmond-terrace, Domain, Sydney, 6 Deeember, 1906.

Referring to my to-day's letter re linseed, liquorice, and chlorodyne lozenges, I cannot agree with the statement that each of the lozenges contained two-elevenths of a grain, or about 3 minims, of chloroform. Or, if those lozenges which were analysed contained that dose, it must have been one of those incidents referred to on another occasion, namely, the stuff must have been badly mixed and a very large and undue proportion of the chloroform must have got into those special lozenges. Mr. Hamlet says that

the maximum dose for an adult is 5 minirns. \V ell, it a child got a few of the lozenges containing 3 minims each, the result would be fatal, as the child would get more than the maximum dose for an adult. I wish also to say that I am told it will hardly be possible to get 3 minims of chloroform into such a small compass as a lozenge. It would be bound to evaporate very quickly if put in by itself, and if put

in in the shape of chlorodyne the lozenge would not be able to contain sufficient chlorodyne. Yours truly, (Signed) A. FORSTER.

Octavius C. Beale, Esq., Annandale.

The Government of New South Wales have since analysPd my purchases. In any case the lozenges are potent and highly intoxicating. The more serious phase of the iniquity is the morphine, which we have shown to have so strong an effect upon young children. Who shall say how often the suckling baby is given a "lolly"

by the child in charge? And who cares?

The Great Drug Laboratories of America. 504. The owners of these, might with ample reason, claim to be the biggest packers of quack medicines in the world. Anything from homicide to humbug, with all between, is prepared and packed to order for the nostrum-vendors, whose business it is to buy the willing services of American, Canadian, English and

Australasian newspapers to decoy victims. The Chicago meat-packers issued some disgusting and unwholesome foods, about which Anglo-Saxon nations were justly indignant. It does not however seem likely that any large number of persons were actually killed as a consequence of their manchesterism, though it were inky as the , Irwell. Thousands ·may have been injured and hundreds may have died because of

using their impure or poisonous foods. But the record of the wrongs and injuries and deaths caused by drugs packed in the great laboratories, and sold under fraudulent or deliberately homicidal intent by the nostrum-vendors, can never be estimated. It is worse by a thousand-fold than all that has come to light about

Chicago. If the books of these drug-packers could be overhauled the revelation would startle Anglo-Saxon humanity, for happily the rest of mankind is not much affected. THE NECESSITY OF ·sTATE LEGISLATION.

The unquestioning supply of doubtful or toxic agents, in answer to the purchaser's ignorant demand, may be permissible under the laws of trade; but it is not responsive to any ethical principle. The golden rule, which was, indeed, a projection upon centuries of time, is coming home to the business conscience of to-day. " Am I my brother's keeper 1" is answered still, as it was in the childhood

ot the race: "The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground." And the metaphor is not forced. There is no more gross or criminal commercialism than that which trifles with human life or human health for gain. The manufacture and the exploitation of a patent medicine, for the cure of unknown ills, is an assault upon the purse of the public, if the remedy is harmless ; and an assault upon

the health of the purchaserifit is not. He who sells or directs the purchase of a possibly toxic agent, the innocent or dangerous quality of which is not known, is an accessory before the fact. This

134

This is copied from Parke, Davis, & Co.'s publication "The Bulletin of Pharmacy,'' a:Qd is part of an address by Professor D1'. R. 0. Beard, of Minnesota: The defence is the manchester doctrine-free competition-and, "if we don't pack the stuff our competitors will jump at the chance/' The only cure is law penalty, making moral by Act of Parliament, paternal legislation, gmndm

decided. "Every man who trades in this arket, whether he poolrets the profits of the maker, the purveyor, or the advertiser, takes toll of blood. He may not deceive himself here, for here the patent medicine business is the nakedest, most cold-hearted. Relentless greed sets the trap, and death is the pa:rtner ill the enterprise.''-S. H. Adams (see par. 533).

· DIVISION IV'.

L35

DIVISION IV.

INJURY AND DEATH TO ADULTS.

207 .

.

'•<;

,, · ,

137

DIVISION IV.

INJURY AND DEATH TO ADULTS.

505. Under this heading it is not proposed to classify the drugs, !or it will be seen that divisions unavoidably overlap. The baby-poison killed a young woman and, as the illustration showed, would kill an adult of any age ; and so all round. 506. In choosing a form of classification, it becomes difficult to whether

to divide the poisons themselves or to adopt the customary divisions of human life. The latter has been selected as the most convenient to the mind of the reader as he can form for himself more readily a synaptical view, or, as the Germans well express it, " eine zusammenstellende Uebersicht." He can most easily recall the dangers to which the footus, the infant, the youth and maid, the man and woman, are exposed.

Before proceeding thus far it should have become plain to the average layman that all of these are about equally ignorant or, if not, una,ble adequately to protect themselves. The average man or woman knows no more than the babe unborn what is dimethyl-methandiethyl-sulphone which is produced by the oxidation of

ethyl mercaptan and acetone, not even when the symptoms are explained to him, which are-upon the best authority-" ischuria, oliguria, and h::ematoporphyrinuria, together with more serious symptoms of a cardia-depressant type." Persons, however, of ordinary education will be struck with the plain significance of

the long word which indicates crimson blood in the water. To anyone not a pathologist-and still more to him-the suggestion will occur,-do these other synthetic drugs, poisons unknown to Nature, also attack and diminish the red blood­ corpuscles as we have seen to be the case with acetanilid ? One thing the greatest

pathologist will acknowledge, that we know infinitesimally little of the colonies of minute organisms which carry on the functions of the body. what they are themselves, what they do, and how they do it; whilst his humility will be antithetic to the brazen confidence of the quack who, with his cure-all poisons, makes only too dead

sure of his victims. The drug just spoken of,-sulphonal by its trade name,-is the cause of injury and death. It is new, widely used, its detailed effects little known. A sulphonal habit is often formed, for it is freely obtainable; and it iR observable that those who drug themselves with poisons which directly affect the heart, brain, and

circulation are tempted, even irresistibly impelled, to repeat the doses. 507. Sulphonal.-Largely employed as a hypnot ic. May produce · giddiness, ataxic disturbance of :Murrell, certain fine movements of the hand, and loss of motor power in the legs. Patients "unable to st and," p. 227. "unable to stand or walk properly," "present the appearance of being drunk, tumbling and walking about

unsteadily." In some cases a papular skin eruption. In one case death in forty hours after two 15-grain doses t aken in an hour and a quarter. In another case patient t ook over an ounce. When seen was completely insensible, pupils normal and reacting to light, an:esthesia especially of conjunctiv:e, profuse perspiration, suppression of urine. Death suddenly on the fourth day.

508. The ordinary symptoms o£ "sulphonism" are noises in the ears, headache, vertigo, weakness, and incapacity for mental or physical work. Other symptoms noticed are ptosis, c::edema of the eyelids, and cynanosis. When sulphonal is administered continuously for some weeks at a time the patient suffers from gastro-intestinal disturbances, vomiting and constipation, swellin g of the joints, pain in the lower extremities, failure of co-ordination and diminution of the reflexes, with a scanty secretion of urine, which

often presents a peculiar red colour.

Pharmaceutical Journal, p. 510, April 28th, 1906 :­ SULPHON AL POISONING. Lavinia Philips, wife of a brewer, took 30 grains, having used the drug for years. Coroner said that deaths from sulphonal poisoning were increasing.

509. It is hardly possible to arrange the poisons in order, for there is no recognised nomenclature which can be followed. Where cerebral neurotics end and cerebro-spinal neurotics begin may easily be a matter of dispute. In the present investigation and report no useful purpose can thereby be served. Hence it should

be borne in mind that where the health and life of the adult are endangered by the use of a drug, the like injury generally, if not always, results to the infant. The cure-alls, of course, include both young and old, as any inspection of their advertise­ ments will show.

*97267-S " Collier's

138

" Collier's Magazine " on the Great American Fraud. 510. The fifth communication by Mr. Samuel Hopkins Adams, published in Collier's Magazine of 13th January, 1906, is instructive by reason of the fac-similes there given. The names of drugs which are also largely advertised and sold in

Australia are stated. It is a question of finding money for advertising in some or all of many forms, in order successfully to introduce others into this country. It has already been shown that impudence and cash only are needed. It has nowhere been said that all are bad together; but what is to guide the sufferer in attempting to pick the good? The assertions are always bold, though sometimes in extrava­ gance one exceeds his fellows. Very often one quack denounces the nostrums of the rest. Are we to believe him then, or when ?

THE GREAT AMERICAN FRAUD.

(By Samuel Hopkins Adams, in Collier's for 13th January, 1906.)

V.-PREYING ON THE INCURABLES.

511. Incurable disease is one of the strongholds of the patent medicine business. The ideal patron, viewed in the light of profitable business, is the victim of some slow and wasting ailment in which recurrent hope inspires to repeated experiments with any "cure" that offers. In the columns of almost every newspaper you may find promises to cure consumption. Consumption is a disease absolutely incurable by any medicine, although an increasing percentage of consumptives are saved by open air, diet, and methodical living. This is thoroughly and definitely understood by all medical and scientific men. Nevertheless, there are in the patent medicine world a set of harpies who, for their own business interests, deliberately foster in the mind of the unfortunate sufferer from tuberculosis the belief that he can be saved by the use of some absolutely fraudulent nostrum. Many of these consumption cures contain drugs which hasten the progress of the disease, such as chloroform, opium, alcohol, and hasheesh. Others are comparatively harmless in themselves, but by their fervent promises of rescue they delude the sufferer into misplacing his reliance, and forfeiting his only chance by neglecting those rigidly careful habits of life which alone can conquer the "white plague." One and all, the men who advertise medicines to cure

consumption deliberately traffic in human life.

512. Certain members of the Proprietary Association of America (the patent medicine "combine") with whom I have talked have urged upon me the claim that there are firms in the nostrum business that are above criticism, and have mentioned H. E. Bucklen & Co., of Chicago, who manufacture a certain salve. The Bucklen salve did not particularly interest me. But when I came to take up the subject of

consumption cures, I ran unexpectedly upon an interesting trail. In the country and small city newspapers there is now being advertised lavishly '' Dr. King's New Discovery for Consumption." It is proclaimed to be the "Only Sure Cure for Consumption." Further announcement is made that "It strikes terror to the doctors." As it is a morphine and chloroform mixture, "Dr. King's New Discovery for Consumption" is well calculated to strike terror t.o the doctors or to any other class or profession, except, perhaps, the undertakers. It is a pretty diabolical concoction to give to anyone, and particularly to a consumptive. The chloroform temporarily allays the cough, thereby checking Nature's effort to throw off the dead matter from the lungs. The opi:um drugs the patient into a deceived cheerfulness. The combination is admirably designed to· shorten the life of any consumptive who takes it steadily. Of course, there is nothing on the label of the bottle to warn the purchaser. That would decrease the profits.

The makers of this beneficent preparation are H. K Bucklen & Co., of Chicago.

Chloroform and Prussic Acid.

513. Another "cure" which, for excellent reasons o£ its own, does not print its formula, is "Shiloh's Consumption Cure," made at Leroy, New York, by S. C. Wells & Co. Were it to publish abro:td the fact that it contains, among other ingredients, chlorofoTm and prussic acid, the public would probably exhibit some caution in taking it. Under our present lax system there is no warning on the bottle that the liquid contains one of the most deadly of poisons. The makers write me: "After you have taken the medicine for a while, if you are not firmly convinced that you are very much better, we want you to go to your

druggist and get back all the money that you have paid for Shiloh." Bu'c, if I were a consumptive, after I had taken "Shiloh" for a while, I should be less interested in recovering my money than in getting back my wasted chance of life. Would S. C. Wells & Co. guarantee that 1

514. Morphine is the imporlant ingredient o£ Dr. Bull's Cough Syrup. Nevertheless, the United States Post Office Department obligingly transmits me a dose of this poison through the mails from A. C. Meyer & Co., of Baltimore, the makers. 'l'he firm writes me, in response to my letter of inquiry :-"We do not claim that Dr. Bull's Cough Syrup will cure an established case of consumption.

If you have gotten this impression, you most likely have misunderstood what we claim. : We can, however, say that Dr. Buli's Cough Syrup has cured cases said to have been consumption in its earliest stages."

515. Quite conservative this. But A. 0. Meyer & Co. evidently do not follow their own advertising very closely, for around my sample bottle (by courtesy of the Post Office Department) is a booklet, and from that booklet I quote :-"There is no case o£ hoarseness, cough, asthma, bronchitis or consumption that

can not be cured speedily by the proper use of Dr. Bull's Cough Syrup." 516.

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Samuel Hopkins Adams-continued.

516. If this is not a claim that Dr. Bull's Cough Syrup "will cure an established case of consump­ tion," what is it 1 The inference from Meyer & Co.'s cautious letter is that they realise their responsibility for a cruel and dangerous fraud, and are beginning to feel an uneasiness about it, which may be shame or may be only fear. One logical effect of permitting medicines containing a dangerouf' quantity of poison to be

sold without the poison label is shown in the coroner's verdict herewith printed. In the account of the Keck baby's death from the Dr. Bull opium mixture, which the Cincinnati papers published, there was no mention of the name of the cough syrup. Asked about this, the newspapers gave various explanations. Two o£ them disclosed that they had no information on the point. This is contrary to the statement of

the physician in the case, and implies a reportorial laxity which is difficult to credit. One ascribed the omission to a settled policy, and one to the fear of libel. When the coroner's verdict was given out, however, the name of the nostrum got into plain print. On the whole, the Cincinnati papers showed themselves gratifyingly independent.

517. Another case of poisoning from this same remedy occurred in Morocco, Indiana, the victim being a two-year-old child. The doctor reports :-"In an hour, when first seen, symptoms of opium poisoning were present. In about twelve hours the child had several convulsions, and spasms followed for another twelve hours at intervals.

It then sank into a coma, and died in the seventy-two hours with· cardiac failure. The case was clearly one of death from overdose of the remedy." The baby had swallowed a large amount of the "medicine" from a bottle left within its reach. Had the bottle been properly labelled with skull and cross-bones, the mother would probably not have let it lie about.

518. Caution seems to have become a suddenly acquired policy of this class of medicines, in so far as their correspondence goes. Unfortunately, it does not extend to their advertising. The result is a rather painful discrepancy. G. G. Green runs hotels in California, and manufactures quack medicines in Woodbury, New Jersey, one of these being "Boschee's German Syrup," a "consumption cure." Mr. Green

writes me (per rubber stamp) :-"Consumption can sometimes be cured, but not always. Some cases are beyond cure. However, we suggest that you secure a trial bottle of German Syrup for 25 cents," &c.

519. On the bottle I read : "Certain cure for all diseases of the throat and lungs." Consumption is a disease of the lungs ; sometimes of the throat. If it " can sometimes be cured, but not always," then the German Syrup is not a "certain cure for all diseases of the throat and lungs," and somebody, as the ill-fated Reingelder put it, "ha£ lied in brint" on Mr. Green's bottle, which must be very painful to

Mr. Gref!n. Mr. Green's remedy contains morphine and some hydrocyanic acid. Therefore, consumption will be much less often curable where Boschee's German Syrup is used than where it is not.

False Claims.

520. A curious mixture of the cautious, semi-ethical method and the blatant claim-all patent medicine is offered in the Ozomulsion Company. Ozomulsion does not, like the "cures" mentioned above, contain active poisons. It is one of the numerous cod-liver-oil preparations, and its advertising, in the medical journals at first, and now in the lay Press, is that of a cure for consumption. I visited the offices of the Ozomulsion Company recently, and found them duly furnished with a regular physician, who was employed, so he informed me, in a purely ethical capacity. There was also present during the interview

the president of the Ozomulsion Company, Mr. A. Frank Richardson, former advertising agent, former deviser of the advertising of Swamp Root, former proprietor of Kranitonic, and present proprietor of Slocum's Consumption Cure, which is the "wicked partner" of Ozomulsion. For convenience, I will put the conversation in court report form, and, indeed, it partook somewhat of the nature of a

cross-examination :-Q. Dr; Smith, will Ozomulsion cure consumption1 A. Ozomulsion builds up the tissues, imparts vigour, aids the natural resistance of the body, &c, (Goes into a long exploitation in the manner and style made familiar by patent medicine pamphlets,)

Q. But will it cure consumption 1 A. Well, without saying that it is a specific, &c. (Passes to an instructive, entertaining, and valuable disquisition on the symptoms and nature of tuberculosis.) Q. Yes, but will Ozomulsion cure consumption 1

A. We don't claim that it will cure consumption. Q. Does not this advertisement state that Ozomulsion will cure consumption 1 (Showing advertisement.) A. It seems to.

Q. Will Ozomulsion cure consumption 1 A. In the early stages of the disease--Q. (interrupting.) Does the advertisement make any qualifications as to the stage of the disease? A. Not that I can find. Q. Have you ever seen that advertisement before 1

A. Not to my knowledge. Q. Who wrote it 1 A. (by President Richardson.) I done that ad. myself. Q. Mr. Richardson, will Ozomulsion cure consumption 1 A. Sure; we got testimonials to prove it. Q. Have you ever investigated any of these testimonials? A.No. Q. (to Dr. Smith.) Dr. Smith, in view of the direct statement of your advertising, do you believe that Ozomulsion will cure consumption?

A. Well, I believe in a great many cases it will,

Health

211

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Samuel Hopkins Adams-continued.

Health for Five .Dollars.

521. That is as far as Dr. Smith would go. I wonder what he would have said as to the Dr. T . .A. Slocum side of the business. Dr. Slocum puts out a "Special Cure Offer" that will snatch you from the jaws of death, on the blanket plan, for $5, and guarantees the cure (or more medicine) for $10. His scheme is so noble and broad-minded that I cannot refrain from detailing it. For $5 you get :-1 large bottle of Psychine; 1 large bottle of Ozomulsion; 1 large bottle of Coltsfoote Expectorant; 1 large tube of Ozojell; 3 boxes of Lazy Liver Pills; 3 Hot X-Ray Porous Plasters, "which," says the certificate, "will in a majority of cases effect a permanent cure of the malady from which the invalid is now suffering." Whatever ails you-that's what Dr. T. A. Slocum cures. For $10 you get almost twice the amount, plus the guarantee. Surely, there is little left on earth, unless Dr. Slocum should issue a $15 offer, to include funeral expenses and a tombstone.

522. The Slocum Consumption Cure proper consists of a gay-hued substance known as "Psychine." Psychine is about 16 per cent. alcohol, and has a dash of strychnine, to give the patient his money's worth. Its alluring colour is derived from cochineal. It is "an infallible and unfailing remedy for consumption." Ozomulsion is also a sure cure, if the literature is to be believed. To cure one's self twice of the same disease savours of reckless extravagance, but as "a perfect and permanent cure will be the inevitable consequence," perhaps it's worth the money. It would not do to charge Dr. T . .A. Slocum with fraud, because he is, I suppose, as dead as Lydia E. Pinkham; but Mr. A. Frank Richardson is very much alive, and I trust it will be no surprise to him to see here stated that his Ozomulsion makes claims that it cannot support, that his Psychine is considerably worse, that his special cure offer is a bit of shameless quackery, and that his whole Slocum Consumption Cure is a fake and a fraud so ludicrous that its continued existence is a brilliant commentary upon human credulousness.

523. Since the early sixties, and perhaps before, there has constantly been in the public prints one or another benefactor of the human race who wishes to bestow upon suffering mankind, free of charge, a remedy which has snatched him from the brink of the grave. Such a one is Mr. W. A. Noyes, of Rochester, New York. To anyone who writes him he sends gratis a prescription which will surely cure consumption. But take this prescription to your druggist and you will fail to get it filled, for the simple reason that the ingenious Mr. Noyes has employed a pharmaceutical nomenclature peculiarly his own. If you wish to try the "Cannabis Sativa Remedy" (which is a mixture of hasheesh and other drugs), you must purchase it direct from the advertiser, at a price which assures him an abnormal profit. As Mr. Noyes writes me proposing to give special treatment for my (supposed) case, depending upon a diagnosis of sixty-seven questions, I fail to see why he is not liable for practising medicine without a license.

Piso Grows Cautious.

524. Piso's Consumption Cure, extensively advertised a year or two ago, is apparently withdrawing from the field, so far as consumption goes, and the Piso people are now more modestly promising to cure coughs and colds. Old analyses give as the contents of Piso's Cure for Consumption, alcohol, chloroform, opium, and cannabis indica (hasheesh). In reply to an inquiry as to whether their remedy contains morphine and cannabis indica, the Piso Company replies: "Since the year 1872 Piso's Cure has contained no morphine

or anything derived from opium." The question as to cannabis indica is not answered. Analysis ·shows that the "cure" contains chloroform, alcohol, and apparently cannabis indica. It is, therefore, another of the remedies which cannot possibly cure consumption, but, on the contrary, tend by their poisonous and debilitating drugs to undermine the victim's stamina.

525. Peruha, Liquozone, Duffy's Malt Whiskey, Pierce's Golden Medical Discovery, and the other "blanket" cures include tuberculosis in their lists, claiming great numbers of well-authenticated cures, From the imposing book published by the R. V. Pierce Company of Buffalo, I took a number of testimonials for investigations j not a large number, for I found the consumption testimonial rather scarce. From fifteen letters I got results in nine cases, Seven of the letters were returned to me marked "unclaimed," of which one was marked "N arne not in the directory," another "No such post-office in the State," and a third, "Deceased." The eighth man wrote that the Golden Medical Discovery had cured his cough and blood-spitting, adding: "It is the best lung medisan I ever used for lung trubble." The last man said he took twenty-five bottles and was cured ! Two out of nine seems to me a suspiciously small percentage of traceable recoveries. Much stress has been laid by the Proprietary Association of America through its Press committee upon the suit brought by R. V. Pierce against the Ladies' Home Journal, the implication being (although the suit has not yet been that a reckless libeller of a noble and worthy business has been suitably punished. In the full appreciation of Dr. Pierce's attitude in the matter of libel, I wish to state that, in so far as its claim of curing consumption is concerned, his Golden Medical Discovery is an unqualified fraud.

526. One might suppose that the quacks would stop short of trying to deceive the medical profession in this matter, yet the "consumption cure" may be found disporting itself in the pages of the medical journals. For instance, I :find this advertisement in several professional magazines:-" McArthur's Syrup of Hypophosphites has proved itself, time and time again, to be positively beneficial in this condition (t.uberculosis) in the hands of prominent observers, clinicians, and, what is niore, practising physicians, hundreds of whom have written their admiring encomiums in its behalf, and it is the enthusiastic conviction of many that its r;jfect is trulv specific." Which, translated into lay terms, means that the syrup will cure consumption. I find also in the medical Press "a sure cure for dropsy," fortified with a picture worthy of Swamp Root or Lydia Pinkham. Both of these are frauds in attempting to foster the idea that they will cure the diseases, and they are none the less fraudulent for being advertised to the medical profession instead of to the laity.

527. Is there, then, no legitimat

to

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Samuel Hopkins Adams-continued.

to deceive the public into the belief that the emulsion will be helpful in all cases. Whether or not Scott's Emulsion is superior to other cod-liver oils is beside the present question. If all patent medicine "copy" were written in the same spirit of honesty as this, I should have been able to omit from this series all consideration of fraud, and devote my entire attention to the far less involved and difficult matter of poison. Unhappily, all of the Scott's Emulsion advertising is not up to this standard. In another news­

paper I have seen an excerpt in which the Scott and Bowne Company come perilously near making, if they do not actually make, the claim that their emulsion is a cure, and furthermore make themselves ridiculous by challenging comparison with another emulsion, suggesting a chemical test, and offering, if their nostrum comes out second best, to give to the institution making the experiment a supply of their oil, free, fur a year. This is like the German druggist who invented a heart-cure, and offered two cases to

anyone who could prove that it was injurious ! 528. Consumption is not the only incurable disease in which there are good pickings for the birds of prey. In a recent issue of the New York Sunday American Journal I find three cancer cures, one dropsy cure, one "heart-disease soon cured," three epilepsy cures, and a "case of paralysis cured." Cancer yields to but one agency-the knife. Epilepsy is either the result of pressure on the brain or some obscure cerebral disease; medicine can never cure it. Heart disease is of many kinds, and a drug that may be helpful in relieving symptoms in one case might be fatal in another. The same is true of dropsy. Medical

science knows no "cure" for paralysis. As space bcks to consider individually the nature of each nostrum separately, I list briefly, for the protection of those who read, a number of the more conspicuous swindles of this kind now being foisted upon the public :--Rupert Wells' Radiatized Fluid, for cancer; Miles' Heart Disease Cure; Miles' Grand Dropsy Cure; Dr. Tucker's Epilepsy Cure: Dr. Grant's Epilepsy

Cure; W. H. May's Epilepsy Cure; Dr. Kline's Epilepsy Cure; Dr. W. 0. Bye's Cancer Cure; Mason's Cancer Cure; Dr. Williams's Pink Pills for Pale People, which are advertised to cure paralysis, and are a. compound of green vitriol, starch, and sugar. Purchasers of these nostrums not only waste their money, but in many cases they throw away their

only chance by delaying proper treatment until it is too late.

529. Properly, a "cure" known as Bioplasm belongs in this list, but so ingenious are its methods that it deserves some special attention. In some of the New York papers a brief advertisement reading as follows occupies a conspicuous position:-"After suffering for ten years the torture that only an ataxic can know, Mr. E. P. Burnham,

of Delmar, New York, has been relieved of all pain and restored to health and strength, and the ability to resume his usual pursuits, by an easily obtained and inexpensive treatment which any druggist can furnish. To any fellow-sufferer who mails him a self-addressed envelope, Mr. Burnham sends free this prescription which cured him."-Adv.

530. Now, people who give away something for nothing, and spend money advertising for a chance to do it, are as rare in the patent medicine business as out of it, and Delmar, New York, is not included in any map of Altruria that I have learned of. E. P. Burnham, therefore, seemed worth writing to. The answer came back promptly, enclosing the prescription and explaining the advertiser's purpose :-

"My only motive in the notice which caught your attention is to help other sufferers. You owe me nothing. 1 have nothing to sell. When you are benefited, however, if you feel disposed and able to send me a contribution to assist me in making this great boon to our fellow-sufferers better known, it will be thankfully received and used for that purpose."

531. I fear that Mr. Burnham does not make much money out of grateful correspondents who were cured of locomotor ataxia by his prescription, because locomotor ataxia is absolutely and hopelessly incurable. Where Mr. Burnham gets his reward, I fancy, is from the Bioplasm Company, of 100, William-street, New York, whose patent medicine he prescribed for me. I should like to believe that his "only motive is to

help other sufferers," but as I find, on investigation, that the advertising agents who handle the "Burnham" account are the Bioplasm Company's agents, I am regretfully compelled to believe that Mr. Burnham, instead of being of the tribe of the Good Samaritan, is probably an immediate relative of Ananias. The Bioplasm Company also proposes to cure consumption, and is worthy of a conspicuous place in the Fraud's Gallery of nostrums.

532, Even the skin of the Ethiop is not exempt from the attention of the quacks. A coloured corres­ pondent writes, s.sking that I "give a paragraph to these frauds who cater to the vanity of those of my race who insult their Creator in attempting to change their colour and hair," and encloses a typical advertisement of "Lustorone," which "straightens kinky, nappy, curly hair," and of "Lustorone Face­

Bleach," which "whitens the darkest skin" and will "bring the skin to any desired shade or colour." Nothing could better illustrate to what ridiculous lengths the nostrum fraud will go. Of course, the Lustorone business is fraudulent. Some time since a Virginia concern, which advertised to turn negroes white, was suppressed by the Post Office Department, which might well turn its attention to Lustorone

Face-Bleach.

533. There are being exploited in this country to-day more than one hundred cures for diseases that are absolutely beyond the reach of drugs. They are owned by men who know them to be swindles, and who in private conversation will almost always evade the direct statement that their nostrums will "cure" consumption, epilepsy, heart disease, and ailments of that nature. Many of them "guarantee" their

r:medies. They will return your money if you are not satisfied. And they can afford to. They take the hghtest of risks. The real risk is all on the other side. It is their few pennies per bottle against your life. Were the facile patter by which they lure to the bargain a menace to the pocket-book alone, one might regard them only as ordinary followers of light finance, might imagine them filching their gain with the

confidential, half-brazen, half-ashamed leer of the thimblerigger. But the matter goes further and deeper. Every man who trades in this market, whether he pockets the profits of the maker, the purveyor, or the advertiser, takes toll of blood. He may not deceive himself here, for here the patent medicine business is nakedest, most cold-hearted. Relentless greed sets the trap, and death is partner in the

enterprise.

Injury 1

142

Injury and Death from Hypnotics.

Taylor, II, 534. Hypnotics and Analgesics.-It would be a large task to compile a complete list of these, and P• 602. would serve no useful purpose. The reader may consult the "Extra Pharm.," 1904. JY[odern organic chemistry is continually adding to the list, and the list of t o-day differs from that of yesterday and to-morrow only by the weird names that are found for it. These substances as a body, however,

constitute a very grave danger to public health, and the death roll from them grows ominously longer every year. Fatal and other cases of poisoning will be noted of:-

Murrell p.105.

Alcohol (including ether and fusel oil and paraldehyde). Chloral hydrate and chloralose. Trional. Thalline. Bromoform.

Acetanilide or antifebrin. Exalgin. Antipyrin. Phenacetin.

Veronal.

Amongst the last six or seven of these agents there is considerable likeness in the method of the production of symptoms in this respect, viz., that they do not answer to the postulate stated above for safety; they affect rather the heart, its peripheral nerves or its centre, only too easily. We are at present too little acquainted with our heat-regulating mechanisms to be able to throw antipyretics of doubtful qualities amongst them without very serious risk of catastrophe.

535. The drugs which come properly under this heading, as chloral-hydrate, chloralose, sulphonal, verona!, trional, thalline, are extensively used in the secret preparations commonly sold in the United States, Great Britain, and Australia. If any of them are only occasionally employed, there is no reason why purveyors should

consider themselves restrained. The choice is wide, and must always increase, for heart and brain poisons constitute an extremely profitable and important department of commerce. The dangers are many, and cases of injury and death are given by the authorities already quoted (Taylor, Murrell, Stevenson, Dwight).

536. Taylor says (Vol. II, p. 622) cases of accidental poisoning by overdoses of chloral are very common. In the great majority of cases the only symptom is a quiet sleep, which gradually deepens into coma and death. A lady took six doses of 30 grains each. She fell into a sound sleep. Every attempt failed to arouse her, and she slept into death. The principal post mortem appearance was great congestion of the cerebral vessels (Med. Times and Gaz., 1871, I, p. 132).

537. In these, the fatal dose is rarely known. The usual symptoms are profound sleep, passing into coma. Breathing becomes gradually slower, till in the end it entirely ceases. pulse becomes rapid, irregular, and weak. There is complete loss of sensation, with great muscular prostration, the temperature falls much below the normal, and the patient often sweats profusely. It is probable that death usually takes place from paralysis of the heart.

538. Sir 'l'homas Stevenson met with a case in which a young man barely survived a dose of 70 grains (t oz.). He became idiotic, and never entirely recovered. There are numerous recorded cases almost always proceeding from self-dosing. It is a merciful form of suicide, the patient passing from sleep into death.­

(F. J. Smith, Taylor, II, 621). 539. Am_ongst a nation who have adopted the rule, or have formed a mere habit of "leaving things to the free play of natural forces'' (in so far as the human race is concerned as contra-distinguished from the useful domestic animals), it is regrettable that forms of extravagant cruelty are chosen for homicide. At least it could be no "interference with personal liberty " to inculcate mercy in the last act, for the choice of poisons freely sold is wide. "7 540. Chloral-Chloral Hydrate-How taken.-Popular sedative and narcotic. Taken by all

classes of society to induce sleep and as a "restorative." Deaths by injudicious use very frequent. Not uncommonly used for suicidal purposes. Strength of syrup: lO grains iu the drachm. Syrup sold under guise of a patent medicine without restriction. If given rapidly, accumulates and finally kills, possibly by a sudden paralysis of the heart. Twenty grains is the highest safe dose of chloral, and this should not be repeated oftener than once an hour, and after 60 grains have been taken, not for some hours except in urgent cases.

Symptoms : Deep sleep, loss of muscular power, diminished or abolished reflex action and sensibility. Face livid and bloated, sometimes flushed, pulse either slow or very weak and quick. Diminished frequency of respiration, which is often sighing or stertorous. Pupils contracted during sleep, but on waking they dilate. Extremities and surface generally very cold, temperature falling as low as 91 deg. F. May be an eruption on skin like urticaria if case prolonged. J)eath by arrest of respiration or paralysis of the heart.

Fatal dose : Bad symptoms from lO grains. Death from 20 grains and from 30 grains ; recovery from 180 grains; also in one case from 460 grains. Two cases of recovery from 4 oz. of syrup. Cases

I I

143

Cases of chloralism are by no means uncommon, and are met chiefly amongst ladies who go out a .Murrell great deal in society, and think need a sedative after the exertions of the day and night. Many of p. zss/ these women a good many cigarettes, and drink as well, so that it is not always easy to say how much is due to the chloral, and how much to the other disturbing causes. The symptoms commonly met

with are:-1. Digestive troubles, probably due to direct action or the drug on the mucous membrance o£ the stomach. 2. Dyspnrea, which may be slight, and felt only on exertion, or may be persistent and alarming. 3. Skin eruptions, usually urticarial in character. Petechiffi and ecchymosis are met with, and

ulceration about the nails is not uncommon. 4. Frequently the patient exhibits an excited, hurried manner, is voluble in speech, and suffers from vertigo, wakefulness, and depression of spirits. After a time there is a certain amount of enfeebled nerve power and weakened mental activity.

541. The only way of treating these patients is to cut off the supply. If the patient can be kept without money, and if chemists and grocers and patent medicine vendors can be warned against supplying her with drugs, the habit may be broken. If these steps cannot be taken, the only plan is to put her in a retreat or establishment where she can obtain nothing but what is given her.

Most of these patients end by taking an overdose and killing themselves. The usual verdict is "death by misadventure."

542. Always in cases of recovery from inordinate doses, each in itself sufficient to kill many persons, it should be stated whether or not there were vomiting after the taking.

543. For the present purpose it could be little else than idle curiosity to inquire into maximum doses. In the public interest, it should here suffice to know where danger lies, and to invite the wisdom of Parliament to protect the innocent and ignorant. Bearing in mind the qualifying circumstance above stated (rejection

shortly after taking, which, assisted by the juices of the stomach and possibly food substances therein, might remove the major portion) maximum doses could only illustrate to us the upper extremes of toleration or idiosyncrasy. 544. Anhydrous chloral is usually prepared by the direct action of chlorine gas on alcohol. Chloral Dwight,

hydrate, or chloral, as it is commonly known, results from the mixing of anhydrous chloral with water. p. 222. It occurs in commerce, either in distinct or crystalline plates, is white, and has a peculiar pungent odour, and an acrid taste. Exposed to the air, it very slowly evaporates without residue. It is freely soluble in water, alcohol, ether, also in chloroform, glycerine, benzol, &c. It liquefies when mixed with carbolic acid or camphor.

It is used in medicine as a sedative and hypnotic, and it is the active principle in many proprietary remedies, especially for nervousness, delirum tremens, &c. Danger from its use is increased by the varying ways in which diO'erent individuals are affected, some baing much more susceptible to its action than others .

.Action.-Under ordinary conditions, when in doses of from 15 to 30 grains, it produces a quiet, placid sleep within from ten minutes to half an hour, which usually persists for from two to four hours. In some instances, however, even so small a dose as 20 grains has produced serious symptoms. When larger doses are given the sleep is much deeper, and may develop into coma. The respirations a,re slower,

and the pulse is weak and slow ; if, however; the dose is a toxic one, or on account of cardiac disease, or idiosyncmsy on the part of the patient, it acts as a marked cardiac depressant, the rate is increased and the force much diminished; pupils contracted at first but afterwards dilated, and fatal results may follow within a very short time. Death may occur by paralysis of the heart or respiration.

Dose.-As has been said, in rare instances serious results have followed the taking of 20 grains, and many instances have occurred in which death followed the taking of from 50 to 100 grains. Oases are reported in which life has been saved arter the taking of 150 to 180 grains.

545. Cecaine.-It is generally admitted that the excessive use of coca is injurious, and that the Murrell, confirmed "coquero," or chewer, becomes after a time listless, haggard, and gloomy. He is not fit for much, p. 257. either mentally or l)hysica1ly, and is anytl1ing but a lively companion. But the dangers arising from the habitual use of cocaine are much more pronounced, and cocaine inebriety is now a well-recognised disease.

Cocainism is not the outcome of using the drug at long intervals. Its comparatively transient effect, and the demands of an over-stimulated nervous system, necessitate frequent resort to the drug. To some people nothing is more fascinating and seductive than indulgence in cocaine. It relieves the sense of exhaustion, dispels mental depression, and produces a delicious state of exhilaration and well­ being.

The after effects are at first slight, almost imperceptible, but continual indulgence creates a craving which must be satisfied at all risks. The patient becomes nervous, tremulous, sleepless, and without appetite, and is reduced to a condition of pitiable neura'lthenia. Erlenmeyer calls cocaine the third scourge of humanity, alcohol and opium being the first and second.

The symptoms commonly experienced from the prolonged use of cocaine are illusions of sight and hearing, neuro-muscular irritability, and analgesia. In some recorded cases the patient has suffered from sleeplessness,-which, however, as a rule, soon passes away-dyspepsia, palpitation, an indisposition for work, an inaptitude for arriving at a prompt decision, and a disposition to shun society.

Different kinds of Coca Wine are largely used by the public in doses of from half an ounce to four ounces. There is one kind of Coca Wine standardised to contain one-eighth of a grain of the pure alkaloid in 2 drachms, which requires to be used with caution. Injury

Dwlcht, p. 128.

144

Injury and Death from various Nostrums. o46. At the risk of being wearisome it is here again urged upon the attention of Parliament that the whole present practice of self-dosing, induced by universal and uncontrolled lying and deception, exposes the people, poor and rich, clever and simple, educated and ignorant, to ill-health, discomfort, misery, suffering, and untimely death. I have heard in Australia and in New Zealand the exaggerated expression used, "There isn't a really sound and healthy woman in the town.'' Females are even more prone than males to dose themselves and their children, and to become unpaid advocates of quack nostrums. Imagine a case, for in the bound­ less realm of quackery there are all but infinite possibilities. A woman takes a chill, followed by a cough. The advertisement tells her to use "Blank's Cough Tincture, take it once and you will cough no more." She knows it to be herbal, prepared upon the prescription of an eminent doctor of Guy's Hospital, who was physician to the Queen. She knows hundreds of people who were cured, many of them "Given up by the doctors." She knows that the medical profession, with characteristic meanness, regularly prescribe this precious drug at 4s. the small bottle or 7s. 6d. the large (price wholesale, 3s. 9d. and 7s. respectively), because their own remedies fail. She knows all this and more, for the pamphlet wrapped round the bottle says so. Apart from commonplace and harmless vegetable

extracts, the active ingredient is tartrate of antimony, of which the usual proportion is 2 grains to the fluid ounce. The immediate effect is pleasant, being that of generous wine. She takes no small risk, for violent symptoms have resulted from half a grain. Three-quarters of a grain killed a child. Adults have died from 2 or

from 3 grains. Now, she may only feel giddiness, coldness in the limbs, some faint­ ness, headache and depression, with uncomfortable tightness in tho throat. Mother, sister, daughter, or friend inevitably bethinks her of the "Harmless Headache Powders" (of which many examples have been given). 1'hey are, 99 in 100, acetanilide straight or slightly mixed. The sick, poisoned woman (and if the list of analyses be read it will be seen that nearly all of these cough mixtures are actively poisonous) is still further let down by the progressive weakening of her circulation, and is an easier prey to the natural and insidious enemies in earth and air.

547. Or she begins with Blank's Hair Restorer (vide infra), which must, according to length of use, lead-poison her in a higher or lower degree. She then pro­ ceeds from one drug to another, absolutely unconscious of what she is doing, for there is no law or supervision to protect her. On the contrary, British law regards her as fair game for the drug-packers and expressly exempts them from implied guarantees (vide Canadian and English Acts). By special subsections the statutes in favour of human and animal life and health, which prohibit under penalty the purveying of poisonous and deleterious drugs and foods, are made not applicable to proprietary foods and medicines intended for human use. rrhis branch of the present inquiry will be elsewhere dealt with herein.

Poisonous Hair-Dyes.

548. In Dr. Hutchison's short general list mentioned which contain lead as an active principle. the hair, but that part of the misfortune is the least. place in one of three ways :-

(q.v.) two hair restorers are Of course, it will not restore Chronic lead-poisoning takes

1st, when taken internally, as in drinking water. 2nd, when applied to the surface of the skin, as in pigments and in hair-dyes. 3rd, when inhaled, as among lead workers, &c.

549. 11he symptoms will not here be given. The poisoning is so slow and subtle that there is little likelihood of it being suspected by anyone. The blue line on tJ;e gums may be easily overlooked-in fact, it must be looked for. "It is absent with good teeth, kept well cleansed."-(Taylor.) Taylor, 11, The acetate of lead in solution as liquor plumbi subacetatis is largely used in medicine as a lotion, p. 483. and from this solution as a basis many proprietary remedies are made of the class of hair-dyes, washes,

&c. Of such Goulard Extract or Water is an example, which has caused death in at least four instances.

lllurreU, (a) Hair-dyes are a constant source of lead-poisoning. p. 261. (b) Cosmetics containing lead have been known to prove injurious to actors, actresses, and professional beauties. A

145

Murrell-continued.

A case is recorded of lead-poisoning from the use of "novelty transfer pictures" which were impressed on the hands and then licked off by the tongue. The boy died and the post-mortem appeara.nces were consistent with poisoning by lead. On chemical examination the pictures were found to be largely impreg­ nated with lead.

In some cases o£ well marked lead-poisoning the source of introduction of the poisoning may not be discovered even after the most careful investigation.

217

550. Cosmetics and hair-dyes containing preparations of lead, commonly called hair- Taylor, II, "-· restorers, may also produce dangerous effects. The author met wit h an instance in which paralysis of 484• 487, the muscles on one side of the neck arose from the imprudent use of a hair-dye containing litharge. Those ' hair-dyes or "hair-restorers" are sometimes solutions of acetate of lead of variable strength in perfumed and coloured water. In other cases they consist of hyposulphite of lead dissolved in an excess of byposulphite of sodium. In one instance the continued use of such a dye is reported to have proved fatal, and lead was found in the liver and one of the kidneys (Pharm. Journ., 1869, I, p. 304; also January, 1869, p. 440).

551. All lead contamination is objectionable, aild no degree of it can be considered safe. Lead is an accumulative poison and affects some persons powerfully in the smallest quantities. It is not so much the quantity of lead taken in any case which determines the symptoms of lead-poisoning as its continued introduction.

Lead-poisoning occurs in two definite forms, viz., the acute irritative and the chronic, and the above cases would show that the toxicity of lead in the first form is very slight, but there can be no room for doubt that in the chronic form lead is a very dangerous, poisonous substance-not so much, perhaps, dangerous to life as dangewus to health. This arises from the fact that it is a very typical example of what is known as cumulative poison, i.e., once it has obtained access to the tissues, it is removed from them with exceeding

slowness (vide Oliver, "Lead-poisoning," 1892).

552. Arsenic is not now generally used in proprietary drugs, and the risks from this poison as a remedy are not now considerable. There are many deaths annually, with proportional injuries-more than are suspected-from its habitual use in foods, colourings, confectionery, drinks, textiles, and in other directions, but we are not here

concerned with these. The reason of its usual absence from nostrums is probably the bad reputation of the metal and its salts, all of which are deadly. Again, there is a special Act in Great Britain to control its sale which would interfere with the distribution of the medicines. Certain pills of alkali, arsenic, and copperas, made in

Canada and recommended for a thousand ills, including mortification itself, yielded to the compounder, Senator Fulford, the splendid fortune of five millions of dollars. He died recently and received a public funeral, with immense eclat. These pills were said, and are said, to contain arsenic. I inquired of the officials of the British

Pharmaceutical Society, who inform me that their analysis shows that result. The analysis made by the New South Wales Royal Commission showed merely copperas (sulphate of iron), which with a little carbonate of potash appears to produce a proportion of carbonate of iron. The materials are very cheap, the pills very dear.

I have even heard the fact, real or supposed, of their containing arsenic stated in their favour. (Vide 766 et seq.)

Probability of Discovery of Poisoning. 553. Criminal poisoning, that is, the administration of strong drugs with intent to kill or injure, comes properly within the scope of this inquiry only when related to secret or proprietary preparations­

commonly, but wrongly, called "patent." This premiss must be borne in mind when perusing ilJus­ trations drawn from criminal juris­

prudence which are outside the limitation above stated, but which elucidate our subject. True, the range of deadly drugs among

"patent medicines " open to . the poisoner and most easily obtained , has been already shown to be wide. Some, according to the analyses,

are pure poisons, of which 10 grains or less will cause death.

554. I have cited cases, and their number can be indefinitely multi­ plied. Secret poisons in great variety as proprietary drugs are always at hand, and the sight of means to do ill deeds makes ill deeds done. On the other hand, out of

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146

scores for sale upon a chemist's counter I picked up two tiny :flasks of proprietary poisons, with formulre-strychnine preparations-and bought the two, as anyone can, for half a crown. They would suffice to kill fifty children.

555. Of some, a few grains will suffice. The range includes everything from prolonged and fierce cruelty to a quick and painless death. If the latter were usually chosen it would be easy to understand, especially for suicide, but it is not so. 'rhe case of the girl who bought both "soothing syrup " and oxalic acid and preferred to take the former is by the records unusual.

556. The woman Martha N eedlc had poisoned many persons, with years between th8 deaths, which were always attributed to natural causes. Even in hospital, surrounded by doctors, suspicion was not aroused in one of the cases. It would seem the merest chance that when unexplained vomiting occurred to a healthy man a doctor at last guessed that it might be poisoning, fand that thus, through the man risking poisoning again by the same criminal, the crime was detected. Taylor,II, il""' 557. The occurrence of such cases as these suggests grave reflections on the insecurity o£ life when poison p. 345. is used with skill and cunning, and they demonstrate the inefficiency of the present system of registering

causes of death. They show that medical men, in signing certificates, do not sufficiently inquire into the nature of the fatal illness or the cause of death (see Lancet, 1870, II, p. 341), but this is an evil which admits of an easy remedy. The public have much more to dread in the fact that, even in plain cases of poisoning, some physicians of experience and repute have been unable to discriminate the symptoms from those of natural disease. Thus, in 1899 the bodies of three persons were exhumed, and the viscera examined by Dr. Stevenson. All died of arsenical poisoning, and these persons were inmates of a house at Deptford, in which several other deaths had occurred within the space of two years. They were nearly all' attended during their last illness by one medical man, in whose mind no suspicion of foul play" had apparently arisen.

Laneet, II, 1893, p. 506.

558. Again, in the notorious case of William Palmer, one physician who appeared for the defence affirmed that the symptoms under which Cook died were those of an.qina pectoris, while another physician, also employed for the defence, assigned death to epilepsy with tetanic complications. The witnesses came forward as experts to maintain these views. In reference to the death of Ann Palmer, which was caused by doses of antimony, the solid sulphide of this metal was found in the stomach after death, while the metal itself pervaded the whole of the tissues. A respectable physician, with only a superficial knowledge of the real facts of the case, wrote a pamphlet to prove that this woman had died from an attack of cholera. If these persons had been called in to attend these bvo victims of secret poisoning while living, it is quite obvious that they would have had no suspicion of poisoning, and that they would ]Jave

respectively certified that death was caused in the one case by an.qina pectoris or epilepsy, and in the other by cholera. They would thus have effectually screened, under erroneous medical certificates, the acts of a man who is admitted to have been the greatest eriminal of the age. If physicians of some standing, and professed experts, can thus overlook ordinary cases of poisoning it is not surprising that general practitioners, who have not given special attention to the subject of toxicology, should fall into the error of granting erroneous medical certificates, and of certifying that death from arsenic or opium

was due to cholera, convulsions, or apoplexy.

. 559. From the case of Klosowski, a multi-homicide, of which a part of the evidence is given opposite unabridged, much instruction can be derived.

The application of the quotation of the Klosowski (alias Chapman) poisoning case, and that of Martha Needle, out of a host of similar cases showing the improbability of discovery of causes of death, may be seen when we recall that half a grain of tartar emetic is said to be contained in each dose of Holt's Specific

for Whooping Cough.

A Skin Tonic (Ruppert's).

560. This was a much advertised nostrum. Anna Ruppert was charged by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland with selling a c(')rtain skin specific containing poison, and with not being duly licensed under the l'harmacy Act. Evidence was adduced proving that the preparation in question, which was known as "Ruppert's Skin Tonic" was purchased at a shop in Grafton-street, over the door of which was the name Anna Ruppert. The poison contained in this preparation was corrosive sublimate to the extent, according to l'rofessor Tichborne's analysis, of 8 grains to the bottle. We have had o0casion oursC'lves to submit this "tonic" to analysis, and found that there were found present in solution 1·6 grains of corrosive sublimate in each :fluid ounce, so that a bottle of half-pint capacity would hold nearly 13 grains of perchloride of mercury, a fourth of which quantity has been known to be sufficient to produce fatal results. Yet tne preparation is prescribed as being a perfectly harmless astringent for cleansing the slrin, and removing freckles. It is true that it is recommended for external use only, but the ease with which mercurial compounds are absorbed through the skin is Wlill known, two cases of death, in fact, being on record as resulting from the application of corrosive sublimate in this manner.

Another

147

Another Skin Nostrum.

The Tribune (London) of 27th April, 1906, repoTts :-561. Two pitiful cases of death, resulting from attempts to remedy physical defects, were reported yesterday. Emily Baker, aged 15, a shoe operative of Stafford, was troubled because she had freckles on her face, and bought pills and cream advertised to cure them, and to make faces pretty. After taking the the girl became ill and died from exhaustion following h remorrhage from gastric ulcer. An analysis, however, showed no trace of irritant poisoning. The Coroner, having condemned such ad:ertisements, the jury at the inquest yesterday returned a verdict in accordance with the medical

evidence.* (The other case was not one of drugging.)

562. The case of Emily Baker is included amongst those relating to adults, because it may be expected that young girls are less likely to use Tisky nostrums for the purpose of beautifying themselves. As the cha.nges incident to added years come on, women use largely hair-restorers and washes, cosmetics, depilatories, and

the like. These, though often poisonous, are imported and sold without test or check of any kind.

From the Klosowski Case.

563. After finishing the actual case of Maud Marsh, with the poisoning of whom the prisoner was charged, evidence was taken with regard to another wo.i:nan with whom the prisoner had lived previously. The evidence here again, from a medical point of view, is most instructiv-e:-·

219

Thomas Stevenson (re-examined): I attended at St. Patrick's Cemetery, Leytonstonc, on Taylor, II, 9th December, 1902, and examined the body in the coffin bearing the name-plate of Mary pp. 387-390. Chapman, who died on 25th December, 1897; I saw the lid removed; the body was altogether remarkable ; the face and head were those of a woman who might have been coffined that day, from the appearance; even the eyes were unruptured, a very unusual circumstance ; there was not the least difficulty in

recognising her; the muscles had a fresh appearance ; all the parts of the body cut rather leathery, like shoe leather, and, of course, were drier than in a fresh body; all the parts of the body, except the brain, were preserved; the stomach was unusually pink externally; that was from the blood in the vessels being more than usually good ; its inner coat was of a peculiar cinnabar r ed colour; and towards the bowel end

there was a patch of black blood which had been effused ; there was no sign of perforation or ulceration ; there was no loss of substance in the mucous membrane; towards the bowel end t here were some old scat'S of years' standing; the bowels were not ruptured ; the tube was intact; internally the bowel had the same red colour as t.he stomach; there was no ulceration; the liY er was pale, but firm in texture and fairly normal; the spleen, the kidneys, the bladder, the heart, and the lungs were all normal; there was no

signs of phthisis; that generally indicates disease of the lungs; the cause of death was gastro-enteritis ; there was no other cause ; there was nothing to indicate that the woman had been a confirmed drunkard ; if she had drunk it had not produced any serious injury to the kidneys or liver; the inflammation which I found in the stomach was not attributed to alcohol; I removed the stomach, the bowels, liver, kidneys, spleen, lungs, heart, brain, and some of the muscles, and submitted them to analysis, except the lungs ;

they all contained antimony; it had permeated to the muscles of the thighs ; in the bowels I found 0·41 grain of metallic antimony, in the liver 0·87 grain, in the kidneys 0·06, and the stomach 0·03, which makes altogether 1·37 ; that would represent as emetic tartar 3·83 grains ; there w;ts more in her liver than I found in Maud Marsh's; that quantity points to a large amount of antimony having been absorbed

into the body, and would indicate a considerable dose having been taken some hours before death or the continuous administration of small doses ; the purging and vomiting would get rid of a good deal of the antimony; I came to the conclusion that the cause of deat h was poisoning by antimony, and I attributed the preservation of the body to the antimony; it has not been thoroughly recognised that preservation is one of the effects of antimony, but it has been found in previous cases to be a preservative; the fact of

antimony being found in the muscles would not indicate that Cioses of antimony had been going on for some time, because I think it would quickly pass to every vascular part of the body; evidently the body had not been touched by water, the coffin and its contents being well preserved. Oross-exami11ed: The condition of preservation in a measure depends on the surrounding:; of the

body, quite apart from anything internal ; it was an elm coffin; the grave was 18 feet deep; the depth of a grave to some extent helps to preserve a body, but if this body had begun to decay at the time it was buried, the depth of the grave would not have r etarded it; the air generall y reaches a body before it is buried; this soil was very dry (clay and loam), which would assist preservation; it would take a few years

for rain to get down 18 feet; the grave was not a brick one; there were seven other coffins above; this one was at the bottom; the body was almost lifelike ; bodies buried in lead coffins, when opened years afterwards, have been found to be preserved to a wonderful degree ; in those cases the air had been excluded; a wooden coffin would not be hermetically sealed; the other bodies remo\'ed from this grave had

a fe arful smell ; we did not open the other coffins ; they were reverently put aside, and a tarpaulin put over them ; the whole of them had been buried within a month ; I did not analyse the lungs because I was told

* A friend from Stafford offered to obtain for me full particulam of Emily Baker's case, but they seem unnecessary. Fairly regarded for my inquiry it is not a weak one, although that fault has been found. I cannot presume to review coroners' conclusions. In a State regulated upon fixed principles, and not upon the vi le humbug be

stopped, and at least no other lives enrlangered. It is my duty to sh0w that the door is wide open for deceptiOn and fraud ; to find out, bnt not to review, the decisions of accepted :.nthorities. The girl was pln.inly cheated of her money, the Government accepting one-eighth part of tho gross proceeds of the swindle as its share, and actually a label-stamp therefor. In Germany and elsewhere the fact of the deception is in itself (under different enactments) a

misdemes,nour, and if personal injury or death follows, it is a felony.

. .. ,._.1

.;: ,I;

I

:f

' i

,:: :· .. ·

'•

•'.1

148

Taylor, II, 387-390-continued.

told the woman had died from phthisis, but when I found no traces, I put them aside in case questions were asked; if I had not known the history of the woman, but was told that a certificate of death from phthisis had been given, I might possibly have found that consistent with her condition; when people die from phthisis there is generally great emaciation.

Bg the jury: I am of opinion that antimony, given in gradual doses for a long time, would be more likely to preserve the body than a sudden dose; it would get more into the system. R. Bodmer (re-examined): I took part with Dr. Stevenson in making an analysis of this body; I have heard his evidence, and I agree with him.

564. J. M. Stoker (re-examined): I was called to the Monument on 1st January, 1901; previous to that Bessie Taylor had called on me and asked for some medicine; I then attended her ; I visited "Mrs. Chapman" almost daily from 1st January to li>th February, when she died; when I first called she was in bed ; she had vomiting, diarrhcea, and pains in the stomach; she was very tender; the vomit was green; I cannot recollect if I saw her vomiting : I prescribed for her; she used to get better and then go back again ; I suggested another doctor being called in ; I had three separate consultations with three other doctors; one was Dr. Sunderland; he is a specialist in the diseases of women; he only saw her once; I was under the impression that "Mrs. Chapman" was suiiering from some womb trouble; I do not recollect if Dr. Sunderland suggested any alteration in the treatment; she did not make any improvement; I then

suggested another doctor; somebody in the house suggested Dr. Thorpe, of Southwark Bridge Road; he and I examined " Mrs. Chapman" together ; he said he thought she was suffering from a severe form of hysteria; I then got Dr•. Cotter; we examined the patient together; he thought she was suffering from some cancerous growth of the stomach or intestines; in consequence I sent a portion of her vomit to the

Clinical Research Association, with directions to see if there was any trace of cancer; that would be a microscopical examination; they found no trace; the constant vomiting and diarrhcea continued more or less during the whole time that I was there; I remember going in one evening and finding her playing the piano ; I cannot recollect the date ; she appeared very much better, and in consequence I said I would not call back again unless I was sent for; I do not recollect if I had any conversation with the prisoner that day; I was sent for the next day; I found lwr worse than ever; I was with her the day before she died; she was very bad then with the same symptoms; I do not recollect whether, on that day, I thought she was dying or not; next day I heard of her death; I was asked to give a certificate, which I did, giving the cause of death as intestinal obstruction, vomiting, and exhaustion ; intestinal obstruction would cause vomiting and exhaustion; she was suffering from vomiting and ordinary stoppage when she came to my surgery; diarrhcea would follow when the stoppage was cleared ; I did not put the particulars in the certificate, "G. Chapman, widower of deceased"; I thought prisoner was married to the woman; I never

had such a thing as antimony at this period, and I never prescribed it. 565. Cross-examined: I had seen Mrs. Stevens before; it was at her recommendation I went to the Chapman's; up to that time I knew nothing of them; at first I regarded the case as one of constipation, and I directed my treatment with a view of removing that ; I attended her at her home for excessive diarrhcea, so the stoppage must have given way; I think that she came to my surgery twice; I do not remember what I gave her, most likely a dose of salts; I next saw her at her home on 1st January, when I treated her for diarrhcea and vomiting; I do not know what I gave her then; I saw the prisoner-I do not remember if, when I suggested to him that I should like further advice, it was within the month, he at once agreed; I believe that Dr. Sunderland came to the conclusion that she was suffering from some uterine trouble; I have no record of it; I have not seen him since the prisoner saw Dr. Sunderland, when he came and asked him what was the matter with his wife; I do not remember that he was dissatisfied with our opinion; he was willing to have a third doctor; he paid the fees; I consulted Dr. Thorpe; I think he told the prisoner that the woman had hysteria ; he accepted that opinion as he had accepted Dr. Sunderland's ; it was at my suggestion that a fourth doctor was called in, because the woman was getting no better; the

prisoner agreed to that; I do not know what fee he paid in each case; he did not grumble; Dr. Cotter said it was some cancerous disease of the stomach or intestines; I think Dr. Bodmer examined the vomit I sent ; Dr. Cotter's opinion was not sustained ; I do not think the report' was told to the prisoner; I do not think the patient lived long after that ; I had many opinions ; I have no record of my treatment; if the specialist had suggested an alteration in the medicine, I certainly should have made it.

566. Re-examined: None of us suspected poison. By the Court: As far as I can tell she was cured of constipation; you can get vomiting with hysteria, and you can imagine a lot when you have hysteria ; I think Dr. Thorpe thought the woman was imagining; it did not occur to me that she was not suffering; constipation was the primary cause; the vomiting and exhaustion had caused her death; it would probably have been wise to have had a post mortem before giving the certificate, as all the doctors were evidently wrong; I have never known a case where four doctors gave four different opinions, and when the patient died, still there was no post mortem.

567. Dr. Stevenson (re-examined) : On 22nd November, 1902, I was at Lymn Churchyard, Cheshire, and I saw Bessie Taylor's coffin taken from the grave; it had a plate on it-" Bessie Chapman, died February 13th, 1901, age 36 years"; the body was covered with a mouldy growth, but otherwise was fresh; there was no putrefaction and no odour; the tissues were dry, the muscles had a red and freshish appearance; there was a frecal odour in the abdomen, but no putrefaction; although the features had mould on them one could follow the shape and general contour; the breast was shrunken and the whole body dry; genemlly when bodies decompose they become wet and slimy; this was one extremely well preserved, except for the superficial skin ; I made an examination of the various organs ; on the base ot the left lung I found some old adhesions from old pleuriRy; the lungs were shrunken and dry, but otherwise free from deposits or cavities; adhesions are quite common in people of good health in middle life and after; the heart and its valves were healthy; the stomach was empty, but its vessels were filled with dark blood to an unusual extent; on the inner surface of the gullet-end of the stomach there was a patch of about 4 inches in diameter of a cinnabar red colour, which denoted gastritis ; there was no ulceration or perforation or any loss o£ substance in th13 mucous membrane of the stomach ; the cinnabar red colour extended more or less through the bowels, indicating enteritis; the inner surface of the bowel was coated with a yellow paint-like stuff, which was sulphide of antimony; the pancreas, spleen, kidneys, and liver were all shrunken by time, but otherwise normal; the womb, ovaries, appendages, and bladder were quite normal; I found no trace of cancer nor uterine trouble;

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149

Taylor, II, 387-390-contimted.

I could find no sign of any cause of death ; I examined the brain ; it was a good deal decomposed-there was no sign of hremorrhage or any recognisable disease ; I found no intestinal obstruction ; I formed the opinion that she had died from gastro-enteritis, which was due to some irritant poison ; I removed the stomach, bowels, liver, spleen, kidneys, heart, brain, and lungs, and subjected them all to analysis and

examination ; the analysis showed that antimony was present in all those parts ; there was no other poison; in the stomach there was 0·12 grain of metallic antimony, in the bowel 8·43 grains, in the liver 1·64 grain, in the kidneys 0 ·30 grain; making a total of 10·49 grains, which equals that represents of tartar emetic in the stomach 0·32 grain, in the bowel 24·43 grains, in the liver 4·55 grains, in the kidneys 0·82

grain, making in all 29·12; I cannot find any recorded case of such a quantity having been found in the bowel after death; it suggests that she had some large dose not long before her death; I examined the earth about the coffin, but found no poison.

568. Gross-examined: The woman had been buried about twenty-one months; I sabella Spink had been interred practically five years; neither body was putrid ; Taylor was covered with ordinary vegetable fungi; there were conditions about the body that I identified with the case of Spink ; I compared Taylor's features with a photograph which I was told was hers, and I could recognise the general contour; the nose and

cheeks had preserved their shape-I could not distinguish the eyes ; there had been a change in her which was more remarkable than in the case of Spink, where there had been practically none; I think Taylor's body contained more antimony than Spink's ; given the same conditions, as far as the coffin and grave were concerned, I should have expected to find that a woman, who had only been buried twenty months and had more antimony in her body, to be less subject to change than a woman who had been buried five years and had less antimony; Taylor's coffin was a dry elm one, and as far as I could judge the body had not been contaminated by contact with the soil, which was very dry and fiandy loam; putrefaction generally begins

through the nose, mouth, and anus, and spreads outwards ; there was none of that in either body; the superficial decomposition of the body was due to the growth of mould ; the presence of antimony does not prevent the growth of moulds-in fact, they will grow in a strong solution of tartar emetic. V erdict, "guilty" : death.

221

569. Locock's Pulmonic Wafers.-The quack medicine known under the name of Locock's _1Stl0j Pulmonic Wafers contains opium, or perhaps lactucarium. A boy, aged 4, suffered from all the usual2, P· UO. symptoms of poisoning by. opium as a result of eating a quantity of these wafers or lozenges.

570. Black Drop.-'f'his is a preparation of opium in which the morphine is combined with acetic Taylor, U; acid, and very little meconic acid is present. In the black drop, according to Pereira, verjuice, the juice of P. 776. the wild crab, is employed as a solvent instead of vinegar. According to N elligen, it is a compound of half a pound of opium to 3 pints of the expressed juice of the wild crab. It resembles the Acetum opii, and has, according to different authorities, from two to four times the strength of laudanum.

Sale of Secret Nostrums in the United States of America. 571. As elsewhere noted, the word "nostrum" signifies, etymologically, " our own." It may be good, bad, indifferent, or like Audrey, "a poor thing, sir, but mine own!"

572. The interests of society demand that any real prophylactic, remedy, or means of alleviation for human injuries, pain, disease, sickness, or insanity shall be made public. That principle is recognised to the fullest in the German Confederation, in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Italy, and other countries, and is

there conscientiously enforced, with unanimity, by federal, state, municipal, and parochial authorities, supported throughout by the judiciary. In Anglo-Saxon nations the principle is acknowledged only by the medical and surgical professions, and by them enforced where only they can enforce it-upon the members of their own voluntary associations. An entirely antithetical principle has received legislative,

administrative, and judicial acceptance and enforcement in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and Australasia. It is the right to prepare in secret, without check, control, or supervision of ari.y kind, drugs, harmless or noxious, and publicly to prescribe them by advertisement as cures for aU or any ills, and to sell them

without official test or certificate of their efficiency, under any representatjon the seller may choose. That principle is the fons et origo malorum. The words of the Report of the New South Wales Royal Commission upon Infantile Mortality in relation to quack remedies applied equally to the countries last named, until

recently. In each of them professional men with official status said to me, "That describes our position."

The Infatuation for Quackery.

Shadwell, "Industrial Efficiency," page 31 :-573. Something more than a toleration, almost an affection, for shams is shown in the encouragement given to every kind of imposture and quackery. America is the land above all others where everything which appeals to credulity and ignorance flourishes. It is there that the new religions arise, and, no matter how impudent the pretensions of their founders, they meet with thousands of infatuated believers. It is

there that the medical quackeries, the patent foods, the beautifiers, and all that gallery flourish most. They advertise '· , I

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Shad well-continuei.l.

advertise to an incredible extent. I took the trouble one day to count the quack advertisements in the chief morning paper published in the most intellectual city in the States. There were sixty-three, thus divided:-Drugs and treatments

Beautifiers Fortune-telling Foods and drinks

33 11 10 9

63

574. But in one ordinary issue of a Sydney daily newspaper I counted advertise­ ments of 541 quack nostrums, 15 quack cure systems, a string of abortionists, besides a host of fortune-telling announcements mixed up with notices of superfluous babies, and of "kind ladies" who undertake disposal of the forlorn little human creatures. "Baby girl ;just able to walk, s' and so without end to the commercial tragedies. We are used to them, and are case-hardened in our indifference. And quack foods for infants were there too, by dozens. There is money in them all.

575. A few among them may have been genuine, but most were obvious impostures. Among the medical ones a large proportion were of the kind known as "indecent," very thinly veiled. In little local papers I have seen fully three-fourths of the printed matter consisting of these advertisements, published not only in that form, but as news and letters to the editor. The impudence of some reaches the sublime. I remember one which ran something like this:-

"I do not profess to cure rheumatism, or bronchitis, or any single disease. I cure everything. I have discovered the source of life itself, and bring back from the grave."

We have them in England, it is true, and they are growing. Many come from America, which is undoubtedly conquering us in this as in other things; but as yet there remains a certain amount of prejudice against quackery.

* * * * ·Page 33:-576. Perhaps "science" is the most fashionable field just now, and as an instance o£ the lengths to which American self-confidence will go, I may mention that there are some ladies who not only agree with Sir Thomas Browne in wishing that children could be produced, like trees, in some other way than that

prescribed by Nature, but are seriously engaged in experiments for producing them. Such fantastic nonsense would hardly be possible yet in England, though we shall probably come to it with the progress of education (vide page 43). As for the Germans, shams and impostures of any kind stand a very poor chance before the deliberate and logical habit of mind which they bring to bear on all questions. Medical quackeries are probably forbidden by law; at any rate, very little is to be seen of them, and religious ones soon have notice to quit. In other matters they are equally intolerent of shams, and insist, to the

point of pedantry, in calling things by names which indicate precisely what they are. These national differences find expression in a matter which has a direct and important bearing on the conditions of industrial life. I mean the observance of the law. In Germany, laws are made to be kept, and to that end they are very carefully made. In England, they are less carefully made and correspondingly ill­ observed, but obvious shams are not openly tolerated. In the United States, the general contempt for law is astonishing. I am inclined to think it is the most salient feature of American civilisation.

·. 577. Remembering that five British judges condemned a nostrum as an

impudent fraud ('vide Bile Beans case) which is as largely advertised and sold as ever in the United Kingdom, that nothing is done to stop the sale of mercurial poison as "pure herbal pills," or water as a cure for cancer, that yearly upon forty -eight million bottles and boxes of secret stuffs, including those judicially denounced as fraudulent, the State receives a commission of 12! per cent.-remembering these shams and the cynical indifference shown to the never-ceasing remonstrances of coroners, and of the healing professions, against the myriad swindles that defraud and injure and slay, it is absurd to conclude that "obvious shams are not openly tolerated."

578. We have seen that anyone, even the ignorant, the vicious, and the criminal, may drug the people without restraint. ""'r e have seen that judicial exposure of actual fraud and injury is not ground for police suppression, nor of prosecution in Great Britain, in the most notable cases. So great a perversion of human right could

not but have disastrous consequences, of which some illustrative examples have been given in the preceding pages. Like negro slavery, the whole institution rests upon false ideas of the rights of some to gain by the ignorance or weakness of others. As it gathers wealth, strength, and influence it can obtain special legislation, judicial

decisions, and even revocation of adverse ord.inances in Anglo-Saxondom. But there are signs of an awakening amongst the legislatures of the United States, some of which have introduced legal restrictions that are within their powers as to the sale of secret drugs. Unfortunately, these fall mostly into desuetude because there has not been Federal legislation to initiate and support a comprehensive movement. It is plainly impossible to prevent drugs-alcoholics, narcotics, depressants, or any

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other-from entering Illinois from Michigan or Indiana, or into New York State from New Jersey. There are no guarded boundaries, baggage is not examined, merchandise passes freely; all this is as it ought to be, but it is worse than useless to put up a gate where there is no fence, and where the neighbours have neither

gate nor fence. In such case the law need not be defied; it can simply be ignored. Consequently, I was informed, State laws are not effective, and I made no effort to obtain them. For instance, in North Dakota the formula must be printed on the label. Obviously that is enforceable where drugs are produced within the State,

which are few, if any. Again, some control can be exercised over their own drug stores, but none at all over mail-order houses or parcel transfers, except by post. Only in specially indicated cases could the Post Office assist in controlling the delivery of the prohibited drugs.

The Bureau of Chemistry at Washington. 579. The President of the Unit.ed States courteously furnished me, at my request, with an introduction to Mr. Secretary Wilson, political head of the Depart­ ment of Agriculture. This great department embraces the Bureau of Chemistry, where I expected to find most of the information that would be of value to the Govern­ ment of the Commonwealth of Australia. I cannot sufficiently express a grateful sense

of admiration, not merely at the courtesy, but the absolute candour of the adminis­ trative officers, from the President downward, and their perfect willingness to impart any information within their power in the cause of humanity. From Dr. H. vV. Wiley, the Chief of the Bureau, Dr. Bigelow, second in command, Dr. Kebler and

others at Washington, D.C., I received a kindly welcome and ready answers to all questions put to them on behalf of our Government. The subject of proprietary secret preparations and their analyses is embarrassing from its magnitude. I was shovvn in the Washington office of the Bureau of Chemistry, lists which included thousands. As fast as current nostru'ms are dealt with, new ones arise and demand

attention. Hosts of them drop out of sight, and are no more heard of. According to American business habits, the analyses of the various nostrums, with known particulars, claims of merit, qualities, and source of production, are collected in separate envelopes which again are classified in drawers and indexed. At my desire ·

some of the cases were shown to me; but as it appears indicated that such ought not to be specifically reported upon, although neither there nor elsewhere were any limitations put upon me, I supply information respecting frauds and poisons other­ wise. The officers are better aware than any other persons can be of the deception

and villanies practised by drug-packers upon the people of the United States, and, through their branch organisations, upon the people of Australia. They also know the kind of protection that is necessary to enable an administration to combat. the evil. The one fairly effective check at present existing-I could hear of no othet­

upon swindles, is that whereby the United States Post Office Department can and does refuse to carry frauds upon the public.* That is under a general power, and was not designed for controlling the issue of quack remedies. I was shown a but commonplace, swindle, which consisted of a little flat parcel to put in the boot

or shoe, made up of small pieces of paper, a thin copper and a thin zinc disc. Tlw whole thing might cost 2 cents, was vaunted as a cure of rheumatism, gout, and many ills, and sold at fifty times its cost. r.that was refused carriage. Similar things are puffed and sold in Great Britain without restriction, and also in Australia.

In like manner a little control can he exercised over dangerous or poisonous compounds, but the extent of the interference it is not possible to ascertain. Yet, the principle of action is manifestly capable of indefinite extension, and it is a most salutary power in the interests of society.

581. The statements made and the illustrations given in Collier's Weekly are fully upheld by the information imparted to me in the public offices in different cities in respect of Press influence. A head official saicl to me : " I hope the President will not try to carry legislation ostensibly directed against drug-packers." "Why?" "Because

the money interests and the newspaper influence over Congress will be too strong for him. He would have support, but not enough to carry it through." I am unable to say whether or not that judgment is well founded. "Then how would you expect to

580. "A Bill passed the House of Representatives to remove that power from the Postmaster-General. In all 2 600 such orders have been issued. Two were attacked in the Courts, and injunctions issued against the Government. Both of these were later overthrown by the Supreme Court of the United States. (Journal of the A . .i}I.A., 19th J"'nuary, l!lO page 231.)

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152

to carry any reforms in this direction?" The officer replied, "By getting from time to time general powers to protect the public from fraud and personal injury like that now exercisable by the Post Office." It would be a poor makeshift for an open defence, and from the wider knowledge afforded by Continental experience would be ineffectual. Such action is in itself entirely proper, but out of sight. Publicity is wanted, not secrecy, in matters of health, morals, and life.

582. The officials charged with the duty of carrying on analytical processes have accumulated a great deal of information, registered in such form that the Executive will have ample matter to guide it in protecting the public so soon as administrative power shall have been obtained. The general fraud and deception is known and admitted on all sides. I have nowhere found anyone, or any trade paper or newspaper, which denies that "patent medicine" vendors themselves assert it. Nothing is commoner than to find one quack denouncing the pills and potions of the others, whilst puffing his own. And they ought to know. Hence the work before analytical bureaux is endless.

683. The Bureau of Chemistry co-operates with the Department of Customs in preparing for the latter the multitudinous analyses of foods and other articles for human consumption met with in its daily dealings with imports. In San Francisco I found that the branch bureau had been in working order only a few months. The same at Chicago, and less recently at New York. Previously the analyses had been made by recognised authorities, not, however, working in association with the Customs, as, for instance, the University of California. 'l'he work done had been generally efficient, but not conducted upon uniform lines all over the American Commonwealth, and without central guidance and regulation. I beg respectfully to suggest that it is an important consideration for the Australian Federal Government, whether a

Bureau of Chemistry, forming a part perhaps of a Department of Agriculture, and having care of the general analytical work, is not now expedient and may not later become a necessity. 'fhe work of the Department of Agriculture of the United States is a subject of world-wide admiration, and has been often described. In each of the

great cities named I was shown the analytical apparatus and installation generally. A large staff was at work with all vigour, and the scope and results of their operations may be judged fmm a perusal of some of the reports which were handed to me. It will be observed that three divisions of official industry naturally associate themselves and need to work in continuous correlation. Customs to receive and protect the revenue, whilst enforcing the health laws that come within its province; agriculture, protected by its associate chemistry, which is indispensable to each of the other two. American agriculture is exposed to injury through certain imports-the Customs

being advised can inform, whilst chemistry decides. The same with articles for human use or consumption. Among these are proprietary drugs of all kinds. Inasmuch as America produces her own drugs on a gigantic scale, there is not so large a range of such imports for three reasons in particular: (a) There are heavy

duties to pay; (b) they commonly contain poisonous ingredients; (a) they are made usually of extremely cheap materials.

584. Pills made by machinery, and consisting of copperas and potash, which are reputed to enjoy the largest sale of all, canbetter be made locally. The popular hair restorer, sold at 4s. a bottle, and consisting of a few grains of borax dissolved in plain water, can be mixed in any back yard, without apparatus, at a first cost for the liquor of ls. per 1,000 gallons. Customs officers receive eye-openers about first cost when there are duties to pay on goods of this kind. But in American

administration they do not worry about an article being imported for the twentieth or hundredth part of its selling price. They appraise the value. In the Bile Beans case, assuming that their Lordships' conclusions ·were justified by the evidence, it will be seen that the difficulty of procuring the wonder-working herb growing in the interior of Australia, and known only to the initiated amongst the aborigines of that remote country, does not interfere with the manufacture of the nostrum on a vast scale in America. Had the Australian Government retained a monopoly of this inestimable natural product, and insisted upon its local manufacture, the

Appraiser at the Port of New York might state an awkward price for duty. He would not at all consider the main ingredient a negligible detail. As it required eighty million pamphlets and £300,000 to introduce the "remedy" into Great Britain, it would seem a pity that Australia did not conserve the precious drug.

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153

by the Custom House.

585. General Clarkson, Chief Landing Surveyor at the Port of New York, informed me that the Department of Customs is endowed with a great power for good, operating directly for the protection of the public health, that is to say: Any article or preparation for human use or consumption, whose use is specifically forbidden by law in any other country, can be refused admission to the American

Commonwealth. I respectfully submit that principle for the consideration of the Government of the Australian Commonwealth. It may apply specifically thus: oil very largely adulterates the olive oils, which people expect to get

pure for use in foods or for cooking foods. (It is injurious, but the reasons are too complex to enter upon here, and do not affect the case.) Either Oommol,lwealtb may have as yet no specific law to control imports containing cotton-seed oil, in deception of the public. Sardines are sometimes boiled in it, often packed in it.

But some European countries forbid its use. America could therefore refuse such goods admission. '-L'he same applies to sulphate of copper, with which vegetables are 1lly coloured; to rosaniline in cherries; to chromate of lead ; to mercurious and

arsenicaJ greens'-k ; or to nitro-benzolo in confectionery-these and a thousand others.

586. Parliament nor administration, society nor individual, can foresee dangers to life and hedth specifically. Synthetic chemistry makes continuous advan.ces. Newly-constructed agents, bearing unforeseen resemblances to colourings, tastes, and smells a,re being evolved mote ra,pidly than their physiological or pathological

effects can be ascertained. Indeed, these effects are seldom or never made public through experimental investigation. It is always by the pitiful tale of "accidental ' 1 poisoning printed only for the esoteric few in the scientific journals, but hidden from the million. Fortunately, no class can hope to be exempt from risk and loss.

Fortunately, lest they range themselves upon the side of anarchy and the uncontrolled exploitation, in secret, of the rest of the public.

Frauds Denounced by the W asllington Bureau ot Chemistry. 587. Dr. Lyman F. Kehler, a Doctor of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Chemist, is Chief Analyst of the Drug Laboratory in the Bureau of Chemistry at Washington, D.C., which establishment stands in the very front rank of the world's laboratories.

Dr. Kehler is a quiet enthusiast in his noble work; a candid and generous man to the visiting inquirer who is ::mthorised to learn the truth. He was permitted by the political head of the Department of Agriculture to inform me upon any questions submitted; but, as elsewhere stated, it seemecl to me preferable to take

only gniclance, and not to copy the specific analyses of secret compounds, of which large numbers pass through his hands.t In the Jou1·nal of the American 3Iedical .Assoc:ia,tion, said to be the most widely circulated of medical serials, there is now 1Jeing " published by permission of the Secretaries of Agriculture and of the Post

Office Department," a series of articles upon "Nostrums and Fraudulent Methods of Exploitation." They are deeply instructive to those who have regard to the lives and well-being of their fellow citizens, but are far too lengthy for this Report. Nevertheless, it is regrettable that so much which would make for the good of our

people should be hidden _away in scientific journals, that can never instruct the harmless public, who, in their ignorance, remain the lawful prey of the charlatans. 1\..s it is hoped that the authoritative information conveyed in this H.eport will be made known to all who choos.e to learn, it becomes impossible for me to record the

impudent indecency, and even obscenity, by vvhich these creatures play upon the fears, the passions, or the abnormalities of man1\ind. In the remainder--the reportecl part-of this jungle-grovvth of ·wickedness, it is the commonest thing to find, amongst omsclves, that persons who patronising1y speak of the " gullibility of

the people" are themselves amongst tl1c gulled.

Nostrums

"'Arsenic Acid and Arseniates nf Sodi

red compounds are used for giving a beautiful reel colour to liquors, syrups, _raspbnry vinegar, QOJd sugar sweetmeats, there is a possibility that accideuts may occur from their use. They are nch in tmt and of great che:tpness ( 3fed. Tnn

fatal poisoning by the are recur

t Dr. Lyman P. 1\.C\blor, at a meeting of tho Section of l'harmaey, iii'th Annual Sess!0'1 of the Amcncan JI;Iod1cal A>sociation, l!JOB, said: "V cry few of the concerns that exploit thceoc franrlulent remedies arc They are

usmg the large manufacturers of pharmaceuticals all over the country for the furtherance of their schemes.

*97267-U

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154

Nostrums and Fraudulent Methods of Exploitation.

588. Dr. Kehler says:-The charge is frequently made that, in discussing the so-called "patent medicines," writers and speakers are extremely uncharitable, in that they do not even attempt to differentiate between the good and the bad, but class them all under the unsavoury term "nostrum," which embraces everything that pertains to charlatanism and fraud. In order that there may be no misunderstanding, permit me to state, at the outset, that in this paper nothing will be considered except what will be denominated by the most charitably inclined as

The chief transgression of nostrums lies not so much in the composition of the remedies, as in the methods used for exploiting them. Most of the medicines employed by nostrum vendors consist of one or more drugs of recognised merit. The fraudulent element lies, to a very large extent, in the mystic, misleading, and deceptive advertising literature employed for exploiting them. It seems that the more extravagant and exaggerated are the claims made for a remedy, the better it succeeds. It must, however,

be stated that there are some mixtures which are considered as good •' repeaters," and which depend largely for their success on the presence of some habit-forming drug. Promoters of nostrums take advantage of many features that have been, or are at present, promi nently before the medical profession, and which have been, in a measure, popularised by the lay Press. Purported wonderful curative virtues of radium are called into vogue; the efficacy of electricity is drawn upon ; the heralded value of lecithin as a brain food is not forgotten; new drugs claimed to be found in foreign lands are utilised; and even the physical laws have not escaped, as is shown by the mechanical

appliances utilised for increasing the supply of blood to the generative organs by means of vacuum apparatus.

589. Firstly, he deals with "Hair Restoratives." With the immense and perfect resources of a great laboratory at hand, he exposes the contents of a string of these and other frauds which, with the consumption cures and alcoholic nostrums, . are so much advertised in our British newspa.pe:r:s, and more especially in our

J;eligious and quasi-religious periodicals.

When the Helen Martin Toilet Company was cited to show their wonderful " Glossine, will restore grey hair to its m·jginal colour," and that it will make the hair" grow out on bald spots," there was "virtually no defence when the above firm was confronted with the fraudulent nature of its claims. :M:uch to the regret and sori·ow of many of us, the company c1id not throw any light on this point," namely, which of the drug components would cause hair to grow.

The Ozonized Ox-marrow Company, Chicago, declares to a wonderful dis­ covery, their "before and after treatment" pictures being of the usual startling, yet familiar, kind. "f_l'he name itself is a fraud, because first, the grease does not contain any ozone, and, second, it is impossible ozonise such a mixture."

Consumption Cures.

590. Why these extremely wicked and cruel frauds are welcome to the columns of the religious Press it is hard to understand. Apparently it is because there is money to be lifted, and because the publications reach the schools and homes more particularly than the lay Press, which also prints their advertisements every day.

Or can it be due to genuine ignorance ?

" Dr. Stevens' East Indian Consumption Cure," the doctor in propria persona being Mr. W. A. Noyes, of Rochester, New York. He advertises his touching philanthropy by offering a "free treatment for consumption." We all know these brutal frauds, and when exposed they seldom evoke anything but cynical laughter. We are used to the swindlers, and the consumptives soon sink out of sight, all the sooner when their money has passed to the promoter, and the propagators in the

Press. The scheme employed Is to advertise in local newspapers "a free treatment for consumption," giving at the same time the formula, of the medicinal compound to be used, with instructions that if the prescription cannot be filled by the local druggist to advise the adrertiser of this fact, and forward the necessary amount of money, and the prescription will be filled feom headquarters. Tho published prescription contains a number of

coined names, which are not familiar to the druggist, neither can he nor anyone else find tho same in either ordinary or extraordinary pharmaceutical literature. Among these names are " Asiatic Halish Sativa," "Diosmae," and "Cashgar." Tho invariable result is that the druggist is unable to comply with the request of the individual delivering the prescription, and if the party desires to secure the remedy it will be necessary to comply with the suggestion contained in the advertis ng literature, namely, to

forward the prescription to the advertiser.

n

i

I

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155

It is held out in the advertising literature that the chief active ingredient of the medicine is cannabis sativa. On investigating a sample of the material, it was found to contain the following ingredients :-Chinchona bark, powdered ipecac, Rochelle salt, morphine. While a combination of the above character is useful as a medicinal remedy, there is no truth

whatever in the representations and claims that it is a consumption cure. It is a snare and a delusion, in that it robs the unfortunate victims of valuable time which, if utilised by the proper open-air treatment, might result in the restoration of health.

591. In this connection, it might be interesting to note that the scheme employed by this firm, namely• the publishing of prescriptions containing a number of coined names, which are known only to the promoter, is frequently employed by unprincipled advertisers. (See "Corassa Compound," page 365.) The prime object, of course, is to compel would-be patients to forward prescriptions to the office of the

firm advertising same for compounding. The filling in some cases requires money in advance, but frequently tbe prescription is filled on the most trivial pretext, and sent by express c.o. d. If the prospective patients are disinclined to pay for the package, a bluff is sent from the office that an order is filed with the firm. The above scheme also, in a measure, discounts the local druggist in the eyes of the patient, because he is led to the belief from the advertising literature that the formula is readily filled by

a competent druggist. This is an unjust reflection.

Exactly the same method 1s followed by others m Australia, as I have found by correspondence.

592. Lung Germine is advertised with profuse assurances and guarantees too tedious to quote. If any other be read, such as Liquozone and 'l'ubereulozyne, with lying humbug about bacteria and the " germs which are torn from their lodgments)" it will suffice. The pitiable victims whom "the law" leaves to their

fate after, as in England, the State has taken its one-eighth share in the full retail price of the swindle, pay £1 for a 2-oz. bottle. 'l'he villanous stuff which the sufferers are thus induced to swallow contains 9 per cent. of free sulphuric acid, with trivial quantities (stated) of sulphate of iron, sulphate of magnesium, and

sulphate of manganese. This sickening and devilish fraud, which is open to any enterprising merchants to introduce to Australia-for as yet it is not well advertised­ was "discovered by an old German doctor-scientist who Jived in Bamburg, Germany." To ensure the exploitation of the sufferer to the last gasp, and of his or her friends, the printed instructions state as follows:-

"The immediate and direct operation of Lung-Germine is the destruction of the disease germs : whether they be located in the lungs, bronchial tubes, glands of the throat or neck, ot· in any other organ of the human system, is entire1y immaterial. . . . The lungs, as a matter of fact, are very sensitive organs; and when these germs are being torn from their lodgm ents and discharged, together with the impurities and secretions, it often weakens the patient considerably. This is the most important period

of the whole treatment, and the turning point to recovery."

It can dislodge no tubercular foci from the living person, but will certainly hasten the patient to the grave. are the frauds which exist and multiply by

advertisements under that system of secrecy and " right to discovery" which the Chambers of Commerce and the Proprietary Articles Trade Associations of Great Britain, of America, and of Australia seek to rivet upon the Commonwealth. It is amongst the signs and causes of decadence that we have permitted it so long.

593. Then follows a full exposure of "Plasters as Positive Cure for Consump­ tion." The list of diseases alleged to be cured by the swindle is tiresome in its length, and the constituents of the nostrum ridiculous.

594. Dr. Derk P. Yonkerman's Tuberculozyne.-This fraud, even after its exposure in the Sydney Law Courts, is still advertised in Australia. Dr. Kehler exposes the humbug, which is, however, much more merciful than the others quoted, as it plainly recommends the recognised open-air treatment in addition and thus

gives itself and the patient a better chance.

"TUBERCULOZYNE."

This remedy is placed on the market by a firm located at Kalamazoo, Michigan. It is very interesting to note that the claims made are only for the cure of consumption. Two liquid preparations are employed-one coloured amber, with caramel, and another red, with an anilirie dye. The chief active constituents of the reel med icine are alcohol and phosphatic material;

thoge of the amber-coloured preparation are alcohol and a small quantity of an organic copper salt. It is also claimed by the firm to contain heroin.* The presence of however, r:ould not be estab1ished, and, even if present, it certainly does not possess a curatiYe effect for consumption. A

595. "' NoTE.-Hcroin is diacetyl-morphine; it is a preparation, therefore, of opium. It is one of the moEt t ox ic agents of the morphine group, and is considered even more poisonous than morphine itself, hwing a bad influence ?n the respiratory apparatus. It is art ingredient of many trade preparations wiJely advertised as cough syrups and remedws for asthma,.-(Potter, 359.)

227

,,

., I

·f.

156

Dr. Kebler-continued.

. A careful investigation of the remedy discloses the f1lue in the treatment or cure of consumption, and no one appeared to be familiar with any properties inherent in organic copper salts that would be useful in the treatment or cure

of coosumption. It was found, however, that a considerable number of experiments had been made by a French physician in some of the French hospitals with certain organic salts of copper, and, according

\ .c_.··. "n···s. ·u·r·m. ··p_ 'mo··n· .... , ( to his results, such copper salts appear to have a beneficial influence in U 11 the treatment and cure of consumption; and when the case came up

for final hearing., this was the evidence presented by the company to

l .taa .. ··n'.·. __ Be· ''"'C··ur·ed-. show that it has a substantial basis for its remedy. Under the con­ u _:_ '"' ditions, it was difficult to af;sert that the remedy was not consistent

Dr. Uerk P. Yonkerman, whoso discovel!'Y of a Cull'& for

Consumption has startled the World. Marve11vusas it may afterthece·nturie!) of failure, a. cure for consumption has at 1asr found After twenty years of alm<1st

ceaseless research and experiment in laboratory, the now renqwned specialist, Derk P. Yonkcrman, has discovered a specific which hss cured the deadly Consumption even in its" far advanced stages. In many cases, though other remedies tried had failed a.nd changes

of climate were unable to check the progress of the disease, this wonderful specific has conclu. sively proved its power to cure. \Vhatever your position in life may be if you are 10 or suffer from

asthma, bronchitis, catarrh, or any throat or lung trouble, this cure IS within your reach,

""' for {t is a home treatment and need not

interfere in any .. way With your daily occupa-tion. Prove for yourself its healing power

ABSOLUTELY FREE. Simply senci your name an'd

\0 the Derk P Yonkerman Co. Ltd.

690 Di::;son Buildings, Sydney, and the-y will tO you

remarkabl-e remedy. Don't hesitate or del.:Jy·if you .have a.ny .of the s.ympton1.S·of 'ConsJJmption: · If you have chronic catarrh, bronchitis, asthma. pains in your chest, a cold on your lungs, or any throat

o'r lung tro11l1le, write 1.0'1' tht free ·tri3J treatment and full· iostruct1ons, and Cutf! yourseli before tt is tbo late.

with its claims. This brings out one of the most difficult features constantly being met with in dealing with these products. Medical literature teems with just such things as these, and it is not difficult to find evidence apparently of an authentic character to bolster up almost any fraudulent claim. Such is not only the case with past records, but current literature is following in similar footsteps. An interesting feature in connection with the treatment of this remedy is that the general directions prescribe the regularly recognised open-air treat­ ment, coupled with a careful regulation of the diet. This is un­ doubtedly the basis of any success that may result from the use of this remedy rather than the medicine itself.

The Bulletin, 28th February, 1907, page 6 :­ THE " TUBERCULOZYNE " CASE.

596. One oi the first attempts to get at the quack who Jives on the misfortunes and miseries of others has been made in Sydney, and has fallen through. Here is a condensed report o£ the case :-James Auld Rennie was charged with :falsely pretending to

John Samuel Shearston that a certain liquid called "Tuber­ culozyne " contained copper and was a cure for consumption, by means of which he obtained £6. Dr. Ashburton Thompson, President of the Board of Health, said the medicine, according to analysis, would be ineffective as a cure for consumption. Mr. W. M. Hamlet, who analysed a sample of the liquor from two bottles in the possession of Shearston, stated that No. 1 bottle contained a pink mixture made up of coloured water, glycetine, potassium bromide, and cinnamon. For the defence, George A. Byrn, analytical chemist, who analysed several Bamples of "Tuberculozyne," stated that in one of the bottles he found capsicum, tolu balsam, ipecacuanha, alcohol, glycerine, phosphate of sodium, potassium, cudbear, oil of cassia, iron,

and water ; and in the other, oil of almonds, glycerine, copper, colouring matter and water. Other witnesses stated that, on analysing the mixture, traces of copper were found. Rennie produced the copy of a formula, which Dr. Asnbutton.

Thompson stated would not be recognised as a specific against consumption. A verdict of nob guilty was returned.

Copper, as a cure for consumption, would probably be regarded by any jury of medical men as a mockery, but, however that may be, it seems in this case that even the copper was a matter of accident. One analyst exploted the contents of the bottle sold by the defendant, and found four ingredients, including water, but no copper. Another analyst, for the defence, wrestled with the second bottle, and found twelve ingredients, but no copper; and in a third bottle he found five ingredients, including a little copper.

The blastiferous "Tuberculozyne" seems to be a mi.xtme of many things, and whether a patient strikes one bottle or the other, there appears every reason to consider that he is a swindled

consumptive. Possibly the hash is harmless-The Bufletin does not know-but a harmless mixture may amount to the cold-blooded murder of a consumptive just as much as a keg of prussic acid. A patient who is capable of being cured under proper treatment

may waste l1is time over the bottles of rubbish manufactured by shameless and grasping quacks till he becomes incurable, and ill that else the quack has killed him just as much as if he beheaded him with an axe. In this case the bottled slush was manufactured by a Yankee person or company, and imported here in drums. The local

manager pleaded that he knew nothing of the medicine, and he was acquitted, the Judge concurring on the ground that he probably believed-or, at least, there was no possibility of proving that he did not believe-the statements that he issued about his dreadful " Tuberculozyne." It seems to The ,Bullethi

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157

Bulletin tha:t when a Judge and jury have got into this state of mind through being long accustomed to see quacks flourish with impunity at the public expense, they need to be dragged out of the mental rut by strong legal process. When an ignorant man-ignorant in a medical sense-acting as agent for some foreign swindler who is out of the jurisdiction of the Australian courts, advertises a useless

mixture as a cure for a most serious disease, he should be held liable. He does not state in his adver­ tisement that he is an ignorant person, wl1o knows nothing about the truth of his own statements, and only puts them forward on the authority of some person vvho is possibly just as ignorant, and who, in any case, is too remote to be got at. He sells his bottle of wash as one having authority and not

as the scribes, and if he assures the public that " Tuberculozyne " will cure consumption when he has not the least medical lno.owlcdge as to whether it will or not, his cheek ought to be no palliation of the offence. Only an utterly heartless wretch would delude miserable and often impoverished consumptives into spending pounds on alleged remedies, unless he Imew, as a matter of expert personal knowledge, that the article he sold was specific. A plea that he had never received any medical training, and so was only taking the money of the consumptives at random, should be good in itself for a long term of gaol.

597. The truth could hardly.be expressed in more apt and vigorous language. And it is deplorable that the daily newspapers, soi-d?"sant educators of society, still sell their columns for the purpose of pushing the sale of so mean and mischievous a fraud, thus fully exposed on both sides of the world. And in this form of brigan­

dage the newspaper proprietor demands his share of the plunder first. Cases of impoverished persons being bled to the last coin, and of loving relatives denying themselves to help a sufferer, have come under my own immediate observation. This is only possible where newspaper owners consent to sell their honour in order

to divide the spoil, for the first and chief service is to trap the victims

Two tiny bottles, flat, and of thick glass, containing a small quantity o£ the precious fluid are supplied free.

Many persons have purchased the stuff who ·were in st?gc's, and they have since died. A newspaper writer, poor and hopelessly aflhcted >nth tuberculosis, paid £12 for six lots of the nostrum. He hacl read the advertisements in tho papers to which he chiefly contributed. He died unrelieved and impoverished.

I have known other Jike cases. (Illustration is full size.)

Why

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158

Why Tuberculozyne .. . ' DIRECTIONS , "''Il TuaERCULO:ZYNE ·cY.oNK£RMAio (YONKER MAN! is a -Remedy

I' for Consumption

After each

drops-of the ' med1c1ne r rrom-each

Tuberoulozyne (Yonkerman) bas cured hundreds of cases of Consumption, and with marvellous rapidity, where our directions havo been carefully lollowed . even where other remedies bad failed and change of clima te bad ·proved of no this remarb.ble specitlo

h:IS effected permanent and absolute cures

bottle into a tumbler or well and drink : lmmediately.

Taberculozyne /Yonkerman) is an antitoxine acting agent of grea\ lherapeatic value By its p,.uliar action on bacillus, it promptl y arrests the ravages of the disease ; and through its alterative, cell· building properties, it assists na:ture to repair the wasted tissue and restore the patient .to health h can be taken with perfect safety. '

If milk is distasteful, the medicine may be taken - in water

which has been boiled.

We Wish to Impress upon e\'ery person suffering from consumption, catarrh, bronchitis, asthma., or any throat or lung trouble, the great importance of following the directions here given; for the success of the treatment tlnd the quickness <' l the cure, largely depend upon your faithfulness in l3king Tubercufozyne regularly and exactly accordi ng lo directions

For pattents between _the ages of

Rem em her, too, that T ubcrcu ln: ;nc (Ycnkc:man) is tbc o.:1 ly r emedy yet discovered wh1ch has comb?,ted and ov ucor.1e

th1s scourge of the human rn.cc . nn<.l the hun dreds cf tcstir:1onia.ls we have rece1v£::d are witness to th e relief we arJ brmginci to those who but for it could have no hope of cure.

seven and years, - give one­

half of the above dose; for those

under seven years, give five (5)

drops only, from each bottle.

S.D.

598. "Force of Life" Remedies> exploited by the Force of Life Company, New York City.-'fhis swindle, in spite of the efforts of the President of the United States, is victorious over the law, and is further described on page 159. Dr. Kehler writes:-

According to the advertising literature, these remedies embody what might be considered some of the latest achievements in chemistry and medicine. The sheet-anchor of the whole system appears to reside in the chemical compound known as lecithin, "The Force of Life," and the recently-discovered chemical element, radium. The literature which sets forth the virtues of lecithin describes in most glowing

terms how Dr. Hadley had discovered, "in the sheen of the midnight glow," a method for making lecithin synthetically. It is represented that lecithin possesses the power of rendering the human system immune to the invasion of bacteria, and that it actually kills microbes and germs, thus preventing them from producing disease.

599. The preparations employed by this firm are represented in t he form of liquids, tablets, and capsules. Four liquid preparatim1s were submitted, marked "First Week," "Second W eek," "Third Week,' and "Fourth W eek," respectively, -leading to the belief that they are either of different strengths of the medicine, or solutions containing different ingredients. An examination, however, showed that they

are essentially of the same composition, differing only slightly in the percentage content of the several component constituent s. The following results represent the approximate average composition of the four packages:-W ater

Alcohol, by weight Volatile acids, as acetic Non-volatile acids, as brtaric Sugars Glycerine ... Glycerophosphates Undetermined

71·53 per cent. 7·00 0·61 0·70

3·96 10·18 2·89 3·13

100·00

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

600. As above pointed out, lecithin is the agent on which is largely based the wonderfu 1 virtues of these remedies. A careful search for this compound was made, but it could not be detected. Two kinds of tablets were also submitted, on e lavender in colour and the other yellow. The yellow tablets contain terpin hydrate, heroin, and licorice root ; and the lavender tablets contain inspissated ox-gall, pancreatin, colocynth extract, quinine hydrochlorate, extract of nux: vomica, extract of taraxacum, and sodium and calcium glycerophosphates. It wa8 impossible to establish the presence of lecithin in either mixture.

601. The capsules were designated "Life-Ray Capsul es," anJ were claimed to contain either radium or to be charged with radium. A careful examination of the capsul es a nd their contents shows that they do not possess any radio-activity, but, on the other band , consist ch iefly of starch and calcium sulphide. It was represented that these capsules could not be purchased, hut were simply loaned to the patient as an adjunct in the treatment with the other remedies. Had

i

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159

Dr. Kebler-continu:d.

Had Dr. Hadley succeeded in preparing lecithin artificially, it would certainly be considered a "marvellous discovery"; but the simple fact that none of the medicines examined contain this compound indicates that he is not taking advantage of his discovery. A considerable number of observations have been made relative to lecithin as a medicinal agent, but, thus far, no one is able to point to any

noteworthy results. Whether lecithin will ever attain to the eminent position medicinally ascribed to it by some remains for the future to demonstrate. It is a well-known fact that this chemical is present in nerve-tissue, and is a common constituent of many food products, such as the yolk of eggs, beans, peas, lentils, milk, &c. Exactly in what manner and in what form lecithin is absorbed and utilised is not definitely known; but it seems singular that lecithin isolated by solvents from different sources, and given in minute doses, should possess the claimed extraordinary virtues, while the influence of the comparatively large amounts taken daily with food seems to be lost sight of.

602. Tuberculozyne.

L\GED

OfLICE

the Summons Di.,isinn of the Water Poliee Cout' terJay J A. Renna' ::tppPan'rl bclore Mr. Madar

S.M., to answet an th:1t he

falsely pretended that a cerLun ltqUJd called "Tuber• culozyne .. contained copper, and \\::Ji: a cure for tm.mption. by means of which falsC' prett>nce he ob· tained certain monPys from John Samuel ShC'arston. ,

Mr. Mant, of tile C'rown Law Offire. prosecuted; IU. IJames, instructed by Messrs. Cnrhton, Smith. and Monahan, appeared for the defence Mr. Sheuston, who is superintendent of the Nan!

BoiJilQ, stated that in March last he was suJ!ering from

dant that he had some relative• suffenng !rom con· sumption. and if he cured witness·s catarrh it was his 1ntention to apply it to them. Defendant said he

could not voucll that it would absolutely cure wlt· De$8'6 catarrh, but it

cine, and its wondedul power in the destruction of microbes, those of catarrh inclnded. He told witheSS be might be ill for a couple of days after first I

taking it, but su!)sequerllly his appetite would increase, and he would put on flesh. On the statement that the conP<"r killed the microbe witness purchased the medi·, a11d paid 1-2 for it.. Defendant showed witneiiS :

.many testimonials, and said be could give the names 1 "nrl addre;,

sa.v that the medicine did him no good, and be got

'Yorse. On returning from the mountains he saw de· fcnriant, aqrl complained that it was doi.ng him no

but rather harm, and that he was much worse.

He asked defendant, "lf you were in my place would yo" take it yourself? Do you believe it would cure

,vou ?" and defeodatlt replied be would. The second lot, instead of doing witness any good, made him

Wof1e. At another interview he told defendant he

had tire medicine a three months' trial, and if

the <:opper would operate on the microbes it ohoold have done so in that time. Renlrie then told wit­

ness to take his ruooey, and give him hill medicine

back, adding, "If you do not believe in it yoo need

n<>t buy it." Subsequently witness, in tbe preseace of Mr. Hamlet, handed small quantities of the medi· cine from various bottles over to the secretary of the Iloar'd of Health. ..,

by Yr. James, 'Yitness said tbat M

tl1e occasion of his third visit defendant said he dici, not care whether he t.ook the fnedicine or not. At

!lis last visit he tlemanded ·his money back, hut de· tcndant refused to !;ive it to him. INfendant Mirl

there was copper in it, that the formula was de­

posited with the proper authorities, anti ihat witness could see it there if be wished. Witness aaid ·he

would have the · medicine analysed. and he believed : defendant said be would be glad if he did, or words • to that effect. He did not think defendant had shirked any investigation into the matter.

Evidence was given by Mr. Hamlet, Government Analyst, and others, that the preparation produced did nat contain copper, and defendant \'t'as committed to take his tria I. · 6<

603. Force of Life.

t....tJI'Yt'fl/11

QUACK MEDICINESo

MR. ROOSEVELT'S, AC'riON.

ARREST OFf TW0 1

DIRJ!:C'l'ORS. <-

A profound scnsat ion has been ca us<'d here hy the arr.est of two director<; of the Force of Life Company, a 'l'ast. au vert ising quack concern. The arrest was due to the initiative of Presi·

dent Roosevelt, the charge being one of using the post office with intent to defraud. OnE. defendant claims the ower of raisin the dead t IS emg based on t o statement o a o ora <

wvman that her body was prepared for tlu grave, as being dead, and that he maclo he1 r heart beat again. ' She now admits that silt

never lost a dny's work in he1· life. The sale of "rav "·capsules was also port o1 the business. 'l'he.se resembled small cartridgt ::.hells, the contents of which, it was alleged

IYere worth, £100,000 per lb. They were held near a glass o} water, and then the wate1 was drunk. A piece of glass placed under the bed casters was for rheumatism; an

onion for sore throat, aucl the rind of ham for pains in the back.

· The coneern ha5 a million patients, or -?ne· eiglvtioth of the of the Umted

States, and its ()fficiuls included presidents and direcwrs of banks, trust companies, an

\

governor, and other importaut personages. The capital 1s :1 m1lhon ,

- - ' . -

604. There were four prisoners-three men and a woman. United States Commissioner Ridgway, of New York, in May following, discharged all four upon the ground that, as "patients" had been produced who declare.d :fited by the treatment, there was nothing fraudulent or deceptive m the lmsmess.

'rhat would be about equivalent to discharging a publican, charged ·with selling had or deceptive liquor, on the ground that some or his customers declared they had had from him good liquor or were pleased therewith. 605.

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160

605. We have already many similar American cures for consumption, cancer, and other maladies in Australia, as exhibited in these pages, and it may be expected that "Force of Life H will in due course join them. There is money in it-for the bank directors, trust magnates, and the other "important personages." A competing

concern-also American-declares, " I have discovered the Source of Life, and can raise from the dead." These two are a nose-length ahead of "Dr. WiHiams' '' Pink Pills, just at present, for the important personages who own the latter gold-mint:l only claim to "raise from the death-bed "-which is good, as far as it goes.

606. " Salvita Remedies." For the usual list of mortal maladies or painful disorders which a:ffiict mankind. "The Only Sure Cure "-that favourite lie which excludes the other liars, who yet associate themselves in protective trade societies. Our ·laws permit them freely to announce, by newspaper advertisements, or by circulars, or by any practicable way, that they alone can certainly cure "all chronic and wasting diseases, catarrh of any organ; all diseases of the heart, stomach, kidneys, and liver; organic weakness, impaired vitality, all physical pains and bodily weakness"; and that the "Sal vita Remedies" are "a true specific for all cases of addiction to liquor, morphine, cocaine, and tobacco habits. They do not contain any alcohol or opiates."

The patient is also led to the belief that all these wonderful results are produced wltllout the use of drugs.

607. Examination of the remedies employed by this company-" Salvita"-shows that they are pos­ sessed of the usual medicinrLl agents employed for treating various affections. The "Nerve Tonic" contains hypophosphites, nux vomica, clover-tops, sarsaparilla, gentian, &c. The "Sal vita Oil" is nothing but an ordinary liniment, the chief co)'lstituents of which are turpentine, gum camphor, cELpsicum, and Castile soap.

Among the other preparations employed by this firm are " Kidney and Bladder Tablets," "Liver and Constipatio11 Pills," "Cold and Lagrippe Ovules." It is represented that the chief ingrediel}ts contained in the "Cold and Lagrippe Ovules" are quinine sulphate, ammonia muriate, and camphor. An investigation showed that these pills contained neither quinine sulphate nor ammonia muriate, but in place of them acetanilid is employed. Attention also must be called to the fact that is represented in the advertising literature, that these preparations do not contain any opium. This representation is false, opium being

one of the chief constituents of some of the preparations. From the above information it can readily be seen that a vast mttjority of the representations made by this firm are false and fmudulent.

Lost Manhood Restorers. Nervous Debility Cures. 608. The pages of our daily and weekly papers so teem with advertisEments of "Lost Manhood Restorers" and "Nervous Debility CJ,ues," either the cash payments are very tempting or there must be an idea on the part of the newspaper proprietors that these announcements are an .essential part of the "educative influence" of that institution whose freedom is one of our national glories. With

the philanthropy so often mentioned in this lleport, a whole is offered by the advertisers "Free-Fre.e to aU." A few stamps wiU bring to any a book of such an educative influence that pictures will be implal;l.ted in the n1ind of youth or maid which are never likely to be effaced. "Dr. lCidd '' offers for sale 300,000 of his patients' letters, secrets and all. The letters are still worth a few dollars a thousand after bleeding the poor wretches white.

609. The nature of the loathsome trade of these charlatans, who are the most conspicuous of their kind, the most impudent and indecent, is so much commented upon and so well known to men by reports direct from victims, and by- the literature aforesaid, that it does not appear to be my duty to report in d.etail upon it. '.rhe frightening and exploitation of young men and yo:ung womel;l. is a cruel and pernicious calling, and Dr. Kehler describes to the Am.erican Medical Association the practices at some length. Our laws allow it, our Press, with some exceptions, welcomes, supports it, and receives from it a fair share of the plunder. The public are scandalised, many denounce the evil, but Parliament alone can end the wrong. We cannot leave it to mercantile respectability.

610. That which is often and properly describecl in the pages of medical journals cannot and vvill not be described here, for the literature which is announced upon our breakfast tables is unquotahle and constitutes a rodent ulcer upon our civilisation. What if it be but a part of the cancerous growth hereinbefore alluded to ? Notwithstanding natural aversion, slwulcl Your Excellency deem it to be a part of the work requiring elucidation, I am prepared to obtain and submit all necessary information in this domain. 611.

161

611. It must not be lost sight of that we are as much interested in American swindles as Americans themselves, for not 1 per cent., hardly one per thousand, are of Australian origin. When any nostrum has succeeded in America and is not yet participating in the Australian

stream of wealth, it is becar;se of some ·

lack of mercantile alertness which is. pretty sure to be soon corrected. It is usual to send American printed matter and to use American testimonials to introduce the new miraculous com­

pound, or system, or instrument. Even where exposure has taken place by Government official denunciation, as in Canada, the German States, France,

Sweden, or America itself, the exposed humbug can be, and is, introduced into Australia, and the agency accepted by " most respectable " firms. It would be invidious to mention a few by way of illustration, but if Parliament should

desire it, a long list can be supplied.

612. San Francisco is the nearest port, half as far away as Great Britain. We receive many benefits thence and may shortly derive the " Elixir of Life "

itself. "Elixir of Life." -This preparation was also sold under the name of "T. Duffy's Solution," with headquarters at San Francisco. A,n analysis

of a sample gave the following results :-Water, 99·611 per cent.; non-volatile matter, 0·389 per cent. The "Elixir" is therefore nothing but an

extremely weak mineral water, the non-volatile matter of which consists of potassium chloride, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, calcium sulphate, and a trace of lithium chloride. It is heralded as being a most valuable remedy for many

affections. Among the many representations made, the following is typical:-" The Solution cures all Germ and Contagious Diseases, destroying and annihilating them."

613. We are so used to contem­

plating and tolerating atrocious lies in this department of commerce, that a business assertion which thus declares that a water containing a few of the

commonest spring-water salts will cure everything from syphilis to buhonic plague, from pneumonia to yellow fever, would hardly excite comment. On the

contrary, representative journals in the drug trade, and the P.A.T.A. (Proprie- l tary Articles Trade Association) will de- claim, and do declaim, against inter-

Free! Freel To the Sick and Ailing Everywhere DE CURE" FOR YOUR DISEASE I

Dollvered Free-Free for tbe to You.

'l'o the elck-tbe BU1fertn«-t& eTe1'J man and woman

=m aenet:al health-Dr. Kidd'o otter of free thall they ca.n and will stop disease, cure It a.nd lift yon up age. In to health and ngor. There Is no reason why yon should not get well II yon will only bring yourself to tAke tile free teat treatment o! these wonderfnl remedies, no matter wb&ll yow: doubts ma.ybe. I Want:the Doubt ere ,; I w&nll to atve them t!HJ proof-th3 e'l'ldeuce o.nd the glory of uew Ill• ln their own bodies-and I .,..nt to pa.y the OOIR ot Wa proo7-all of It-to the very cent-mreelf. I have put my life Into this work-I hold tlN record of tbon•a.uds ef cnres-not "some "-but thoaA!Idl of despernte sntierers, hearty s.nd atroua and biB &nd • well· · a.nd their !otters a.re In my he.ncta to pro•• eYery word 1 Bbenmo.tism, kidney tronblea, hun dloea.ae. pattla.l para,lysls, bl&dder tronblea, atomaeh a.nd bowol , tronblea, plies, Ct\ta.rrh, bronchitis, .,..&k lunas, asthma, chtoniocougbs, nervonsnes11, a.U fema.le ironblaa,lnrnb&go, eL.in diaMSes, serofnla, impure blood, general debility, orgltlllc vlto.l ailments, etc., Are cured to remain a.nd· oontlnne cured. No mo.tter bow yon are, no maU..r who.t your d!seue. I will hull the remedleg •eDll to yon and g!Yen Into yonr own h&nda ·troe. pa.ld tor by me llolld. dolherecl " my 0 OW.D-t, . :'fheae Remadlea WIU CuN They ho.ve cured thon1ands of cue•-nearly fiTerJ diae--.nd \bey do enre and ihere le no l"I!MOil why t.hey llhonld not enre you-make you well-r.D4 brt.oe yon back to heaUh &nd the joy of II'I'Ing! Will you let me do this for you-will yon let me pro•e &nd slater sntierers? Are yon wllltna llo t;rn .. a master who not only makes thla o!for but ! publlshec it ADd then oenda the tea$ and proof of bJo remedies witboat a penny of cost to auyoue exoept bimoelf? Send yonr no.me, your Post Office address and & c1eacriptlon of your condition, and I will do my utmost to oo.iisfy every doubt you bnYo or ca.n bo.ve tbeoe remedies will so.•e JOIU lite a.nd mo.lte it aJ.l \bat n&tnre Jneant to m!Oke lt. · Let me m..I

233

162

Bust Developers.

, 614. Many advertisements of these swindling nostrums are herein supplied. They are lies from first to last, and are mostly found in "home journals for girls and women." Dr. Kehler supplies this exposure. Besides, there are many others at my disposal.

615. "Aquamiel."-The Mexican Remedy Company exploited, under the above name, a mixture which it represented .as follows :-T4e Miracle of Nature . . Magical Bust Developer, and the most marvellous flesh-

producing, blood-enriching, tissue-forming preparation the world ever knew. . . Permanent Development Guaranteed . . Aquamiel is a product of the famous

Maguey Plant of Mexico. A number of interesting pictures accompany the advertising literature, showing the remarkable results of this remedy. In one of the best testimonials submitted, the patient said she believed her breasts had increased in size one-quarter of an inch. An investigation of the remedy showed that it consist.ed of two solutions of different strengths, one of which contained 8 per cent. alcohol and the other 2 per c.ent. alcohol, both of which were sweetened with saccharine and coloured with caramel ; a small amount of plant extractive was also present. The medicine is absolutely worthless as a tissue developer, and any chemist can prepare it in any laboratory without the least difficulty.

What is done in the green tree.

616. Mr. Peter MacEwan, editor of the London ''Chemist and Druggist/' publishes a book of "Pharmaceutical Formulas" (Offices of the Chemist and JJruggist, 42, Cannon-street, London. Branch offices, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney, .Australasia, 1905). These are for the use of ordinary pharmacists. ':J.1he book contains 880 pages, and is extremely informative, even educative. But the student who is a merely one of the public to -be traded upon, will arise from the study with pronounced feelings of uneasiness, to say the least of it. The book, of course, is purchasable by anyone, there-fore secrecy is not implied. But the compounds by the time they reach the layman, or the laywoman, are very secret indeed. :S:ere is a J3osom Developer (page 65) :-

Powdered Tragacanth one drachm.

Glycerine one ounce.

Elder-flower water . . . three ounces.

Mix the tragacanth with the glycerine and add the gradually. The water should be slightly tinted with methyl-violet dye. This preparation is to be well massaged into the bosom at bedtime. This ropresents the usual treatment for developing the bosom ("as advertised"). An internal medicine (generally alkaline pancreatin tablets) is used with the view to promoting the assimilation of f.at. Strange to say, we found a massage-jelly for the reduction of superfluous flesh to be a tragacanth

preparation perfumed with neroli and lemon, without any active medicinal agent, and a popular soap for th,e same purpose contained pancreatin. Ox-gall is sometimes added. Comment on the different purposes of these similar lubricants is superfluous.

617. Comment is not superfluous; it is eminently called for. If these things, contemptible trickery, be .done in the green tree, what will be done in the dry ? We shaH see presently. Gum tragacanth is not unlike gum arabic, and is inert for the above purpose. The Bosom Developer

cannot enlarge the mammary glands, and is, therefore, a mean cheat, like many other things in the same book. I have before me another Formulary, a generation old, which is

L ILENA, the New BusVDeveloper. Perfect .;;. la.-gemen't ot 3 to 6 Inches guaranteed. Sure and No appliances or used. Price 5o per j,.r, m"lled. ''LIIen" Toilet ·Co./' 256 Pltt·st, Syd. full of honest and decent recipes.· It may be assumed that most pharmacists pl'efer the clean business, but if the later book be followed it would demand a report all to itself.

618. The Chemist and Druggist (London) in its Answers to Correspondents, pharmacists, of course, on page 432, 16 March, 1907, says:-Bust Developers.-Anything slightly greasy that assists massage serves for this purpose, as the massage, rather than the application, is the agent which influences any supposed development

of an organ which varies in size from month to month. A little arsenic (about gr. 1to) is better than nux vomica, with a 5-grain dose of Bland's pill, thrice daily. That is part of the play, from behind the scenes.

What is done in the dry tree.

Dr. Kebler continues:-Skin Bleachers and Beautifiers.

619. "Complexion Powder."-One of the agents used for improving the complexion was found on analysis to consist entirely of Rochelle Salts. Another product sold under the designation of "Complexion Tablets" was found on analysis to consist of reduced irou, plant extractive, and stryqhnine. An unfortunate incident connected with this case was that the remedy was not marked so as to set forth

it

163

Dr. Kebler-'-eoittinued.

its poisonous nature, and a mother; into whose possession the remedy came, carelessly placed it witliiri reach of her 2!-year-old child, with the result that the child consumed a number of the tablets and died from strychnine poisoning. It was contended that the tablets did not cont.ain strychnine, but that extract . of nux vom ica is used in their preparation.

620. "Face Lotion." -The mogt interesting "beautifiers;, inet with are usually sold urider the name of "Face L otion. " The chief active agent found in the samples so far submitted is corrosive sublimate, which is usually dissolved in water containing an indefinite quantity of glycerine, the whole being flavoured with a suitable amount of tincture of benzoin. These lotions beautify by destroying the tissue with which they come in contact, causing it to peel off and thus bringing into view the lower layer of the epidermis, which is smooth and pink-like in appearance.

621. "15-minute Pile Cure."-The Dr. Artz Chemical Company, St. Paul, Minn., is credited with being the manufacturer and distributor of t his remedy. The ingredients employed in its manufacture are zinc oxide, menthol, carbolic acid, simple cerate, chaulmoogra oil, and oil of sweet almonds. The mixture was found to be free from narcotics and opiates as claimed.

It was represented that t he value of this ointment resided in the chaulmoogra oil, claimed to be a new principle. A search of literature failed to reveal anything which would justify such a claim for chaulmoogra oil. The advertising literature of th') contained numerous misleading and deceptive statements, of which the following are typical :-

"It is a positive and permanent remedy, tested in twenty thousand cases in the Getman Army before being given to the world as a positive and specific cure. Pronounced by the medical profession the most wonderful discovery of modern science."

622. "Liquid Electricity."-Under this name a number of mixt ures are sent out from which teas are to be prepared and taken according to directions. The most important active constituents in the mixtures are powdered capsicum, essential oils, iron sulphate, and belladonna leaves. It is represented that with teas prepared from such mixtures it Is possible to cure consumption in a few days. The remedy is also styled an "Electric Cough and Consumption Cure."

"lt kills the microbes of bilious, malarial, and other fevers, germs of consumption or cancer. Will annihilate the virus of blood disease, remove all offensive odours, destroy all animal and vegetable poisons."

623. "Radiumite." -The following are quotations from the literature:-"Nature's Gift to Mankind. The Mystery of Its Powers Puzzles and Bewilders Scientists. Radiumite is a Puzzle to Leading Chemists. • • Keeps you well while you carry it." • • Some ot those who carry t he stuff for warding off disease swear by its virtues, and I know of a . number who declare that they have been cured of and stomt1Ch troubles through its agency. They

have the same faith i:J. the mineral that many have in the rheumatism ring and the buckeye, and other such agencies. " It is a well-known fact that many eminent French chemists carry radium in their pockets, and have great faith in its curative properties." Directions for using "Radiumite " are as follows :-

"Carry o'he or two pieces of the Radiumite in your pocket ; or, encase it in a silken or chamois bag and wear it about the waist or suspended from the neck." These quotations clearly set fcrth the manner in which " Radiumite" is supposed to cure. The advertising, literature leads to the belief that "Radiumite" will cure diseases of the stomach; kidneys, bowel troubles, rheumatism, cancer, &c.

Examination of the mineral submitted showed that it did not possess any radium or radio-activity. It was; however, pyrophosphorescent-that i s, when the ore was submitted to friction in the dark it becathe slightly luminous. Ores of this character are well known, and the ore under consideration consisted of zinc sulphide and lead sulphide, with a certain amount of gangue. It seems hardly necessary

to say that this ore does not possess any curative properties whatever.

The Jou1·nal of the American Medical Association, Vol. XLVII, page 1667:­ TRICKS OF THE NOSTRUM MEN. 624. Under the above title the Druggists Circular (an American pharmaceutical serial), November, 1906, discusses editorially the methods . employed by manufacturers, and comments on the fact that proprietary manufacturers are quick to take advantage of anything which may be used as an advertisement of their goods. The editorial continues :-

" Let something arise which may be construed as a reflection on the quality of a druggist':! own output, or the probity or ability of a physician who prescribes Pharmacopeia!,. National Formulary, or other official preparations, and the nostrum makers may be depended upon to twist it into the semblance of an argument in favour of the use of their stuff. They do not, h owever, emphasise the fact t hat preparations

with secret formulas are automatically protected against a charge of impurity or of being below standard, as 'purity ' is an elastic term, and until there is a standard nothing can be below it.

"The proprietor of a secret remedy may change the formula of his nostrum whenever he chooses; he may substitute a cheaper drug for a high-priced one whenever the desire for more profits prompts him so to do ; he may convert a 'catarrh ' remedy into a cathartic, or tonic bitters into an emetic, and is not amenable to any man or any law for the misbranding, simply because the standard for purity and strength of his article resides only in his own mind, and may shift every time that mind

changes. "The supposititious variations in formulas are by no means purely hypothetical, as instances in which they have been made are not wanting. On the other hand, there is a fix ed legal standing for the druggist's goods, and when they fail to measure up to this standard, Boards of Pharmacy, Boards of Health,

and the people through their prosecuting officials may, and more and more do, call the druggist to account for

235

'1

·{

·- t

· ,

164

Jou'f'!Ull of the A.M.A.-continueti.

for the shortcoming. But the man who takes a proprietary medicine to-day, and goes back for another dose of the same to-morrow, may get an entirely different thing, and either is kept in ignorance of this fact or has no recourse on anyone when he discovers the deception that has been practised .on him. "It is our duty to remind the druggist of these things, and it is the duty of the druggist to pass the reminder on to the physicians and the public."

625. CoNTAI:t-:ED No -refereucv to Dl' Sht·l ­

.Ne" Discovery for Co••ghs, n·bich was I·eported

La.st as containing a scheduied pots

stated that a lurther e=mmatwn ol tins

tton .... now that it c<•n·

t:llJII'd . no -.'<' hedui p01son, and 1t was, tLerefure, rt­ s.Oiv.·d to l'emo ve 1t froOJ the li.st publisht;£1 last

moat!! 4.Y"\ .... i>,. "'.1 t: e (::, · .

International Exchange of Knowledge. 626. The work carried out by the scientific staff in the laboratories of the Bureau of Chemistry throughout the United States is certainly enormous. I have been supplied with specimen copies of their current publications, of circulars containing instructions, some specific information upon details which I particularly desired.

All of the series are obtainable by Your Excellency's Government as occasion shall arise to utilise them. H ere it must be reiterated, and it cannot be too often

emphasised, that the subject-matter of my commission, together with the cognate subject of pure foods and wholesome utensils, is solely and entirely the cause of common humanity. Officially, in each country, it is so regarded. It would appear to be an aim of such lofty import as to be worthy the best efforts of all statesmen to seek to interchange positive knowledge to the end of protecting humanity from fraud and physical injury within the premisses. I inquired in each country as to whether, in the personal judgment of the officials concerned, it were probable that the respective organisation ·would impart its knowledge, gained for the protection of its own citizens, to the Australian Commonwealth, and to other Governments, on

the ground of common humanity ? The answer was in each case prompt and clear. It was believed that there would be complete willingness. International exchange, always within the limits stated (foods, medicines, and their accessories) would save an immensity of duplicated work, would correct imperfect work, and tend to early and accurate conclusions. A careful perusal of the synaptical statement (page 358), exhibiting the different positions of the great nations towards the question of medicines, will show the urgent need for international co-operation.

627. It is certain that President Roosevelt, representative head of the greatest. white nation, has the cause of humanity profoundly at heart, of which the note to Mr. Secretary Wilson is a slight proof; but his Jife's work is the splendid record. The Governor-General of Canada has added his great influence, as shown by his

speech of 13th February last. The Dominion House of Commons has appointed a Committee from bqth sides of the House to formulate legislation to check the evils of free drugging. The distinguished President of the lteicbs-Gesundheitsamt, Dr. Bumm, shovYcd prompt nnd complete wiilingness to impart knowledge and advice to the same end, giving the utmost furtherance to your Commissioner . I have been further informed by diplomatists of the first eminence, that there is every reason to expect courte0us communication of attained results from investigations

concerning health and life. rrhere is no occasion, I was informed, to employ diplomatic channels, which would mean endless delay. The official interchange of information is evidently a departmental matter when concerned with purely scientific business. Within this sphere would be included medicine, toxicology, pharma­ cognosy, pathology, bacteriology, nutrition, hygiene, and prevention of disease.

That covers the ground of food and drug errors and frauds. 628. This Report would be incomplete without the record that I found every­ where (especially in America) scientific men were deeply concerned at the damage done to society, and that officials away from political influence were anxious for im­ provement. The stream of light that would be thrown by international investiga­ tion upon lies, humbug, trickery, fraud, vice and crime lumped under the head of

quackery, would enable nations quickly to adjust their bws and ordinances for their own protection. It would be simply civilisation. The present work, admittedly imperfect, but easy of amplification, serves to show the practicability of international instruction in matters of health. 629.

165

629. The Elixir of Life and Others. xliii

RHEUMATISM CURED by a new remedy.

50,000 BOXES FREE. For rt1eumati5m· _,nd gout, tho!'P. horrible pl,gues.· I discovered ·a h;"\nnless remedy. and in order everv 1 ; ch;mce. has cured many c;Jses of 30 and 4.0 ye:.t rs' s tandtng. amo':lgt'1empersons upwards Bu years of age. No wl1.1t your form of rhen· i'>." th's remrrlr. ·cures. Do not mind ,r other remc cfies hne failed norminci if doctors me at. once, and ·br the m oc:.tc\ab Ot

4 SIGK MADE WELL

WEAK MADE STRONG. ------·---- -Marvellous Elixir of Life Discovered by Famous Doctor Scientist that Cures Every Known Ailment. \\'onderful Cures are Effected that Seem Like Miracles Performed -The Secret of Long Life oi Olden Times Revived. The Remedy is Free to All Who Send Name and Address. After years of p2.t1cnt :;;tntly and tlelving mto the clnsty record of tho p::tst, rts::: well as following :notlcrrr i1t the ren.lrns ot modif'al science, Dr .. lam r.s W. Kicld, FirRt National l1ank Bni1tling, Fort. Way111' , ln

compound, Jmown on ly t o himse l f, prodnr,N1

a. re!iH lt of the he has svent. in ror thH

boou, to cnre an y and crery Jisease t.h:tt

know z:- to Lh:o hums.n body. There is no douht of t lu·

Ca:J·u,estness in making his claim, and the temarkabln

ctues that he Uaily etfeding to lJrar him m:t ve\'y

strongly. Ills theory which )le ·adnmces one of' reaso11, 11nd Uaocd on sound experience in a medic:ll practice nf many It costs nothing to try his n•marknble "Ellx11

of Life;• a.s lte calls it, for he sends it. fn.>f' to anyone who ts a sufferer,.in S4,ffiCient quantities to collrince of it.c:: n.Lillty "' cure so there is absolutely no risk to rnn. Rom e of the cut·t . .; are very remarkable, ant\ but t'or r eliab\u

would hardly be credited. The lame throwu awa,·

crutches and walkeU about after two nr three of th.•

remedy. Tl!e sick, given up by holllt: hnvc

resto1cd. to, their familie.'l and friend s iu perfect hraltlt. Rheumatism, neurq.lgia., stow:lch, heart, liver, kiJucy, ld0111 1, and. skin diseases and bladder troubles ns by magtr.

Head8ch€sj backaches, ncrvou:--;1\('s:-;, fevers, cuHBIIIH J•l ion, coughs, co ds, asthma, catarrh,- awl a. II

of the throat, or auy vital art! easily

in a space of thne that is Pe.rt;!ll paralysis, loco111ol.or ataxia, Jropsy, scrofula, piles a re quickly auU I•Prumnc nt.l} n·tuo,·ctl . It,

the entire system, UlofJd :uul tissw!, n·s t.o rcs norm:Ll power circulation, Rnll a Sf or }J!'I'ft•.c t. lu•;dth i9 ProdUCP .. d at once . To the dol' tor ::1ll systt:ru" are alike nntl equally atfected by this great" Rl1'\1r (If Lifo.'' :-;rml for the rernctl.y to-day. \t is Ln :-:.tate \\'ltat you want tn

be of, and sorP.. ll'lnt·d.v ftH' it. wdll11: st'ltt yon fren by

return mail. n letter t.n f1·om Bl'it..i:;h

requires 2!<1. )10!:-lf.nge. Write your uame very vJain, and he sure to give yvnr full ath!russ, ;-;o there can Ue uo iu

deUvPry.

Papers containing this lie (Doctor Kidd's) are carried by post, and sold freely in Australia. In Sweden, it is specifically prohibited. 300,000 of these letters are offered for, sale at one time (see

page 310, copy of Ladies' Home Journal).

CONCREVE·s..---aALsAMJc

LIXIR SOLD BY

PATENT

VE:'

and II/· per nuttle.

S<'e Nl!W BOOK on G . '1".

6d •• post free, {rotn 45, Coo mbe Lodg-e, l ec..:ham, LondGn, S.E.

For analysis see page 189.

Dwight, p. 277.

Taylor, II, p. 673.

166

"Oil of Bitter Almonds "-a Poisonous Flavouring. 630. Nitrobenzol (Essence of Mirbane) is the result of the action of strong nitric acid upon benzol. Occurs, when pure, .as an oily, yellowish, intensely sweet liquid, with the odour of oil of bitter almonds. It has ?een frequently employed as an artificial and cheap substitute for oil of bitter almonds in the fiavounng of soaps, foods, and confectionery.

. Symptoms.-The action is that of a somewhat insidious poison, whether taken in a liquid form or mhaled. It is much slower in its action than hydrocyanic acid, but, like it, is a powerful narcotic poison; the symptoms which come on within one to three hours are very similar to those of poisoning by hydro­ cyanic acid. It has resulted in accidental death; but fP,w cases o£ homicide or suicide have been reported from its lise.

Po5t-indttein appearances.-The post-mortem appearances are similar to those of hydrocyahic acid, with the exception that gastric irritation is not so common. According to Caspar; the odour of nitrobenzol is so much more permanent and persistent that the diagnosis of ptiisoriing trorri this source may be made from this source alone.

Tests.-The diagnosis may be made from the fact that, although the odour and symptoms are so like those of hydrocyanic acid, it fails to react to any of the tests by which that acid iS detected; Poisoning by Nitrobenzene or Nitrobenzol.-Tbis liquid has a smell . resembling l)enzaldehyde, or oil of bitter almonds (sine acido-hydrocyanico, Extra Pharm.), but the two, are very different in other respects, and must not be confounded with one another, though nitrobenzol is as a substitute for

benzaldehyde in cheap perfumery. It is also used very largely in the production of the aniline colours, as it is converted into aniline by acting upon it with acetic acid and iron filings. It does riot appea1· t.o have been used homicidally, possibly on account of its nauseous taste and extrfmi.ely persistent smell; btit accident and suicide account for the majority of cases. Five cases published by Von Btischow were due to drinkingbrandy with an uncertain admixture of it (Berl. Klin. Woch.; 4th Marcl;!., 1895); two were fatal, and three ended in recovery. In the same journal Schild records six cases, all in females ; two suicidal, both recovered, and four " with intent to procure abortion," this result being obtained in three of

them, who recovered, hut the fourth was fatal before abortion could take place. Toxicity and dose.-The liquid is very poisonous ; twenty drops have been known to cause death, but recovery has been known to take place after much larger doses. In 1859 Caspar published an account of this liquid under the name of "A, New Poison" (Vierteljahrsschr., B.16, p. 1). Its effects on a rabbit and on a dog are here described. Two drachms of it were gl:ven to a rabbit without any symptoms being produced; 2 drachms were then given to the animal at intervals of ten minutes or a quarter of an hour, until the animal had taken one ounce. In a minute and a half after tbe last dose the animal fell suddenly ori its left side; the pupils were dilated, while the limbs and tail were strongly convulsed. The animal died in a minute. The dose was pr·obably large, but the result shows that nitro­

bi:mzelle in a large dose may destroy life rapidly. On opening the body the powerful odour of the liquid "Was everywhere perceptible, even in the blood. This odour remained strongly in the body when it was agaih examined fourteen days after death. About 5 fluid drachms given to a middle-sized dog produced po remarkable symptoms. After some hours the dog was observed to be dull and .languid ; in twelve hours there was profound coma:, with slow respiration and coldness of the skin, but thei·e were no convulsions. The animal was then killed. All the solids and liquids of the body, including the blood, had a strong .odour o£ the poison, . and some drops of the oily liquid were separated from the contents of the stomach. The fluid ori which it floated had a strong alkaline reaction. The blood retained the odour for several days.

Poisoning by Aniline Dyes.

Lancet, 1, , 631. Dr. St. OJaii Thompson read a paper before the Clinical Society on a case of "Poisoning from 1901, P• 1143. the External f:se of Aniline Oil". Equal parts of aniline oil and rectified spirits having been recommended lls a vehicle tor cocaine; in order to produce local anresthesia. in the ear, Dr. Thompson prescribed a 10 per solution of cocaine in this menstruum for a colleague suffering from furunculosis. A small pledget

of cotton wool inoistenedwith this solution was used at bed-time, and the patient slept well. Next morning, as the pain threatened to return, he again made use of the drops about 5 a.m . . At 7.30 a.m., while still in bed, he quite accidentally noticed a peculiar blueness of his finger-nail s, ahd his wife remarked that his face was blue. The face and hands we1·e found to he of a decided dark-blue colour, and this was noticeable in the skii1 under the finger-nails, ;1nd on the lips and tongue. There was no fever nor mental disturbance. The pupils were normal. Tbe respiration was quiet and easy. The pulse was small and somewhat increased in frequency, and when Dr. David Lees hau examined the heart the left ventricle was enlarged to tvVO fingers-breadth outside the left nipple line. The patient had not previously had al\Y hearttrouble, and there was nothing in the heart ()1" lungs to account for the cyanosis. It

was, therefore, ascribed to the toxic effect of the aniline oil on the red corpuscles. The blue colour disappeared in the course of the day. The area of cardiac dulness again became normal, and no

murmur was discoverable. R•Jerence was made to a communication made to the Academic de Mt.\decine in July last by M. Landouzy and M. Georges Brouardel, describing the cases of ten children, who were seized with prostration, pallor, and blueness soon after wearing yellow shoes which had recently been coated with a pigment found to contain 90 per cent. of aniline. When this dye was applied to the shaven surface of the skin of guinea--pigs :md rabbits they died asphyxiated in from twenty-four to thirty Some

unpublished cases of Dr. Kelynack descrihE>d similar symptoms, together with gastro-intestinal catarrh and anremia in chronic cases, among those employed in aniline works.

Lancet, 1906, 632. Nitrobenzene.-At a biscuit factory at Truro a boy drank some almond-flavouring-an "essence" p. 1795. which in reality was nitrobenzene. Considering the highly poisonous nature of the compound, causing symptoms like those of prussic acid, it ought to be scheduled. We drew attention to the ''impudent disregard for public health by substitute-mongers."

Cancer

239

167

Cancer Pastes.

633. Illustrations have already been given of the pitiless frauds practised upon the u11fortunate sufferers from malignant disease in its many varieties. Tlte anxiety of the patient or the friends to "do something" is so great that the quack is SJ.ll'e ()f numerous customers. Cancer pastes have been macle up of phosphorus, Dwight,

zinc chloride, and other substances severe in their action with the view of "killing pp.t3B, the cancer and drawing it out by its roots.'' The last drug is the least destructiye of the three substances named. Its action is strongly corrosive and caustic, bringing exquisite torture to the already hopelessly afH.icted. It has not, however, the added

constitutional effects of the others. ·

The Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine, · Ch.elsea G.ardens, Chelsea Bridge Roaci, S. W .,

Dear Mr. Whitaker, · 20th f )me, 1906:

634. Thank you for your letter· of yesterday's date, enclosing Mt'. 0. 0. [with tlie Honie Secretary]. · . · · · · ·· · · ·

I fully approve of the letters, and, do not find any statement which might be construed as pei;ng inaccurate. · ·

635. In past I )lave had persop.al experience of considerable harm done by the ign!)rant administration of Patent Infant Foods, which frequently permanently affect children, and which I belj{we just as frequently lead indirectly to death, and also of "Soothing Powders." I think that one fact in addition to those mentioned is too important to b,e left out. Many nostrums (notably the Cancer Pastes and like) advertise certain cure of incq.rable ailments. I have witnessed on numerous occasions t}le

ultiml!-te mental su!Jering, and, in some cases, hastened deatb in ignorant wlw

the assertions of such advertisements. · ·

Ev.ery medical practitioner ,have had some experier10e of the pernicious effect of repeated "abortifacient" nostrums. · ·

636. One could easily collect material in support of 1Ir. Beale's contentions, which would fill thousands of pages were such really needed.

J. Smith Whitaker, Esq.,

I am,

Yours faithfully,

Medical Secretary of the B.M.A., 429, Strand, London.

(Signed) H. W. ARl\'IIT.

DRINKS AND DRINK-CURES • . . ,, ., · )

Murrell, page 248, says:-637. Cases of chronic alcoholism are so common it seems hardly necessary to them. It must be remembered 'that it is not so much the quantity we take <1S the inferi<,>r which we are supplied. · ' .· · ' '· · · · ··

The alcoholic stimulant in whatever form it may be taken should be free from fusel-oil to extent that a healthy man, even after exceeding considerably, should not experieJ?-Ce any o.ther effe_ c,t .that of pure stimulation. If on the following morning there is persistent headache, followed by continued dilation o.f t,he

cerebral blood-vessels, with incapacity for work, and dulness of ideas, it may be taken for granted .that the win,e -was bad and contained fusel-oil. ·

There is no test except the physiological one readily applicable to wines and other similar of complex composition. rhe most injurious of all alcoholic drinks is spirit obtained from potatoes, as it contains by largest proportion of fusel-oil. It is used as a basis tor making many ot the cheaper iorm,s of sptiitli ,J.D

common use. · · -

638. Circulars are constantly posted to Australia by packers of spirits Harp.­ burg offering brandy, whiskey, gin, schnapps, rum, and other liquors at low prices. Any label or marking will be provided to suit the buyer. I have occasionally received these circulars in the ordinary way of commerce. A case

containing one dozen reputed quarts of whiskey, or schnapps, will be supplied when ordered in quantities at 6s. 9d., everything included-liquor, bottles, corks, capsules, labels, wrappers, case, and marking-all for six shillings and ninepence. I have never imported or analvsed such spirits, but the results of analysis would be interesting.

In the way of coinmerce, too, I have heard shippers narrate, as a specially delicious joke, the atrocious character of the stuff. The more certainly deadly the poison the more

\ \'··

'I .;_,

Dwight; p.105,

168

more refined the humour. Passing through Auckland last September, the Collector of Customs very courteously informed me in his office that a shipment of " whiskey" came to his port which was not whiskey at all, but a compounded spirit. Landing was when the importer reshipped the stuff to Australia. Until the passing of the Commerce Act there was in practice little protection to the public against fraudulent imports of wines and spirits. The subject of ordinary commercial spirits and of so-called medicated compounds containing alcohol, which latter are within the scope of my inquiry, are related by reason of the necessity of a Bureau of Chemistry which sl1all test and analyse foods, drinks, and drugs, together with articles of personal and household use, and utensils, comprehensively.

639. K ot all the drink cures are such harmless trickery as ''Mrs. Terry's," quoted by Doctor Robert Hutchison, which consists of sugar 98 per cent. and com­ mon table salt 2 per cent. 'l 1he other quoted by him, "Antidipso," showed chlorate of potash and sugar. Cases of poisoning by chlorate of potash are furnished by Taylor. 'l'he official dose is 5 to 15 grains, :md care is required in its administration. 'l'he case of Mr. Bravo, quoted at some length of its significance, may be

found in Taylor, II, 536 et seq. He died of poisoning by tartar emetic (tartrate of antimony, a drug much used by criminal poisoners). "He had purchased a large number of guack powders, extensively advertised as · a cure for dipsomania, and received instructions that these, if administered too freely to his wife, would cause vomiting'' (page 541). Each of these powders, it was afterwards discovered, consisted of half a grain of tartar emetic, coloured pink. Whether these powders are still advertised and sold I am not able to report. but there is nothing to prevent them any more than the proprietary cough medicines containing tartar emetic,

already mentioned. Enough has been shown to cause anxiety in this direction;

640.

,.HE BEST

BLOOD , PURIFI IN THE WORLD.

You need not if you use Sulphur Bitters. They never fail to cure. " who are closely confined

In the mills and workshops; clerks who do not have sufficient exercise, and all who are confined indoors, should use Sulphur Bitters. They will not then be

Is your Breath impure. Your Stomach is out of order. Sulphur Bitters is the best medicine to take. Sulphur Bitters will build you up and make }OU

" Drink Cures" of White Spirit.

641. Many, if not most, of the intemperance cures contain large proportions of alcohol (white spirit), and some are stronger than whiskey. A reference to the Phm·m. Journal, LXXIV, p. 223, will show that one contains 82 per cent., another 83 per cent., and others 42 per cent., 51 1)er cent., 53 per cent., and 56 per cent. of proof spirit respectively.

'l'lms the unfortunate wife or mother denies her­ self clothing and necessari£'s so as to purchase "medicine" for the depraved lmsband or son, and is all the time plying him with impure spirits · calculated to intensify the craving.

The habit itself may begin by persons, women especially, taking "tonics" and "bitters," which " contain no alcohol," are '' entirely free from alcoholic stimulant," or "a non-intoxicating stimulant" ('cide page 181), and yet every one of those quoted is very strong grog. Up to date

thP-re is no difficulty in getting these things into girls' schools, colleges, and homes by means of " women's journals" and daily newspapers.

The Woman Drunkard. (From Faulding's Journal, 20 November, 1906.) 642. Two features stand out with pec uliar prominence in the evidence gathered by the n-cent South Australian Royal Com­ mission on Inebriety. 1'he ftrst is that the male drunkard offers probabilities of reform if he iR taken in hand before he has become absolutely irrc,claimabl e. 1'he second point is that the female

victim to alcoholic excess is practically hopeless. Once a woman has drifted into the hell Of the drunkard she remains in it in spite of all efforts to drag her out. Exceptions there are, of

169

F avlding' s Medical J ournaZ-continued.

course, but they serve to emphasise the rule. Some twenty medical men, clergymen, philanthropists, conductors of inebriates' homes, and other such professional and semi-professional witnesses were examined. While in one or two instances the opinion was expressed that thou9;h the woman was harder to reclaim than the man, it could be done, the medical witnesses were unanimously of opinion that the female

sot was irreclaimable. Let us quote a few declarations just to prove the case :-643. Dr. W. Ramsay Smith, of Adelaide, said : "There is a vast deal of difference in reforming men and women sots. I have treated many chronic drunken women, and I have vowed never to do it again."

Dr. R. S. Rogers, Adelaide: "I do not think when a woman contracts the alcoholic habit she is able to leave it off." Dr. vV. E. Jones, Inspector-General of the Insane, Victoria : " Women are more difficult to deal with. The woman inebriate is rather a difficult person."

Dr. C. G. Godfrey, Medical Superintendent of the Hospital for the Insane, at Ararat, Victoria: "My experience with dipsomaniacs has been mostly with women. I have had four or five to every man." Mr. J. P. T. Caulfield, proprietor of the Caulfield Institute for Alcoholism, Melbourne: I have

not had as much success in the treatment of women as of men. I do not think they want to keep right. That is the reason." Dr. E. Sinclair, Inspector-General of the Insane, New South vVales : "The woman who is a drunkard has generally lost her self-respect more than a man."

Dr. W. C. McClelland, Sydney : "We are not so successful with women as with men. I think, largely, that women are what is known as misery-drinkers." Dr. W. T. Hayward, Adelaide: "There are a large number o£ chronic inebriates among women, and they are much more difficult to cure. They are almost hopeless."

644. There are several reasons for the deeper degradation of the female sot. Woman has finer sensibilities than man, and her moral plane is higher. When, therefore, she falls she falls further, and she does not possess a man's strength of will necessary to enable her to pull herself up again. JHore aches and pains and greater worries, and even responsibilities, fall to her in life than to that o£ her

partner, and when she turns to alcohol for relief the results are more disastrous. The finer the edge of the blade the quicker and more easily is it blunted. So it is with woman, and: while the deplorable condition of the feminine inebriate is cause for deep regret, she really is not so blameworthy as the masculine drunkard. But she greatly complicates the difficulties of those who are trying to reclaim the sot.

The Keeley "Gold-cure " for Drink Habit. 645. A so-called "Bichloride of Gold Cure" for inebriety has become highly notorious through extensive advertising and other commercial methods, but from the most reliable information obtainable it is reasonably certain that the only preparation of gold which plays a prominent part therein is the gold coin

which passes from the patient's pocket to that of the manager of the "institute." The physiological produced by the remedy employed are those of strychnine and atropine, the administration of

which hypodermically several times daily for three or more weeks is decidedly dangerous. In many cases cardiac failure has occurred soon after the completion of the treatment, and in a large number of instances insanity or other serious psychoses have developed immediately after the subjects have been through one of these so-called "cures."-Potter, p. 169.

646. Keeley Gold Cure.-The hypodermic injection, administered four times daily £or three weeks, contains strychnine (or brucine) and atropine (or hyoscine), with codeine and cocaine for the opium cases. The whiskey supplied to the victims contains about one-fiftieth of a grain of apomorphine to each average drink. The "cross-shot" i'! an injection of apomorphine. The "tonic" contains Ammonium chloride,

1 gr.; aloin, 2 gr.; Tinct. cinchonre comp., 3 oz.; water, to make 4 York i1fed. Record.

647. Drunkards, like other afflicted persons, are choice game for swindlers. Many fraudulent secret cures are herein set forth, and a host more are thrust forward upon the public, or, rather, upon the self-denying friends of the inebriates, thus causing much grief and ruin. If there be merit in the cures there should be no secrecy; if there be secrecy, it is incredible that there should be merit.

648. It will be observed that advertisements aim particularly at women, and the articles advertised, which contain white spirit in large proportion-toilet prepara­ tions, sarsaparillas, and the rest, as elsewhere detailed-are largely consumed by them as a private vice. This form of debauchery the pathologists declare to be on

the increase. Now, the quality of the liquor being of the worst, the physical and moral injury is the greater. That fact is overlooked or under-estimated by those who conclude that female sots are irreclaimable, or nearly so. The poor creatures are undefended prey, for" the law" in no way holds the vendors responsible whose

lying seductions in women's magazines and other papers first bring about the habit.

*97.'Hi7-Y 649.

170

649. How the Drink Habit is spread. How Money is made out of Drunkards •

•

A SENSIBLE STIMULANT.

is

medicina in its

adion ana is ldired 'J,roai'oter is

worthf- men's•

1 1 It is

brac,in_g. and has curati_v c in ;

Bowel. and

Urinary Affcdions. 7p

WHOLE

6l -.fl BOTTLES

Permanent Benetlt Followed US8 Of Pe-ru-na. Miss, May Cray, 147 Uth•strett; Btoooltl111. N.Y., writes:-

"For more than five years. I sutrered ·• fl'om · rheumatic pains tn my joints, aDd ln dar!lp or stormy weather I was obllpd; to stay 1lldows.

"M euiclne seemed to be of UBe untll:.; I

started using Peruna. C1' . .. "I took twelve bottles In all. altllottgh it' '1& t six Months ago s1nc# I BtBPPk' ! "I have had no return or my old compb!.int, ln spite of the fact that I have been out 1n .all sorts of weather the severe winter:» No better remedy .was eve'!' devised by tbe medical professioh for the mftigation ot all climatic aliments than Peruna. ·

Drunkards Cured Secretly.

EUCRASY. Tbls harmless• antl tasteless remedy is

given in Tea, Coffee, Food, .etc., to cure

Drunkards. Any wife, sister, daughter, or

mother c a n cure

·her ·loved one of +his fe arful and degt·ading habit by this new,

simple remedy, as did Mrs. Scott, w h o

writes: " ·Oh! how

b i s appetite f o r

whisky; he now

bates t he sight of it', and r efuses to drink, when -others

er it to bim. Your

remedy Is surely a

blessing for drunk­ a rds. ·•

Mrs . Scott's word of gratitude is only one of

hundreds in possession of tlti s company. Anyone who will send their name and address to

62 Hunter Street, Sydney, will receive by · mail,

sealed, a free book about this wonderful remedy, and full instructions how to cure the ·drink habit.

For mutual advantage whEn you write I

_, If you aro. run dow11, loelng etrength, are greatiJ de.bllltated, and suffer from the long, hot summer, • there Is gr,o medicine til at will quickly cure you. It Ia

'. . .S_ arsapari II a AYER'S . . . .' .. "'::. ' ;;. &ad this interesting testimonial tesidil:lg Btisba.ne: - ·, , HTbe past season I had a severe taCk of dengue whic!.. ldti' mo' feeling very weak aud languid,. with little appetite ned no energy; but I am pJen.scd to s::a:y Ayer's Sarsaparilla cw·ed me. ·· "'As a. btood pacifier ::and tonic. for those w!Jo ar'> by the debili· beat of lhP Queen! land summer, it is unequD.1ed, &ud I am pleased to Tecommend it to tbose who need a reli-. i ablo · · -- If . .-you 'are sick, · you cer· tainly should give Ayer's Sar· saparilla a thorough trial. It cannot fail to help you, for it purifies the blood, first of alt · Then . your nerves become steady aud strong, and the hot weather of summer does not affect you. Remember, it is a wonderful medicine cluldren, t oo, when they are thin and .feeble, pale and languid. Put your confidence iu it, for there is no fam1ly med1cine in the world its equal, Make sure that you get "A Y l::il'S" Sarsaparilla­not some other kind, put up to imitate)t, nne! which will do yo·u no good. · : Prepru-el! by DR. J ; C. AYEC & CO., 0 . S. A: ' Ayer's Pills cure strong! hen tho stomach. PUBLICATIONS AND r;'I.';',.. nRIZES A"" P .

Peruna has three-fourths, Ayer's "Sarsaparilla" about five-eighths, the strength of whiskey. Observe how these of inferior and disguised white or potato spirits are urged upon women and children.

BEING SAVED FROM

DRUNKENNESS THE C:URSE OF THE WORLD. Will send ill pl<1in _e_ .... velope,

fui\ infonnatiou1ww r,u be C:•Hcd :l.l th l.' nwn

h

tLOrl frotn dail \" routirt:· ''"uric 5t."nd nn HJ•Illt.'. 1L "' afl(t ""t rl(; tl ,\' t :onfi<1l'Lit.ial.

Address-Analepti c. 90 Pit t St .. Sydney, N.S-";·

·DRUNKARDS CAN : BE CURED With OJ' without tbe patient's knowledge. For FBU Book and References write "nd enc!OM .tamps to pay lor postage. THE EUCRAIY OOY., 82 Huoter. ltreet, I)'Ciney,

For deaths from Peruna spirit, see page 91. 660.

171

650. The;1worst alcoholic drug!of _our time. (See pages 90-3.)

. . A·.J

I

Suffered f Years with

Pelvic Unable to

Find Relief.

AN. OPERATION ADVOCATED.

Pe·.ru-na, Taken as a Last Resort, Brings Health and Strength.

ANNA MUNDEN, 'Brinkley, .1\.rk .• writes:- t 1 "I suffered with feJnale troubles for

I t:k»'t.llep yearo o.nd tried the best doc­ .. tors fa Louisville Ky· without relief· '

"I spent thousands of dollnrs at the SpMngs. ''The dootors desb•ed t}Jat I have a:11 operation performed to remove my

ovaries, which I would not consent to.

"l saw an of your ;I'eruna, and

•bought one bottl <: , and before I had taken it all I could get out of bed and walk about.

"After taking three l was as

well an!]. hearty as ever.

' "l ,ained in flesh . From US I increased to

186 pouuds. .

· - "If It bad not been · for your great and won­ dertul I would now be In my

"I would advise women

. to ti'S' it. . 1

r ·: "I woulil not be without It !or the world."

TO A . WOMAN'S LETTER WOMEN.

There can be no doubt about It tllat tlle d t t l 1 tl h b

, Mrs. Caro1111e ;B:ram.er, 1

Fort C.Olllns, Col., e:1cy to resor o surg ca opera ons as een rites· too great ln the past, and tbAt · this llarmful W · •

tendency Is growing less every day. "l'he majority of who are · sufrerlng

ha.s demonstrated that many ail- • from disordered and other troubles,

mcnts which seemed to require surgical opera- have such !j(rong fa1th In doctors that they Hons i.u the past are JlOW be- a_l!ow them to experiment on tnem tor kidney, ing. cure

243

,!'

l

651.

Lancet, 10th Dee., 1904. p. 1691.

p.

651.

172

RENEWED HAPPINESS OR CONTI NU!j'D MISERY-WHICH 1 How niaLY men or women have ruined their lives by giving way to Alcoholism or tM Dtug }!abit ? The worst case need not now despair. The Normy! Treatment Absolutely Cures.

Write ·or consult FREE-THE MANAGER.

-NORMYL TREATMENT Head Office : 62 PITT STREET, S:VO NEV. Br•nclles all parts of the Commonwealth ";;h New Ze

The Enili,h of lhe {The ARCHBISHOP 01( AltMAGH,

NORMYL TREAT.MENT · The BISHOP of CHJclJESTEil,

. . include- The: BlSHO!? m: SO\JTflWAHK,

· Rev. CANON SCO'l"f.JiOLLAND,

. . The ARCHBISHOP of WESTMJJ\STER :Bourne) I

·""'I· --•J•f•y•o•u•a"'r"'e'"a-st .. •iT .. e.re"'r"', .o .. r,•k•n•o"'-".,n•y•o•ne_w.h 1 "o"'s"'t"'Iff•e•rs •• •W-ri,.tc-T•o··•da•J•' .ro,.,_r_P•a•rl.ic•u•la•r•s. ___ .I

MAKES, WOMEN BEAUTIFUL., M•rvel!ous development accomplished by the tlO" b,;onuty hook ;:1.nd will delight you. All you need to dots to

652. Pointing, proprietor of the Antidipso Drink Cure, also runs the Espanola Medicine Oo. This "Company" sells a grease dignified by the name of "Diano," which, it is pretended, will increase the size of the female bust. The whole thing is a swindle, for no rubbing of grease or taking of tonic tablets will increase the

size of the ·mammary glands. The "Lady Manager," in writing to a correspondent, says, "I know that it is difficult to believe that one is willing to work at a loss when it is necessary, but when it is a good work for the national welfare it is easier to comprehend." The Lancet adds, "Insolent slush of this sort may deceive some

persons, but we should very much like to know how any Government can allow such obvious swindles to b0 carried on without let or hindrance. We have already pointed out what an absolute fraud is 'Antidipso,' and we say the same thing of Diano."

"The education of public opinion in the matter of false and misleading quack advertisements appears a well-nigh helpless task."

668.

658.

ENTITLING ANYONE 1 WITH

RHEUMATISM to receive prepaid, Free to Try, a regular 4s. 6d. pair of Magic Foot Drafts and valuable new book (In colours) on rheumatism. Name ...................................................................... .. Address .................................................................... . · Onlv one f'ree pair to one address. 1032. If you rheumatism cut·out this free 4s. 6d;i coupon and send it to us with ·your name and address plainly written on the blank lines. Return post will bring you-free to try--J 4s. 6d. pair of the famous Magic Foot Drafts, the great cure for rheumatism. They are curing very· bad cases of .every kind of rheumatism, ·both ·chronic and· acute; no matter how severe. They

654. The same well-named Point­ ing was summoned at Marlborough­ 'street Police Court under his other name of " Century Thermal Bath

Cabinet Co.," regarding his "Magic Foot Drafts," and was fined lOs. for this swindle; not because it is a

swindle, but because he sold it with­ out a stamp, whereby the Revenue was defrauded of its share in the

fraud. Pointing was also cast in

damages for supplying his Foot Drafts to a man whose feet were severely injured by the nostrum. It is not

said whether the Revenue l'eceived its share in those particular "Drafts," but it may be assumed that it did. Anyway, it was entitled to. It would

be going no further, not so far in

respect of public injury, to take a share in the profits of pickpockets and burglars. We must not forget that the State still participates to the

extent of one-eighth in the frauds denounced as such by the judiciary, whilst the State officials should be fully aware of the fraud. (See Bile

Beans ease.)

655. The genius of Mr. Pointing has still full scope in Australia, and Australian imitators pay him sincere flattery. I supply examples of their advertise­ ments. If he were here he might set the law in motion against them ; but he contents himself by pushing his business energetically in London.

656. The dodge of trading under several names, firms, or bogus companies is much favoured by quack-medicine packers. See the list of Fulford's (page 201) :-Bile Beans Manufacturing Company. Zam-Buk Manufacturing Company.

Peps Manufacturing Company. Zam-Buk Soap.

Intemperance Cures.

657. Intemperance Cures, from Report of the Government Analyst of the Commonwealth of Pharmaceutl· Massachusetts (Mr. Albert E. Leach), for the year 1902.-"Dr. ---'s Cure for the Liquor and cal Journal,, Habits," manufactured by.-:--., and sold for _5 per package, co_nsisted of two bottles of

hqmd and one small bottle contammg prlls. The two Irqmds were found to con tam 41 per cent. and 28·22 per cent. of alcohol by volume, respectively, while the pills contained nux vomica, and were coated with a very thin layer of gold foil, which, by the way, was the only gold found in the preparation.

"The--- Remedy," put up by ---, purporting to contain gold and alkaloids, consisted of twelve powders in a box sold for 1 dollar. These powders were found to contain ammonium chloride and milk sugar. Neither gold nor alkaloids were found to be present.

"Catarrh Remedy."-One of these remedies was found to contain a considerable amount of cocaine hydrochloride.

Cigarettes.-The --- brand of :Medicated Cinnamon Cigarettes, purporting to contain no tobacco, were found to contain a large proportion o[ the latter in the mixture, with various aromatic herbs and cassia. 658.

., .

1.

i.

,•

;·_ ,

'·

174

668. Some Alcoholic Nostrums and H Drink-Cures·"-an Advertisement as Ordinary Reading Matter.

Junc.15,1905. LIFE. • :s:vii.

k CURE FOR MIDDLE AGE. (By "Old Boy.")

It comes as a shock to a man or a wo­

man to hear that they are being classed as mid­ dle aged people. Youth merges so gradually into age that one is apt to consider oneself young for years after those who are really young have

placed us upon the shelf of age. In all but a

small minority of cases, howenr, when a person gets to be o,·er forty, a subtle diminution of tm· crgy makes itself felt. Perhaps, if we are lucky, we have nothing special in the way of pain

to grmrl about, but, even in such cases, there

is an indefinable something which insist·

ently to our knowledge the fact that youth

has fled. In a larger proportion of instances the advance of middle age is heralded in a more em· phatic.manner. Tire joints become stiff, twinges of gout pre felt, rheumatic and neuralgic pains

begin to trouble, there is a sharp pain in the back when rising from a stooping posture, a good

o\eal .is eaten with a miserable consciousness that presently we shall regret the eating, and numer· ous weaknesses :J.Dd aches all tend to advise us that we must begin to take more care of ourselves.

Although there is, unfortunately, no means of preventing the advance t>f age, it is possible to ward off its effects for an indefinite period if ade· quate care is taken to .see that the eliminating organs, the kidneys and liver, ate in good work· illg- order, because the encroachments of age are eyer gradual and painless when the kidneys and ·· liver are properly performing their functions.

The kidneys of the a,·erage person filter and extract from the blood about three pints of urine every day. In this quantity of urine should be dissolved about an ounce of urea, ten to twelve grains in weight of uric acid, and other animal and mineral matter varying from 11 third of an: ounce to nearly an ounce. If the kidneys are

working freely and healthily, all this solid matter leaYes the body dissolved in the urine, but if through weakness or disease, the kidneys are un· able to do their worl> properly, a quantity of

these urinary substances remains in the blood and through the veins, contaminating the

whole system. Then we suffer from some form of uric poisoning, such as Gout,

Lumbago. Backache. Sciatica, Persistent Head· ache, Neuralgia, Gra,·el, Stone, and Blad·

der Troubles. A simple test to make as

to whether the kidneys are healthy· is to place

some urine, passed the first thing in the morning, in a covered glass, and Jet it stand until next

morning. If it is then cloudy, shows a sedi­

ment like brickdust, is of an unnatural colour, or has particles floating about in it, the kidneys are weak or diseased, and steps must imznedi­ ately be taken to restore their vigour, or Bright's

Disease, Diabetes, or some of the many manifes· tations of uric poisonillg will result.

The Live!.' is an automatic chemical laboratory. In the liver, various substances arc actually made from the b!ood. Two or three pounds of bile

are thus ·made by the liver ever day. . The liver taKes sugar from the blood, converts it into an· other form, and stores it up so as to be able to

again supply it to the blood, as the latter may re· quire enrichment. The liver changes uric acid, which is insoluble, into urea, which is completely soluble, and the liver also deals with the blood corpuscles which have lived their life, and are

useful no, longer.' When the liver is inactive or diseased, we suffer from some form of biliary poisoning such as Indigestion, Biliousness, Anremia, Jaundice, Sick 1,eadache, General De­ bility, and Blood Dis?rders.

So intimate is the relation between the work done by the kidneys and that done by the liver that where there is any failure on the part of

the kidneys, the liver becomes affected in SYI!l pathy, and vice versa. It was the realisation of the importance of this close union of . the labour of those ,·ita! organs which resulted in the die· covery of the medicine now 'know throughout t.1e world as \Varner's o::.afe Cure. Certain medi· cal men, knowing what boon it would be to

humanity if some medicine could be found whieh would act specifically on both the kidneys and liver, devoted themselves to an exhaustive eeareb for such a medium, and their de.votion was even· tually rewarded by their success in compounding a medicine which possesses the required quality in the full es t degree.'• Warner's Safe Cure ex­ hibits a marvellous healing action in all cases of functional or chl.'onic disease of the kidneys and li1·er, and restoring them, as it is able to do, to

health and activity. it, of necessity, t•ures ail complaints due to the retention in the system of nrinary nnd biliary poisons. A vigorous ac· tion of the kidneys and liver naturally eliminates the poisons, and troubles due to the presence of the poisons cease. Cures effected by 'Warner's Safe Cure are permanent simply because they are

natuml.

Warner's Safe Cure is made by the Kentucky Whiskey Distilleries . Company. It is white spirits and water, flavoured with inert herbs (see page 92). It has nine­ tenths the strength of whiskey. 1 ... . ........ . .. ···""'e u1 ueetnung

1 A, 2

• ddlc- THE REMEDI1\L '·V1\LUE

.tf:f3 ..

Of In cases of

gravel, gout, and rheumatism Is

popularly . known1

RESCUED FROrVI DRINK . b y a new discovery, odorless and t asteless, which

any lady can give_ in tea.. coffee, or !ood. It does

tta work so slJeotly aod s urely that whllo t ho de·

voted wife, sister, or daughter looks on, the drunkard Is, reclalro.ed, even against hts will, and without his Jmowlellge or co-opero.Uon. Send name and address to

THE EUCRASY CO., 62 HUNTER-ST.. SYDNEY, N.S.W ..

Ayer's

1'75

Ayer's Sarsaparilla.

659. This liquor is probably the most widely aclvertised in ?fall tne alcoholics, excepting Wolfe's Schnapps, amongst the alleged medwated spirits.

Potter says, page 133, " Careful physiological experiments with the drug sarsaparilla and its principle have so far given negative results." That view is upheld bv other pharmacologists. But Ayer's preparation contains a large proportion of the po.werful drugs podophyllum and iodide of potash.

Oct., I906J

1

307

• ;Mr. W. P. Wilkinson, Government !­

Analyst, said that, on 2nd August, Detective i Burvett handed him the bottle of Sar- !

·saparilla. produced. He had made a carefu] I, analysis of its contents, and ha-9. found it to contain 20, 7 per cent. absolute alcohol, !

whic4 corresponded to 44.5 per cent. o.f proof r spirit. Proof spirit was a mixture of alcohol and water, in almost equal proportions.

Asked by Mr. Meagher how this compared with the standard of whiskey, brandy and wine, Mr. Wilkinson said that whiskies :varied in their strength, but that the ave.rage

would be about 15 degrees under proof,

which was about double the strength of 'the Sarsaparilla. examined. Brandy was much

the same. Imported ports and sherries ranged

from 40 p€-r cent. to 45 per cent. These were

strong wines . -- Australian wines and sherries did not contain more than 35 per oont. of proof spirit. The Distillation Act did not '" allow them to contain more than that. Im­

ported champagne ranged from 23 per cent. to 26 per cent. of pro9f spirit. The Sarsaparilla was therefore twice as strong as champagne. Be measured the quantity of liquor in the ·bottle, an·d found it to contain 10 fluid ounces,

a. · 11 which was just half a pint. The total roof

pun · s irit was near! ha.If of the con nts e

n1 a oo t1e . 1" -ere wa!l no warnmg on the label,

than large so far as he could see that i

children and infants. rangmg muc strong semt. e wou d certa-inly re-

three ears 'li wards, were set out amongst gard 1£ as an mtoxicating liquor. t 1rec 10ns, u e bad bad considerable· Edward ·Robertson, F.R.C.S., Edipburgh,

trouble in fuiding them, and they did not ap- .said he was a legally qualified medical prac­ pear on .the label. As the Sarsaparilla con- titimier in the service of the Public Health tained twiee as much spirit as champagne, -Department. After nearing the evidence of ; and half as much as strong whiskey or Mr. Wilkins6n. he would say that the Sac­

brandy, he concluded tha0 it c:lame within the. saparilla was certainly liquor of an intoxicat­ definition of liquor under the Licensing Act. mg nature. I t would produce a verv lam ent-. Liquor was defined in Section 3 " as any wine, able effect both on infants and teetotallers. spirits, ale, beer, porter, cider, perry cr 6ci far as Sarsa arilla was concerned it had

<>ther spirituous fermented liquor of an in- lieen a o ute y 1scredJte a.n t rown out

toxica.ting nature." The mixture purchased of the. B.P. as a remed1al a!!ent .

·I d :i

J ., ,;

! j j

certainly came under this definition, as being: a spirituous liquor. Section 4 enacted that ·· ''Nothing in the Act should apply-t<> any apothecary, . registered pharmaceutical. chem­

ist or druggist or legally qualified medical practitioner who administers or sells any spitituous or fermented liquors for medidna,l purposes." The intention af the legislature

?v-a.y r-z:; -

...

was that had it not been for the saving e£-of clause 4, all the things mentioned in

that clause w.:mld have come within the Act.

660.

247

·'

t·:

" ;:·: t:;

,J ;

i

176

660. How Women are Taught to Drink Strong Alcohi;lics.' From Six to Twelve Bottles of Whiskey-substitute as "a Course."

AVER'S Sarsapari I Ia got me a bottle. She persuaded me to give it a thorough trial. Soon J noticed that the sore Qn my ankle began to heal, then the pain dimin­ ished, and after a course of six bottles I became as well as ever I was

in my life, and I remain in the best i>l health. "Everybody for milea around here knows whah tribulation I went 'through. I now recommend Ayer's Sarsaparilla to all who suffer from impure blood, and I am. glaJl to say that it has done good to all who

I thought th::.t if 1 did tho rosult would be tho samo as with tho other modi­ cines; but, to my great surprise, ::.!tor taking a few doses I felt :roai!y better, a,nd I continued until I had taken, in an, or I was then abl::l

to digost my food, and it made mo fee! like now roan. I now ttlwl.:,ys havo with me a supply o! Ayer's Sa:Gaparilb."-J.&.u:::c SuMr:rw, No::t!l· Terrace, Adelaide. S. A.

Attention is drawn to the number of bottles of spirits these persons are said to have taken. In reality the consumers drink larger quantities-up to many dozens for one person.

An A

tito left mo, and I was a

most Inisera.ble woman in .. deed. Having read of Aycr'a Sarsaparilla I thought I would try it. To JDY surprise, after taking ollly two bott1es I found myselt ;er"y much better in every way. After takimt six 00$;­ my ;nsagfceable faeJ..

ings left me, a"IlQ: r was complerelY ct.tred."

If your is poor_, your digestion imperfect, au4

··:you flli'Fllelvous and woalf, you PU&h> w '"k•

work, had no appetite, food distressed me, and I suffered much from headache. My skin was sa.!Jow, and sleep did not refresb me. I tried several remedies wi thou!; obtaining any relief. r· Finally, one of my customers recommended Ayer's Sarsapa.. rilla. It helped me from the first- in

fact, after taking six bottles I was com. pletely cured, and could eat anything and sleep like a child."

All t:un· clut tu '

will· ""I tiC'D ing that be 1 \toy. print bona l'ER There are many imitation Sarsaparillas. Be sure you get "AVER'S." Prepared by Dr.J. C.Ayer!Co.,Lowell,Masa., U.S.A. ' AYEIL'S PILLS, tlie ))est r:unlly luativo. '" -arl" so Ill both to rn"'n anJ worJwn. that 11 lxho"e' all who "il!ue lhcrrhealth,cilrdu!!yt;:) l al eguardth.:mr.civd 5Uch rJq;lOn the Kidney, Bladdr:r. othe r Orgo.n" that the Uric Aud prevcm.-d !rom c:.>l· lechng. and C(>UI. Rheum

"Els squa into per, in c

:MRS. LUKE MORRIS. GIVEN UP TO DIE. HAD SEVEN DOCTORS. PE .. R:U-NA S.! VED HER.

Mrs .. Luke A. :Mo:rla, Jaol;:.iOnv!lle, ·Fla .• writes:-"Pcruna has done me more good than any other medicine I have ever taken; j' and that is saying a good deal; as I

h have had seven doctors treating :me in I

B the past two years.

"I only wish I had begun taking your won· a deriul medicine some time ago, and I would

' have saved so many doctor bills.

n "I was com.plete}q run down·, aud given _ up to die; but Peruna braced ne up and me a good appetite.

"I have taken not six bott!If of Penma

'· rcnd"'v,:£ulc1,,;uof.,!Uve 1f \ill "l'or a m<'llicines m the world. .

d ':I thank yon for :i1 the good you have

done me. X hope every sick WO,Jl1an who reads my :aamo will give the :::nodicine a tt"ial."

·Fer spccla! everyone sh·o"ld road

"'I'be Ills of L!!e," a copy ol wl:tich ll'tll'roullill> "ach bottle. Perung, is fer sale by all cue­

mists aud druggists at five shillin¥"!1 psr wt-1) or six bottles for twenty-five shilling». o

.. .. '

ALCOHOL TOBACCO s.nd DRUG HABIT, Permanently cured at patients' own homes voluntarily or aecretly. Perfectly safe and effective, en(iorsed by the MediCllol Profession, Clergy· and the Press. Write for full particulars, everything fREE and I CONFIDENTIAL • .,. Address- fi "Aneleotic" Co. 90 Pitt-st. Sydney, 1\l.S. W. t 661.

't!.

177

661. How Drug-packers Get Victims. Drink and Drink-Cures. LIFE. June 15, 1905.

VITADATIO. Vitadatio ("Life-giving")

is white spirits and water flavoured with herbs. It is strong grog, for "abstainers" chiefly, the spirits being the active principle.

, <11h• Ropj

Stop Dragging Along. FUTITHF.R TESTIMONY FROM A GR.\TJ::. FUL PERSON. IF YOUR HOUSEHOLD OR BUSINESS CARES EXACT SO MUCH ENERGY THAT SOMETIMES YOU FEEL RUN CONSUMPTION NIPPED IN THE BUD llY WAS A DRUNKARD: I DOWN, IT IS WISE TO AT ONCE TAKE VlTAD.\TlO. IT MAY BE THAT YOUR WE'.K"NED STATE IS A. WA.RNlNG OF COMING ILLNESS, AND Vitadatio. Brunswick, 10 Eveline Street, Off Glenlyon Road. ' A Plucky tlerself to Cure her Father P of the Liquor Habit. Vitadatio ( Dear Sir,-My son, who is now fourteen ycara of age, bae been very ill off and on since he was four years, and about three years ago be wa.i WILL THUS SAVE YOU WEEKS OF UN· t oo ill that the doctor told me be wae developing NECESSARY SUFFERING AND POUNDS c He had a terrible oough, whieh , • ' • wae d1stressmg to listen to; be had fallen a way IN DOCTORS BILLS. to almost a skeleton At this time Mr Luxton BEGIN 'TAKING THIS REMEDY To.l! Sydney RQad, Cobu;g, advised me vir A: DAY, FOR THOUGH VITADATIO HAS i· DATIO, which I did. After first bottle I CURED, AND WILL CURE DISEASE IN ;r. a grea.t I co_ntrpued the me?i· ' \, ClDe: he gradually 1m proved until he became qu1te ITS ADVANCED FORMS, IT CURES THE • well. 1 VITADATIO 8 wonderful me-EARLIER STAGES QUICKER 'dicine, aa it has made a different boy of my son, Correspondence Invited. Write for Testimonials. \ whom I never expected to see healthy again. ] can recommend it to anyone, and will be glad to give _any information to anyone the same· complaint.-! remain, Sydney Road, Coburg. EMILY MACKEY I hereby certify to the above. I hat·e known the boy {or four years, during which time he was in very bad health. I advised his mother to give Vitadatio a trial, with the above re· suits.-Yours fa1thfully, F. H. LliXTON, Grocer, c;oburg. £, 0 ---

1 HER SUCCESS;

' 1' A portion f>f hf'r 1,"•\t\.1" ''".ttl' :1-. follow;, . ./

'"My fatlH't ha•l plOlitiS.eJ ftlt>llol'r to Mfup

_Urml>ing, and ,,c,uld Jo :.o for a tuue, ln1L thon

n,turned to tt

th.'l.n ever. Ooe day,

after a lerriblfl spree, htt "-:llll to us. • lt.'!i rm U:i.P.

I can'L stop drioktng.'

Our seem to turn

lo atone, and we decided

h?a

cvl' gave lnm

· t e remedy flntin·ly with· out bis knowledge. 1n h•!t tea, t:offet>, or fnoJ lt':.:'ll• brly. :tt;t·ordiOj.: t.o duoc. ti,ns, aud he ll+!VCr l

ht• tt Om•

nnHwl".d n.ll 1,,..,

;Je"•r0' t\., ''(l''ot. ;trJd !"ay, 1: .::; n,w

to. hin, II •S .uuJ

al."P wowhoM'u!!y Hllpto'IH;d, awl no r.uo

wotlld know bw1 for samd OJ;..t.D. it IS oow

tnnnth3_sinco gB-\'O it f.o bim. an•f we feel *'urA lhal. tbu \'ho.ngo ts for gc-od !;end mn onu of Y'JUJ 1little hrtoks. a.'! l waut to r,-i·.:u it tA a friend"

1'01\ FURTHER PARTICULARS:

• If y•m s1.md yonr- n.1.mo n.nrl addr-ess, :...nd (>r,d,>so •bln.mp to pay ]>0'31:.ago, tl) th0 War-d Chernic·tl a0•.i House. :.'05 Reg-•·nt Londvn, \V,

they will post of t-:> !vn•J

it i:i U&HJ Ul t-t>a., eoffet:, IJl" fu-c>d •

! ' ,,. It 4S9 t'

S. A. lpAJ.;MER. ,, I Head Oftlce 1 Flinders 1 Lane

ALL CHEMISTS AND STOREKEEPERS.

Melboul'neo' Ayer'sSarsaparillais equal to five-eighths whiskey. It is white spirits flavoured with a non-medicinal herb.

ror mutual advanULge when you write to an advertiser please meDtlon .. LUe.••

CURE

Drunkards There is a cure for Drnnkt'l • ness whkh has shed

radiance into thnusands of hitherto cle-s.olate 'homes. It (loes its work !SO silently anrl surely that \Vhile the devoted wife, si5ter, or brother looks on. the drn:ukard \s reda\med, even against hiR will. or ,..-ith· Ollt his knowledge or co·

operation. This famous remedy ••••••••IIi guided many a young man tor " sobriety and lnto the h'1gh Mrs. Geo. Fu\le-r,

road to fortune, and has f:.et n:-d ,tdw l 1n-w1 ,,_..,

the father, the brother, and ·.hfl;btwd.,

the son. If JOU send oame and and eoclo\\e !llfamp p-ay

postage. to tbe Ward Cbemtcal Co •. 293 Ccolury t1ou'!lt, lOS Regeot Strett, Loodoo. W .• they -.·ill post (oough of the remedy tree to show bow it is u::!oed io tea. coffee. or (uoo:.

Mrs. Oeorge Fuller says: ••t am nr..IJ' 11r·J thm!l.:/ul ffly httJlJand 11t"tre1 1lOW for inllJXiCOlillg (iqrwr

I ga't't htm Antidip-.m in hi.t ua ar1d £oUu, o"d 1/ luJJ

quite tntnlllim.u \Vith the

FREE TRIAL Packet will be books anrl frt">m hundreds who ha\-·e been Cll.red. ;:tnd t:\·erything IJt:t"ded to s-ave tho:i-e near ;1nd de::u to DON'T NEGLECT TO WRITE Tt1·0AY. Antidipso. XX

Tne photograpll anti letter we are privileged to 'publish below testify eloquently to' the value o.f l. Ayer's Sarsaparilla;

"ln my line ot buatnes&, Ylz... miner and prou-poctor on the field• In the W cot., one ts alwaya subJect to feoli:ug out o1 soJU: on accuunt of the diet. Se..-eral

tl rnc:s 1 had to give np work and medical advioo, which t.

e:s:pons1vo 1 got Do

relief. a.nJ tllcn t.ii.ed se-ven!

to:::ucs, one a.!tor tbet othe:r, but they did me ·no la:5ting good. Rea.dine atiou: 'Ayer's .Sa.rsapa. rdla, I gave triD.l. It did mo

more good, ""i:.h la.sting efieat, thau anytb1ng I ever took; o.nd I' now two or three

bottles out with tne and haTe

oo more 1ot expenat..-e

mediral bllb."- W M. TBOKP.. su:f, Hindley Adelaide, S. A..

Snch a testimonial shows bow valuable Ayer's Sarsaparilla iB to those who need strength, energy, a clear brain, and ability to proaecute life's work suscessfutly. It removes all feeling of exha'nstion, braces up, makes work eas1er, gives strength to the muscies, refreahea.and inv1gorates, and, best of all, takes out every impurity from the blood.

A YER'S Sarsaparilla The Greatest of All Nerve Tonics. Prcpa.red by DB. J. 0 . .dYER & CO., Lowell. MaD•·· 0, &,A.

Be sure that you are not Induced to take some other Sarsaparilla, claimed to be "just as good." Sec th"t you get "AVER'S" Sarsaparilla.

f'iH$ the liver; thcv cure biliousness.

For Mr. Pointing's Antidipso humbug (chlorate of potash and sugar), absolutely worthless and harmless, (see page 190). Observe how cunningly Mr. Pointing "keys" the a.bove advertisements. 662.

*97267-Z

249

178

662. (From the Ladies' Home Journal.)

THE "PATENT-MEDICINE" CURSE

VERY year, particularly iri the springtime, tens Q{ thousands of bottles of patent medicines are used throughout country by persons who are in absolute ignoranCe oi what they are ing. They feet ''·sluggish " after the indoor confinement; they

that their syStems a '' t011ing

t1p," or a ·• blood purifier." Tl1eir cp: 'some' advertisement in a newspaper, or on a

fence, or on rhe side of a barn. and from the deverly­ ,,·ordcd · descripti

'·.'tonk."

By Ed'Ward Eok

..

know them. No woman has a moral right to give a medi· cine to her child, or to any member of her family, or to take any medicine herself, tile ingredients of which either she does not know or has not the assurance of a responsible physician to be harmless. There is nothing so danger­ ous as drugs useJ without in•.dligence or t

form of economy y.·hicb has e\ff practiced. The fact that these patent rneqiciocs will son1eti:!nes gh·e a supposed sense of relief, Or tvne up a system,

makes them all the more

in these preparn.tions often xives a seme of temporary weiH>eing. Opium, as we an knOM', will soothe pain,

'· N 0 USE going to a doctor, h a.rgue thesQ. folks: '' we while cocaine. urilJ .su'mutate and excite, mnking the

fT tS not by a.r.y means putting the matter too strongly to say that the patent-medicine habit is one of the gravest curses, with the most dangerous results, that is inflicting our American national life. Sooner or later the people of America must awaken to the fearful gers that lie in these proprietary preparations. The mothers of m1r e:.'"lildren, in particular, must have their eyes cpene-d to the dangers that lurk in these patet"" medicines. Here and there a hopeiul sign of an awak· ening is seen. Slowly but surely the best magazines are falling into title in their refusal to ac:cept advertisements of any kind. Not long ago one of the insurance comp..'lnit:S made an excellent move by requir­ ing its t

11

insurance, •• Wbat patent medicines have you used dur· ing tl!e last fi,·e years? '• and gradually other insiuauce companies Me realizing the bet that the use Ql patent medicines is even more injurious than the use of akohoJic liquors. But much still remains: more should be done.

Public interest must be more widely aroused.

can save that money,., and instead of paying one · bf'lggarfeel a millionaire. ThemL'Ctures containing these or two dortars for honest,.inte:ligent medical advice they drugs are freely taken jy people whowquf,f he nut raged invest from twenty-five tOS:eventy-five <::ents {or a bottle of at the ,·ery thought 1,[ ):;"oing into a .u1

do they put into their systems? Few know. · Fewer· any one suggest-ed that a drink of whisky three times a unpalatable a<> were my previous words to the realize the absolute damage they

themsekes and their households. For the sake of a campaign lies before that organization. It is not

Sa\·ing a physician's tee they pour into thetr mouths ing the case by a?y means, as the officers ofthatorganiza-

and into their·systems a quantity of unknown drugs The Alcohol in ""Patent Medicines.. tionhave..,rittenme,thattheyhaveadepartmentoftheir which have Ln them percentages of alcohol, Cocaine and work devoted to this evfl. Not enough has been done,

opium· that are absolutely alarming. A mother who nor has sufficient emphasis been laid on this branch of would hold uc her hands· in bo'ly horror at the thought Mnsacbusetb State Board Anal)·st, in ttit- pub- work, nor enough prominence been c iven to it, nor of her child drinking -a gbss of beer; which c::ootains lished documt:nt No. 34 : enough well-directed energy been put into the effort. from two to fn'e per tent. oi a1ccihol, g\ves to th2.t child P'erefl>t Hundreds of the mo<>t zealous members of the Woman's with her own hands a patent medicine.thatcontainsfrom .. !::l Christian Temperance tiving on fs.rms and iJt seventeen to per cent. of alcohol- to say noth- Compound -:::6 small communities, are allowing the advertisements of irig of opium and cocaine! l have seen a temperance Dr. Williams's Vegetable Bitters _ 18.5 these akohol-fiJied "remedies" to be painted on their woman, who raged at the tho't.lght of whisky, take bottt.e Whiskol, •• a non-intoxicating 'Stimulant" 2s. 2 fences, barns, sides of houses and outbuildings. If the . after bottle oi some·'' Uittt:rs," \\i•icb co:JtaiJwd fi\·e Liquid lkef Tonic,·' officers of the \\"oman's Christian Temperance Union t·imes as n1uch alcohol-and wmparcd to which sherry, are in earnest in this matter why do they not notify each. rage in letters to this office because- this mttga.zine adver- Allen's Sarsaparilla rJ 5 that they will efface these advertisements from tlleir tiSt-.-.d. a certain rootbeer, with really no alcohol in it at . lands and houses and buildings, and keep them Off?' all, while all the time these same women were 2g They would soon find out how manr of their members ing bottle after Pottle of" Lydia Pinkham's Vegetable Oil. 18 are lending direct aid to the spread of alcoholism·among .?)D" ovkoelur'ms eS, •. : the people___..;. unconsciously, perhaps. but none the less " .... " Wigwam To11 ic 20 7 surtl)·· If these members are unaware of what they art with 42.6 percentagt of ikohol. by volume, to be advtr- Hoo6and's German Tonic . . 29--J doing let the organization make them.'" aware of it! \\sed· on their barns! G Howe's Arabian Tonic,'' not a rum dri11k ·• 13.2 Ibnorance in this matter is absolute!}' rto excuse when . · . . the means of enlightenment are easil}· at hand. LET I ffi f l \\' · Cl · , T suffering some of the discomforts mcident to this <:ondi- BaJtter's Mandrak:r Bitters 16.5 tion when a friend recommended to her as a sure relief ions papers of the country, and see how· their colunms from these discomiorts a pateht medi- Greent's 17.2 fairly ree-k with the advertisements oi these dangerous cine known as "Doctor Pierce's Fa...-orite Prescrip· Hartshom's Bitters · · · n.2 concoctions. Yet in these vety same so-called religious tlon." FortuiJately, a doubt arose in the mind of the German Billers, ,. entirely 25 _ 6 papers there are official \\'oman's Christian Temperapce young mOther as to whether it was really a good thing Hop Bitters . 12. Union columns setting forth the · · official '• news of tlie for her to take. She ASked Miss Maud Banfield, THE Sromach Bitters · · 44-3 organization and its branches. A consistent }o\JRNA.l.'S editorial staff. for advice; whereupon we .. ture do t-hese rwo portions of religious paper communicated with Doctor Samuel \V. Abbott, Secre- zo.s per eent. of alcohol and no sulphur) 2o.5 pre5ent-ad\.·ocating, with one hand, alcoholic prohibi- ta.ry of the State Board of Health of Massachusetts, who Puritana . . . . . 12. tion, or temperance, and receiving, with the other hand, quotes the following e)C.tract from an analysis mlaster, this is absorbed through the skin, and poisons the and :Print the percentage oi alcohol w11ich they contain, their publishers to omit these adn:-rtiscments, and if tl!e1 baby. How much more, then, must it be influenced dur- if it were not that the facts are precisely as they are here refuse, let these people discontinue their patronage ot ing the e:'Ven closer contact of C;m rou wonder given, And no one krwws better the truth of thest the paper. Such measures would n:'ry quickly shut ot1t that the baby is always fretlul It may 'ilnalyses than the proprietors or manufacturers of these from pubki

251

179

663. Alcoholic Frauds and Bogus Alcohol Cures are much pushed by quasi-religious, family, and school journals to be read by women. They stand in strong contrast to the Ladies' Home Journal, which denounces all such frauds (vide page opposite).

! • HALF 0 U R ll LS ·ARE CATARRH" '

i

I I

I '

DrunkennesS( Quickly, Safely and Absolutely·

CURED AT HOME. ·DB. LANGSTON's Vegetable Cure cannot !ail MAY BE CIVEN'·sECRETLV. A few doses produce a wonder ful change. The

cravibg for a.ll intoxicants will be destroyed. th,, oer'1es become steady, the appecitc for food will return, refreshing sleep . My cure wm

surpriee and delight you, ·

Ol

HarJe finished the course. whkh hnJ e.Uected c& I hR.oe no ,fea:h·e tot' d,·ink. {n fact have a.

rtpuvnanet to the t•ery iden &.f if. J"oun gratefully, R.G.

Write for Treatise, No. Posted "REE. Ad

WM. LANCSTON, M.R C.S , &NG. 129 COLLINS STREET, . MI:LBOtiRht.

' <

"Every famiiy should know the ; "fact tbat catarrhal dis· ;! eases claim many thausaods of victim> in Australia and Africa year. In ,spring and summ1r. catarrn ef tha stemach, bowels. hv&r, kidneys arid pelv;c organs ts most common_ .. "

0

, -·S. B. HARTMAN, M. .

j u.:-11 ootu e. ·Per uno. t or oil 1

Cleanse The Vitiated Blood see

Its impurities Bursting through The Skin In Pimples, 'Blotches

Rely on Sulphur Bit• tera and Health will

follow.

Kaufn;,1ann's Sulphur Bitters contain no sul­ phur, but are advertised to contain no alcohol. The liquor is made up of white spirit to half the strength of whiskey.

GRAVEL AND STONE.· \1 UI.: U 0,1 ·'LVUC •'" uoe>o o u ' ""' ..... ..,'" ·' o.• '"' @-\ LV iJillbll t.UlUUI;O toe

(1>1>\Sl.I:ZI· IC:l•lin_: iuto lh1• rht • nasl'Oot:!r> dropsy sets 10,

1 L l:t ticut W:l)" dtt· ill :1 hour.s .

When •tOOfO!'I rt>mnin in thr hhuldf'c· tlm:v to a ,;:reat size. some-

; :'Ill Qrau:.:c •. :cnd l br.v fn>(Jllt!TJlly _fl:n·<' 10 hP cut out

'fi.JC l c>llo"'in.!! inrlie:ltt• o1· ;:t;J''f' l 1n the kidneys Olf bladden

,. \.':liuful itd1iOJ; of rh•· _ sPut of pnin in the legs and

,(,·\ , 11 !'t'nsat ion in r••<>t:cl rP;::!'J()II ; .. ODY SU('•

''II .· nrio:.J L.iull ;•ar•.•."'i.\': iclut-y:-o 10 colie-;"

· p :1i0, \\'ill! .-;llt.Jd •· n

; j to

•.

0

t 1 ;:;:

;j c:o adition u f I liP. ;.cml urinary :-.vsu•w the wu t.E> r.hhl

•: { tion 1.1111i1 it. frotu1ll1.' bod.\·. ·Jo Cb <: deposited in the

o '"I hlaol•h:r.

) 1

Safe Cure i

.

II! I CS tOfi?C: 10 tht' l,tol n L". -.; l/11'11 fl3tUr:11 :J

\\Oillllll't! rc od llltlt'O''"" of thP urwary Jtssotves the

torn,,'• \. .nul f'll'"'""'" hu till'! lonJJ'ifiiW

I" fit .. ooly t't'tDedy m !!u· wnrl

.u any medicinal forw uf treatment it will etrel'l a cure,

•· • •· •· ll DISEA.SE.

· or Co1tarru or U1P. tCrstitisl Is uslr.IUJ' dur. to lOll%:

- ..... "lfe<·L or irrll.atin;: llnJt;:'. :-;n·ic·tun!, eclur;;Ptocot ot tlle Prostalll - ·- ,...,me or ;r.{w·J. exnosun= 1.0 cold, &1 -.. ··: • . .

J - ... ,..P. :md latter

- · .. •o snmmCL. to cold

Concocted by the Kentucky Whiskey Dis­ tilleries Company. Has nine-tenths the strength of whiskey, and has no medicinal property for the ills advertised. 664.

. ;

. : r:

180

664.

.... ........

i; .A SUPERIOR TONIC

FOR CONY ALESCENTS.

Pe ... ru-na, By Increasing the Appetite and Aiding

Digestion, Brings Speedy Restoration.

• __ ..

"I Hane Never Known

Anything . Which

So Quickly

Restore

Convalescents:

As 'Pe-ru-na." -Agnes Dale Smlth.

Agnes Dale Smith, 435 Cardigan-street, Carlton, Victoria. . a graduated nurse

trom the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne. Victoria, writes:-"For nine years I have nursed both in hospitals aJid private oaau • "I have had considerable ezperienoe in attendiq patients who ·were slow in recovering after cases o:t severe fev e1'1!. ·

. ..I have aevev known anythi.nJ:· which would so qulckl,. re1tore the con'lal'" eacent. a.11 Peruna. · ·

"I have observed itll e:!rect• in sev era! instances where the patient waa unable to take' food or retain it en the domach, and found that, with the aiel of Peruua, they were a-:,le to take and retain food within a day, a:td, as stomach became •tren.gtb.ened., they would soon have a good appetite, which. meant speedy .:restoratiOD. :to health.

"I have used. it :bt. my· hoae ,aad for children under :r:ny care, and found that. for craJOpiJ, colic, catanh. and. cldldren'e ailments, Peruna is superior to aa::-thing I have ever used. _

"I have heal"d a n.uw.'ltelii> of dootCN agree. that Peruna was a ver,. aupe:do:L' tonio.''-Agu.e• Dale S:m:lth.

P ROB.i\.BL Y no medicine ever- devised by the medical profession has been used with such e;reat success · a tonic for convalescents as

Perona. '!' .

What is needed, therefore, to eradicate th!si di3ease Is a medicine that will act directly UPO.ll! these membranes.

Typhoid !ever, pneUI!loni!l, and a number o! other acute diseases, leave the mucous mem­ branes in a fiabby, weak concUUC!'A-an easy prey to any disease corms or baoillt wttli whch they may be brought in contact.

These membranes are fntended as a protection to the Inner organs or the bodY, very much ali the skin is a protecti@ .t.o the surface ct the body. .

It they are Qiseased. and fa.ll. to pertorm their office, the'entire system 111 In diUI&:el'. Catarrh is one of the most frequent. allments to attack the l!lembranea wl;Ule 111.. their rlll!lst­ le$S conditiou.

catanh Is ·a ·ttlsease -wholl)" -ooat.l'l94:- .to. the mucous mem'branes.

..... V AW

Peruna is such a remedy. i

It baa. a direct effect upon the m1,1oous .,mem- j branes, healing, and etreQathenilll

them, no matter w wbat part- ot- tb&- bod7· nuw 1 may be located. . · I

Special i:o.ts'i:ruotions for 'thti UIO. efPo .. be found on the label of eaoh

bottle, also :in Dr. Hartl!llan's Bookl'llt. .. The Dis o£ Li:l'e," which can be obtaln.- ·. ed from your druggil!t. For special direct!on :, everyone nhould read "The U• of Life," a copy c1 which surrounds each bottle. Peruna is for sale by all·· ebe­

mlsU; and .:rt·:glsts at five ·sh!llin!:'J bqttle. or six bottles for twenfy-f!ve shiUiilgs. •

'4'4

666.

181

665. Peruna, and The Australasian Chemist and Druggist, October, 1906. ·- C' ' -:f;

The PP-rn-na Drng· Manufacturing Co. to ns a letter, nndated, which reached ns on Sep"'

temher 11, complainmg of the editorial in onr JniJ Issue on "Pe-rn-na and other Al cG.holic Proprie­ tanes." The letter 1\'ould fill at the very least.

pa.ge _ of onr JOnrnal, and while ll'e are al\\·a.ys glad­ to g1ve spacE' for both stdes of any chscnsstoH, tltc nutst lle kept \\'lthin rea,onable

hnuts. _Tha. lettet' says the·re mnst be so u1" ;lnimns at the back or <·llr editona.J · that, ,,-p kll0\1" t-hat no­ fluid medicine containing-_ mgreUJents conld

be put upon the ma.rket 1\"ithstanrl . he \"icissitndes of. climate a nd _a ge a. le,, ·perceHtage of alco­

hol; that practtcally ail tinctures. ,·lixirs, and flnicl extract's contain because there is .no other

effective 'l•:ay to make the drugs valuable; that we have selected Pe-ru-na. among other alcoholic ,pro­ prietaries for attack ; that P e-ru-na hn.s been sold for -five-and-twenty years; that Dr. · Hartmann the

proprietor,. IS , rdent· elie r · · t em eran n'

a teetotaller ' 1s t 1 , med ·-

c 1 or lmscl 1 I fne11 s;

1s s range ·t at Pe-ru-na s oul · be at ac ;:ed

long before any possible hann could have been done in Australia. · ost significant o all is the next

firm a a years een recog-

the most extensive and liberal advertisers in the United States; they were about to open a cam­ paign of advertising in Australia with the · expendi­ ture of a. large sum of money; this would consist largely of bona fide testimonials; then folloll"s the sentence :-'' Is it your purpose to assist in the cir­ culn.t-ion of such - damaging and fabe reports con- cerning P e-ru-na as ossibl com el it s to 'ithdra.w our a.d rom 'Olll cOuil-..t..i::.Y:l us 1s your purpose . we ou very 1iiiich \\li"ether any considerable number of your fello\\"­ citizens 1\'0uld indorse your attitude." · ., This lette r has been published as an advertisement in one at least of the Australian papers. On re­ ceipt we communicated with the local representa­ ttve of the company, and are surprised to find that publicity has been. given to the letter in tl1is way. It puts upon us the necessity of 1·eplying. The 11·holc object-Ion t{) Pe-ru-na tums on the large pro­ portion of alcohol that it contains, the small extent· to 11·hi ch it is medicated, and the recommendation: that it should be administered liberally to childre11 a ud otlwn<. The alcohol is not necessary; the m, ._. 111 ' could he made a lycerine rP > I" · n 11· ut ·anv s a an ;q::te - .() 1 s lne ol the inc(ln­"'tt>II<'.V of hlilll il ll untnre. · · . , So clearly is the true nature of this "cure" rooognised in the United. States that it is sold largely in the prohibition towns, where when a ma-n is seen drunk, and especially if he is more than usually obstreperous, he is said ·to be "Pe-ru-na drunk." 1'he U.S. Government has for­ bidden Pe-ru-na to be sold to the India ns, on account of its well-koown intoxicating properties. And there are numerous instances on record of innocent people -in some oases, sad to relate, young girls-becoming unwittingly · slaves of the drink habit through taking Pe-ru-n& for some real or supposed ailment. c

pared with Whiskey. 666. In making the comparison it will be understood that there is no implication that the advertised nostrums contain any whiskey at

all. It is usually, if not always,

potato spirit or white spirit from fermented molasses, the worst of ethyl-alcohol because of impurities, whilst some have been shown to contain wood spirits. In any case

sound whiskey would be thrown away upon compounds whose flavourings would altogether dis­ guise it. Besides, " the exigencies

of business " do not demand any exercise of care, and all the philan­ thropy wlll be found in the adver­ tisements. Moreover, the Customs

are not like the svrindled public. When a liquor is labelled " Non­ alcoholic," or "non-intoxicating," or " Sulphur :Bitters, contains no

alcohol," or " recommended for the treatment of the alcohol habit," those lies pass muster with the journals for women and for girls'

schools, as also with temperance unions and with hosts of temperate and intemperate people, but not at all with Customs officers. It is a

question of money and the State most properly looks after it. As to the public,-well, the lies have their vogue and the grave hides a multitude of sins.

667. Proof spirit contains 49·24 per cent. ethyl alcohol;-say,

half spirit and half water. Whiskey is about 20 per cent. under proof when bottled, say, 40 per cent. of alcohol. Therefore, the proportions

of these so-called "Patent Medi­ cines " are as f 0llows. Sixty of

these analyses are supplied in one list:-Conside1·ably stronger th.an Whiskey. Hostetter's Stomach Bitters (10 per

cent. stronger). Richardson's Sherry Wine Bitters (16 per cent. stronger). Boker's Stomach Bitters. Parker's Purely Vegetable Toni-::.

Neady as strong as WILiskey.

Warner's Safe Tonic (nine-tenths). Hooftand's German Tonic (three-fourths). Peruna (about three-fourths). Wbiskol, "a non-intoxicating stimulant" (about three-fourths). Burdock's Blood Bitters (five-eighths).

Ayer's Sarsaparilla (five-eighths). Hoofiand's German Bitters, "entirely vegetable " (five-eighths). Purely Vegetable Tonic, "recommended for inebriates" (83 per cent.). Lower

253

,.

.: .. ··

'!·;·

.;•

. •.

::

I/

Taylor, pp. 695, 696.

182

Lower Strengths,

Bitters, "entirely free from alcoholic stimulants" (over one-half). Lydia Pinkham's Vegetable compound (one-half). Paine's Celery Compound (one-half). Carter's Physical Extract (over one-half). Thayer's Compound Extract of Sarsaparilla (over one-half).

Hartshorn's Bitters (one-half). Hooker's Wigwam Tonic (over one-half). Puritana (over one-half). Warren's Bilious Bitters (over one-half). Faith Whitcomb's Nerve Bitters (over one-hal£). Kaufmann's Sulphur Bitters, contain no sulphur, but advertised to "contain no alcohol" (over

one-half). Schenck's Sea-weed Tonic (one-half). Jackson's Golden Seal Tonic (one-half). Vinol, Wine of Cod-liver Oil (about one-half).

Hood's Sarsaparilla (about one-half). Dr. Williams' Jaundice Bitters (about one-half). A non-intoxicating stimulant (over one-half). Liquid Beef Tonic, "recommended for treatment of alcoholic habit" (over one-half).

Allen's Sarsaparilla. Dana's Sarsaparilla. Brown's Sarsaparilla. Dr. Pater's Kuriko. Howe's Arabian Tonic.

One-third Whiskey and Ocer

Mensman's Peptonized Beef Tonic. Baxter's Mandrake Bitters. Greene's N ervura.

Injury and Death from Aloes and other Vegetable Purgatives. 668. These different substances, which are used in small doses as medicines, are liable, when taken frequently or in large quantities, to excite vomiting, purging, and other symptoms of irritation. Colocynth has occasioned death in several instances. In one case a teaspoonful and a half of colocynth powder destroyed life; and I drachm of gamboge, a medicine much used by quacks, has proved fatal to a man (Traill's "Outlines," p. 150). Aloes and colocynth mixed are said to be the basis of the quack medicine sold under the name of Morrison's Pills, These have proved fatal m many instances from exhaustion produced by excessive purging from the large quantity taken in frequently repeated doses. Our knowledge of the symptoms and appearances produced by these irritants is, indeed, chiefly derived from eases which have proved fatal under this treatment. In the seventeenth volume of the

Medical Gazette will be found four cases of this description. The most prominent symptom is excessive purging, with a discharge of large quantities of mucus; the individual becomes exhausted and slowly sinks. In some instances the symptoms are those of inflammation and ulceration of the bowels. In 1836 a man was convicted of having caused the death of a person by the administration of these (Morrison's) pills. In this instance the death of the deceased was clearly due to the medicine, and on inspection the stomach was found inflamed and ulcerated ; the mucous membrane of the small intestines was inflamed and softened, and there was the appearance of effused lymph upon it. Holloway's Pills are of a more innocent description. The principal ingredient in them is aloes. In all eases it must be remembered that these drastic purgatives may cause serious symptoms, or even death, when administered to infants, or to persons debilitated by age or disease; and it is not necessary that the dose should be large in order that the fatal effects should follow. The question here will be, whether the medicine caused death or whether it simply accelerated it, although in a legal view that which accelerates causes.

869. Hierapicra (Holy Bitter) is a popular aloetic compound, and one death is reported to have been produced by it in 1837-8. There is reason to believe that it .is occasionally used for the purposes of producing criminal abortion. A man was tried and convicted of this offence (Aylesbury Lent Ass., 1857, R. v. White), and the noxious properties of this compound then became a subject of inquiry. The dose, and the condition of the woman to whom it was administered, will, of course, affect the answer to this question. At the trial above mentioned it was probably considered to be a noxious substance within the meaning of the statute. The fact that, under the name of Pulvis Aloes cum Oanella, it was formerly admitted into the British Pharmacopreias, cannot justify the mischievous uses to which it may be put. Hierapicra is a snuff-coloured powder, of an intensely bitter taste. It consists of four parts by weight of aloes and one part by weight of canella bark. The proper medicinal dose was formerly fixed at from

5 to 15 grains. Its injurious effects on pregnant females are chiefly due to the aloes. This specially affects the rectum, and by continuity, under violent irritation or purging, may affect the uterus. From the taste and colour which it imparts to liquids it is not probable that it could be taken by a female unknowingly.

670. A singular case occurred in Germany, where a medico-legal question was raised respecting the poiS',·nous properties of aloes. A woman, ret. 43, not labouring under any apparent disease, swallowed two powdered drachms of aloes in coffee. Violent purging supervened and she died on the following morning, twelve hours after having taken the medicine. On inspection the stomach was found partially and the small intestines extensively inflamed. There were no other particular appearances to account for death,

and this was referred to th3 effect of the aloes,

Potassium

183'

Potassium> Bromide.,

671. In the Lancet for 4th April, 1896, page 939, is the report of an inquest held in Essex on a man who probably died from overdoses of bromide of potassium. Suffering from neuralgia, he had been in the habit of taking this salt in doses of from 2 to 3 drachms. The drug does not appear to have produced any of the usual symptoms of bromism, but may have caused the palpitation of the heart of which the deceased had frequently complained. During the night of 23rd March he felt very cold and gave two deep gasps, and almost immediately expired. The mediqal practitioner who was sent for stated at the inquest that he found the deceased

quite dead, his mouth wide open, the eyes half closed, and the pupils somewhat dilated. A bottle containing the drug was on the table, and examination showed that it was pure bromide of potassium. The witness attributed death to failure of the heart's action caused by taking the bromide.

On the above case the Lancet remarks:-672. It proves in a marked manner the danger of taking any drug, however harmless it may be reputed to be, in large and repeated doses without the advice of a medical man. No doubt in this instance a medical attendant would have recognised the depressant action the salt was exerting on the

heart, and would have discontinued its use. Even in the most modern works on therapeutic3 this danger is not mentioned, yet it is well known that all potassium salts cause "depression, shown by the diminished energy of contraction of the cardiac muscle, with final stoppage in diastole."-(T. Lauder Brunton.) As this bromide is constantly administered in large and repeated doses, the action of its basic constituent

should always be borne in mind, and if signs of a depressant effect are observed, it should be abandoned, the bromide of some other base being selected if in other respects the action is beneficial. Many secret remedies for "fits" contain this drug in large quantities, and it is evidently desirable that the public should be warned that their use is not unattended with danger.

673. A few years ago large doses o£ the bromide (3 dms. every hour for twelve and even twenty-four hours) were recommended as a treatment for chorea, the object being to throw the patient into a bromide sleep. Since this letter was published the editor has been made acquainted with two cases in which the treatment ended fatally, notwithstanding the cessation of the drug as soon as sleep had been procured, but the patients had each taken twelve doses in twelve hours. The official dose is 5 to 30 grains.­ (Taylor.)

Danger and Death from "Gout Pills." 674. The Gout Pills, made chiefly for and largely sold in Australia (Blair's and Paternoster's), also Reynold's Gout Specific, contain the deadly colchicum, or that " leaves no post-mortem evidences," and from which we have

records of deaths. One of these nostrums-that most used in Australia-is issued from a dirty little shop in the East-end of London, where there is no State supervision-nor is there anywhere else in Great Britain­

of quality, quantity, mixing, or formula, or anything. The proprietors do exactly what they like, and when deaths occur that are IT).ade known to professional men through

official journals-not one in one·hundred, the toxicologists say, of those that do occur from actual poisoning-the drug-packer proceeds as before.

Lancet, 1881, page 368 :-675. A patient died with symptoms that pointed to poisoning. He had taken Gout Pills of colchicum. A fellow box to that whose contents he had taken was

obtained, and the pills were found to be as hard as a

stone, so that it is probable that the pills remained for a length of time undissolved, and accumulated in the and bowels until the dose may have become a

one.

RH EO-M:t\J:-fSM.

.GOUT . ·

Arc-recon:;me.nded. by docttrs 1

dence as one medical science;'f and t the tonly t remedy ever discovered for"' these, disorders, in that they nc>t only rapidly/cure but pre• vent the recurrence .. ofithe · malady.

, Of Chemists and Stores, 1/1!, and 2/9 per boX. Proprictors-PROUT &_CO., 229. Strand, l.ondon, England. ,

. Carter's Little Liver Pills contain-! grain of the potent drug podophyllin m each p1ll.

Doan's Backache Pills also contain podophyllin.

Clarke's Blood Mixture.-The active constituent is potassium iodide, 6 grains to the ounce. Cases of death from the drug (iodide) have occurred. Children are especially prone to its dangerous effects (Taylor). Six grains might be dangerous to an adult, according to his condition. Formulre

255

184

Formulre-.-and of Secret Drugs (Potter's " Materia Medica.") • 677. Ayer's ague Cure (on sale in Australia).-This, according to Churchill's analysis, is alleged to consist of a syrupy tincture of Peruvian bark with aromatics, each bottle holding 6 fluid ounces, and each fluid ounce containing 3·2 grains of amorphous cinchona alkaloids, 3 grains of cinchonine, 0·7 grains cinchonidine, 0·8 grains of quinine, and 1 grain of quinidine. Ayer's Cherry Pectoral (on sale in Australia).-Morphinre acetat., 3 grains; vini antim. et potass tartrat., 3 drachms ; vini ipecacuanbre, 3 drachms; tinct. sanguinarire, 2 drachms; syr. pruni Virginian, 3 oz. Ayer's Pills (on sale in Australia).-Consist of colocynth, gamboge, and aloes, coated with starch and sugar. Ayer's Sarsaparilla (on sale in Australia).-Alcohol, 3 oz.; fluid extr. of sarsaparilla, 3 oz.; fluid extr. of stillingia, 3 oz. ; fluid extr. of yellow dock, 2 oz.; fluid extr. of podophyllum, 2 oz. ; sugar, 1 oz. ; potassium iodide, 1! drachm; iron iodide, 10 grains. What the advertisements say of this nostrum. If you ·are sick, you cor-.. tainly should give Ayer's Sar4 saparilla a thorough trial. It cannot fail to help you, for it, Eifief t?c of Then your nerves become and strong, and the hot weather of summer does not affect you. itj!?, a wonderful medicine for the children, too, when they ara gale and laD:gU@. Put your conydence ir' for there is no family medicine in the 1ts equal. 678. Brandreth's Pills (on sale in Australia).-Podophylli radicis, 10 grains; extracti podophylli, 10 grains; extr. phytolaccm baccm, 30 grains; pulv. caryophylli, 10 grains; cambogire, 2! grains; ol. menthre piperitre, 3 minims; croci, 2 grains; misce, fiat massa, et div. in pil. xxiv. (Hager.) Castoria (on sale in Australia).-Senna, 2 oz. av.; pumpkin seed 6 drachms; Rochelle salt, 4 drachms; wormseed, Levant, 3 drachms; sodium bicarbonate, 2 drachms; anise seed, 1 drachm; oil of gaultheria, i dmchm; oil of peppermint, Jr drachm; sugar, 8 oz. av.; water, enough to make 16 fluid ounces. Exhaust the vegetable drugs by boiling with water, evaporate to the proper volume, and dissolve the sugar and other ingredients. (Western Druggist.) Chlorodyne, Collis Browne's (on sale in Australia).-Morphine hydrochloride, 6 grains; chloro• form, 1 drachm; cannabis indica (extract), 6 grains; prussic acid (Scheele's), 6 minims; treacle, to make 1 oz.· Dose: 10 to 30 minims. (Hygiene.) Clarke's Blood Mixture (on sale in Australia).-Potassium iodide, 48 grains; chloric etheri drachms; liquor potassre, 30 minims; water, coloured with burnt sugar, 7! oz. Dose: One tablespoonful four times a day. (Hygiene.) l Ely's Cream Balm consists of-Vaseline, l oz.; thymol, 3 grains; bismuth carb., 15 grains; ] wintergreen, 2 minims. The directions are to dip the little finger into the balm a.nd insert up the nostrils, giving two or three full inhalations. (Medical Record.) Garfield Tea (on sale in Australia).-Consists chiefly of senna leaves and couch grass (triticum, with aromatics. (Prof. Lcngfield.) 679. Hamburg Tea (on sale in Australi:::).-Sonnro foliorum, eight parts; mannro, four parts; conandri, one part. Hamlin's Wizard Oil.-Spt. camphorw, 1 oz.; spt. ammonire, -k oz.; olei sassafras, i o.z.; ole) terebinthinre, i oz.; chloroformi, i oz.; alcoholis, q.s. ad. 5 oz. Helmbold's Buchu (said to resemble the genuinc).-Short buchu, 9 oz.; uva ursi, 4i oz.; licorice root, 10 drachms. Macerate in 9 pints of boiling water, strain, and add caramel, 2 oz.; molasses, 8 oz. Mix well, and add cubeb (fluid extract); alcohol, 5 oz.; peppermint oil, 1 oz.; water, sufficient to make 12 pints. ("Lillard's Prac. Hints and Formulre.") Hoiloway's Ointment (on sale in Australia).-Has, in 159 parts: Olive oil, 62! parts; lard, 50 parts; resin, 25 parts; white wax, l2i parts; yellow wax, 3 parts; turpentine, 3 parts; spermaceti, .V parts. Holloway's Pills (on sale in Australia).-Aloes, 62 grains; rhubarb, 27 grains; saffron, 3 grains; Glauber's salt, 3 grains; pepper, 7 grains. (Dorvalt.) Hostetter's Bitters (on sale in Australia).-Sacchari albi, 1 lb.; aurantii corticis, l'lb.; calami, I lb.; cinchona), I lb.; gentianre, I lb.; rhei pulv., 4 oz.; cinnamomi, 2 oz.; caryophylli, l oz.; alcoholi& dil uti, 2 gallons. ( M ed. Bulletin, 1884.) 680. Laville's Gout Mixture (on sale in Australia).-Calcium chloride, chinoidin, of each. 5 grammes ; extract of colocynth, 2·5 grammes; water, 85 grammes; alcohol, 100 grammes; Spanish wine, 800 grammes. Made into a solution. A pill of very complicated composition is used in connection with the gout remedy. (Hager.) Professedly" colocynth." There is reason to believe it is colchicine. Liquozone

185

Liquozone (on sale in Australia).-One sample was found to contain a total acidity o:f 1·34 per cent., of which 1·18 per cent. was in the :form of sulphuric and sulphurous acid. Other samples have shown an acid content as high as 1·73 per cent., indicating that the product is not by any means uniform in its composition. (North Dakota Agricul. College.)

681. Morrison's Pills (on sale in Australia).-Powdered colocynth, 3 grains; powdered gamboge, 6 grains; powdered aloes, 9 grains; cream of tartar, 12 grains; also, syrup enough for 12 pills. Serious results are often produced by large doses of these pills. (Several deaths are recorded.-O.C.B.) Perry Davis's Pain Killer (on sale in Australia).-Tinct. capsici, 1 oz.; spt. camphoroo, 2 oz.

guaiaci resinoo, i oz.; alcoholis, 3 oz.; tinct. myrrhoo, q.s. ut coloretur. Pierce's Favourite Prescription.-Sabinoo, 2 drachms; cinchonoo, 2 drachms; agarici albi, 2 drachms; cinnamomi, 15 grains; coq. in aq. suff. et ft. decoct., 8 oz. Deinde cola, et adde: sacchari albi, ! oz.; acacioo, 1 drachm. Solve, et addantur: tinct. opii deodorat, i drachm; tinct. digitalis,

l drachm; ol. anisi, gtt. viii, in alcoholis, 1! oz. Misce. (Hager.) Pierce's Golden Discovery.-Extr. lactuci, 1 drachm; mellis, 1 oz.; tinct. opii deodorat, l drachm; alcoholis diluti, 3 oz.; aquoo, 3 oz. (Hager.)

682. Radam's Microbe Killer (on sale in Australia).-Oil of vitriol (impure), 4 drachms; muriatic acid (impure), 1 drachm; red wine, 1 oz.; water, 1 gallon. (Eckels.) Radway's Ready Relief (on sale in Australia.)-Tinct. capsici, 1 oz.; aquoo ammonioo, 1 oz.; alcoholis, 1 oz.; inimenti sa ponis, 3 oz. (Hager.)

Radway's Resolvent (on sale in Australia).-Vini zingiberis, 3 oz.; vini cardamomi, 3 oz.; sacchari albi, a sufficient quantity. (Hager.) Recamier Balm (on sale in Australia).-Zinc oxide, 5 lb.; glycerine, 2 dr.; alcohol, 2 oz.; mercuric chloride, 4 oz. (corrosive sublimate); distilled water, 64 qts. (Boston Herald.)

Recamier Cream (on sale in Australia).-Rice flour, 48 oz.; zinc oxide, 60 oz.; glycerine, 640 oz.; cocoa butter, 48 oz.; lard, 48 oz.; mercuric chloride, 4 oz. (corrosive sublimate); make 32 pints. (Boston Herald.) Revalenta Arabica Food (on sale in Australia).-Consists solely of lentils ground up into fine

powder. (Stokes, in Hygiene.)

683. Sage's Catarrh Remedy.-Salis culinaris (sodii chlor.) 20 parts (common salt); pulv. camphoroo, 1 part (powdered camphor); acidi carbolici, 1 part; to be dissolved in water and either injected or sniffed up the nose. Pulv. hydrastis canadensis, 5 parts; pulv. indigo, i part; pulv. camphoroo, 2 parts; acidi carbolici, 2 parts; sodii chloridi, 1 part. (New Remedies.)

Sanford's Catarrh Cure.-According to an analysis made by Prof. A. B. Lyons, of the New Idea, this preparation is composed of distilled extract of witch-hazel, containing a little alcohol and glycerine and some morphine. The proportions of the constituents were not determined. (Nat. Druggist.)

684. Mother Seigel's Syrup (on £ale in Australia).-Contains aloes, gr. 30 to the oz. borax, capsicum, licorice.-(Stokes in "Hygiene.") Sequah's Oil.-A mixture of turpentine and t fish oil, scented with a few drops of oil of camphor. -(Stokes in" Hygiene.")

Sequah's Prairie Flower.-Has to the ounce-aloes, gr. 52!; carbonate of soda, gr. 17!; water, gr. 362t. St. Jacob's Oil (on sale in Australia).-Gum camphor, hydrated chloral, chloroform, sulphuric ether, of each 1 oz. ; tinct. of opium, oil of origanum, oil of sassafras, of each oz. ; alcohol, gal.

Dissolve the gum camphor in the oils and alcohol, then add the other ingredients. Thompson's Eye Water.-Copper sulphate, 5 grains ; zinc sulphate, 20 grains; tincture of saffron 2 drachms; tincture of camphor, 2 drachms ; rose-water, 1 pint. Mix and filter.

685. Van Buskirk's Sozodont (on sale in Australia).-Saponis albi (white soap), i drachm; alcoholis, 1 oz. ; aqure (water), 6 drachms; glycerini, 2 drachms; olei gaultherire, olei caryophyll, olei menth:e piperitre, of each enough to make an agreeable soap; cocci cacti, cochineal, enough to colour; calcis prrecipitat (precipitated chalk), magnesii carbonatis (carbonate of magnesia), iridis florent. radicis (orris

root), of each an equal part powdered. M. et triturat.-(Hoffman.) Vita Nuova,-Cocaine, 8 grains; pepsin (golden scale), 48 grains; port wine, 1 gallon.-(Boston Herald.) Walker's Vegetable Vinegar Bitters.-Aloes socotrin, 2 drachms; guaiaci resinoo, 4 drachms; sassafras mucil, 1 oz.; aceti, 2 drachms; aqure, q.s.; coque et ft. decoctum, ad et addantur, oz. 19, deinde

cola; sodii sulphatis, 1 oz.; acacioo, 2 drachms; spt. anisi, 10 p.c., 2 drachms; alcoholis, 1 oz. ; M. dosP, 2 drachms.--(Eberhach.) Warner's Safe Kidney and Liver Cure (on sale in Australia).-In Germany each maker of patent medicines must furnish the Government with the formula for the patent he makes. This is the one furnished by Warner for "Safe Kidney and Liver Cure." Eaeh bottle contains : Extr. l ycopus virginiana, gr. 308; extr. hepatica (herb), gr. 322: extr. gaultheria, gr. 7}; potassium nitrate, gr. 39; alcohol, 90%,

oz. glycerin, dr. 10. Water sufficient to make one pint.-(Forumlary and Druggists' Magazine).

*97267-2A From

257

186

r J From the New South Wales Royal Commission.

[ExMbit No. 138 (Vide paragraph 6,758).]

Telephone ll20. Pharmacy Board of New South Wales,

7, Richmond-terrace, Domain, Sydney, 16 January, 1904.

To the President of the Royal Commission upon the Decline of the Birth-rate,-68(:i. Dear Sir,-Agreeably to instructions received from Mr. H. S. Broth wood, the President of this Board, I have the honor to give you particulars of analysis which the Health Department has made on account of this Board, in the matter of various proprietary medicines which are largely sold in New South Wales;-

.Analysis No.

9,782 9,005 9,001 9,003 9,006 9,002 9,010} 1,659 9,009 9,008 9,007 9,004 9,056 9,057 9,060

Medicine .

Perry Davis' Painkiller Kay's Essence of Linseed .T aynes's Expectorant ... Fellows' Compound Syrup Woods' Peppermint Cure'* Bonnington's Irish Moss

Steedman's Soothing Powder

Powell's Balsam of Aniseed Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup Godfrey's Cordial Ayer's Cherry Pectoral Chamberlain's Cough Remedyt Chamberlain's Diarrhrea Mixture Ayer's Sarsaparilla Mixture ...

Result.

Opium. Chloroform and morphine. Opium and morphine . Strychnine.

Chloroform and morphine. Chloroform and morphine.

Opium.

Opium. Opium alkaloids. Opium. Morphine. Opium. Chloroform and opium. Opium.

" Since two years, Mr. Woods has ceased to put these two articles into his preparation, and the medicine is, therefore, now harmless. t .A second analysis made since then, about a year later, gives the result that there is no opium contained in the sample submitted.

Besides the above, there are a few proprietary articles which are so well known to contain poisons that there has not been any necessity for analysis, such as Chlorodyne, containing chloroform and opium; Atkinson's Royal Infant Preservative, containing opium; Rough-on-rats, being arsenic; various phosphorus pastes; Easton's Syrup, containing strychnine; Boschee's German Syrup.

In the publication called The Chemist and Druggist long lists are given of deaths through Infants' Preservatives and Soothing Syrup, both of which enjoy an enormous sale in Australia. Hundreds of grosses are sold annually, and the sole active principle in these drugs is poison, and poison only. Certainly of infantile lives are annually destroyed by these two preparations.

Chlorodyne is largely used by mothers to give their babies and little children when pain causes them to cry. Two, and frequently three, drops are given to young infants, the dose for a man being five. Even five drops are given to children. 'l'here is no curative property whatever in the poison called chlorodyne, consequently the sentinel pain is drugged, digestion is retarded or stopped, and the undigested food causes usually inflammation, ending in severe suffering and death.

Of soothing powders, which contain morphine, enormous quantities are sold, and the effect of these is only to poison, often fatally. The deaths from this drug are incalculable, for it is sold by the hundred gross. In ex(l.mination of these powders the quantity of the opiate varied largely. Some packets out of a box actually were found to contain none, others inordinate quantities, showing that the mixing is careless or ineffectual. Consequently, mothers could not know that a dose was dangerous, or even fatal.

It is usual for proprietary drugs to be advertised and sold under deceptive names. Generally, the name of a harmless and even beneficial natural product such as moss, linseed, cherries, sarsaparilla, aniseed, black currants, horehound, is used to disguise poisons more or less virulent-opium, nux vomica, colchicum, ergot of rye, and their deadly concentrations, alone, or together with chloroform, aconite, various salts of arsenic, mercury, bromides of sodium and poJ:a,ssium. The law provides no check restraining any person, company, or syndicate from preparing and packing these articles, or any or all of them, with others equally destructive, and advertising them as proved cures for all the ills of mankind, and more particularly of mothers and children, at any price they may choose, whilst giving a totally false, lying, and, deceptive label. Moreover, the state or the law is such that the Supreme Court affords

protection to labels which are a deliberate deception and fraud upon the public. A label containing false statements calculated to deceive is a better protection in law to the person issuing it than if the statements were true, and any imitator would be more easily defeated. Yours faithfully,

A. FORSTER, Registrar.

[STEEDMAN's Powmms (spelt with a double E) contain mercurial salts, not morphine or opium. The analyst must have been given powders from some other source. There was another drug-packer of somewhat similar name.-O.C.B.J

Exhibits Nos. 161, 162, and 163 are published in Vol. I.

[Exltibit

187

{Exhibit No. 164.]

687. Results of Examination of various Pills and Medicines commonly used by Women and Children. Sent by the Secretary o£ the Royal Commission appointed to inquire into the Decline of the Birth.rate :-Name. Form, Active Int

'Atkinson's Royal Infants Preserva- Liquid. . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . Chloroform and morphine. tive . . Boschee's German Syrup ............. ..

Hearne's Bronchitis Cure .......... .. "

Hayman's Balsam of Horehound .. .

Sea Joi ... ..... .......... .................. Liquid ............. ..

Pattinson's Glycerine and Linseed Blair's Pills ........................... ... Piiis ... :::::::::::::::

Godfrey's Cordial.. .............. ., ...... Liquid .. ........... ..

Steedman's Soothing Powders ... .. . Powders ........... .

Paternoster Pills .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P ills ................ ..

Stewart's Soothing Mixture . . . . . .. .. Liquid ............. ..

Vitadatio . . . .. . . . .. . .. . .. . . .. .. .. . . . . . . . .. , ....... ...... .

Warner's Bromo Soda .................. Coarse powder .. :.

Senior's Asthma Cure .. .. .. . . . . . . .. .. .. Liquid ............. ..

Senior's Black Currant Balsam ....... Syrup ............. ..

Westcott's Pills, No. 1 ............... Pills ................. .

. Westcott's Pills, No. 2 ............... , ................ ..

Seigel's Cough Balsam .... .............. Syrup ............. ..

Moulton's I'ain Paint . . . .. .. . . . . .. .. . . . Liquid ............. ..

Creosote and morphine. Chloroform and morphine. Chiefly sugar .. . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A harmless vegetable compound.

Cocaine, Carmabis indica(?). Chloroform ........... ............................ , ..

Colchicum, opium, guaiacum. Opium ................. .. ........................... .

Calomel. Colchicum and opium. Magnesia and morphine. Alcohol, 15% proof spirit .. , .. , ............. ..

Caffeine and bromides. Iodides. Morphine. Potassium permanganate .

Colocynth and aloes. Bromides. Chloroform, morphine .. ................ ....... ..

.Aniseed.

Aniseed.

A tinctute of herbs.

Capsi

Orange Lily .. .. .. . .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Gelatine capsules.. Boric acid.

Harle's Tansy Packet .................. Rough powder....... Rue, borax, hellebore, colocynth ............ Tansy and penny·

royal.

Dr. Williams' Pink Pills ..... .... .. . Pills ... ... .. .. ... .. . .. Sulphate of iron .. .. .. ... .. . .. .. . .... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . So-called s£eel, cop·

peras.

The Chief Medical Officer, lith February, 1904. WILLIAM H. HAMLET, Government Analyst.

Some familiar Proprietary Drugs, and how they are regarded in Germany. II. Secret Remedies-Karlsruhe Method of Analysis and Advertisement. (Ilhtstrations from "Against Quackery and the Secret Remedy Swindle "-an Official Collection of the Public Warnings of the Local Health OID.ce, 1905.)

WARNER'S SAFE CURE.

688. The collection of consec utive warnings issued from 25th May, 1878, to 6th October, 1904, numbers 254; and the following paragraphs, dealing with remedies known also in Britain, clearly illustrate the procedure. "102. :By the distribution ot a blatant prospectus, which is thrown into railway carriages for the

travelling public, a certain £rm- H. H. Warner and Cie., in Frankfort-am-Main-advertises an aUeged wonder-working remedy with the name of 'Warner's Safe Cure.' This is vaunted as a sure rem'edy for all diseases of the kidneys, liver, and urinary organs, jaundice, biliary fever, weakness, inabiliiy,. heart disease, melancholia, malaria; backache, gout, rheumatism, convulsions, gravel, dropsy, Bright's disease·, uterine disease, and the change of life. It consists of an infusion of liverwort leaves, aromatised with

wintergreen oil, and contains nitre, glycerine, and alcohol in slight concentration and relatively small quantities. Simultaneously with this remedy some sugar-coated aloes pills are to be used. "These remedies have not the beneficial effects ascribed to them in the pamphlet, which is provided with several illustrations; and we must point out that there is not a single tem:edy fo't the

ailments collected in the list, where they, moreover, tear absurd titles. "Warner's Safe Cure is prepared by two representatives of the business of Warner & Co. in Rochester, namely, William R. K ennart and Anton C. Wehmer, in Frankfort-am-Main, and is pushed, in the drug stores and privately, in an elegant packing, which, in a characteristic way, repeatedly a safe as trades-mark. The price is far above the actual value. We warn you against buying this useless

medicine.-Karlsruhe, 28th February, 1887." "227. Repetition of the warning, the list of diseases in the advertisemmt being even more universal. (22nd April, 1902.)"

HIMROD'S ASTHMA CURE.

689. " 112. Under the name of 'Himrod's Cure' there is being sold in the town a remedy for asthma, bronchitis, croup, diphtheria, and generally for all ailments of the respiratory organs. Th e powder, which has to be ignited and the fumes inhaled, consists of a mixture of fennel seeds and the poisonous leaves of the thorn-apple (Datwra impregnated with nitre.

"In true nervous asthma t he remedy may give temporary relief, but used in the prescribed way in the other ailments may make them worse, and diphtheria indeecl made dangerous to lib, apart from the fact that by its use poisonous symptoms may e&sily occur. "At the ordinary price of drugs the box should cost about 9d ., while 4s. has to be paid for the

proprietary remedy. "We caution you_ agains(the use of this_powder;-13 October, 1887." "DR.

259

'Murrell, pp. 18-20.

188

"DR. WILLIAMS'" PINK PILLS FOR PALE PEOPLE. 690. "224. Recently two pamphlets, with the titles ' Hope for the Weak' and 'Wealth or Realth,' have been distributed in the town. They are in advertisement of Dr. Williams' Pink Pills. . "The chemical examination bas shown that the pills consist of carbonate of iron. Their red colour 1s due to colouring with carmine. '

. "The PiJ?-k Pills are, therefore, nothing more than ordinary iron (steel) pills, such as have long been m use for anffimia and poverty of the blood. ·

. "The Pink Pills are, however, vaunted for a series of other diseases and ailments, in which they are qmte useless, such as rheumatism, heart disease, sciatica, St. Vitus' dance, bronchitis, ataxia, &c. "Apart from this, the Pink Pills are much too 'dear; a similar preparation costs about half in the druggists. We therefore caution against their use.-14th October, 1901."

Supposed Active Ingredients of Popular "Patent Medicines." 691. Neuraline, aconite with chloroform and rosewater. Morrison's Pills, aloes and colocynth. James' Fever Powder, antimony.

Anti-fat, Fucus vesiculosus, or bladder-wrack. Hunter's Chloral, chloral with syrup of tolu and elder-flower water . . Fluid Lightning, an American application for neuralgia, aconitine with essential oil of mustard, glycerme, alcohol.

Perry Davis' Painkiller, spirits of camphor, tincture of capsicum, tincture of guaiacum, tincture of myrrh, and alcohol. Brown's Bronchial Troches, cubebs, conium, acacia, liquorice, and sugar. Lady Webster's Pills, powdered aloes, powdered mastich, petals of red roses and syrup o£ wormwood. The pills known as Lady Heskett's and Lady Crespingy's have a similar composition. ·

Vallette's Pills, contain sulphate of iron, carbonate of soda, honey, and Parr's Life Pills, aloes, rhubarb, jalap, extract of gentian, oil of cloves, soft soap, &c. 692, Holloway's Pills, aloes, jalap, ginger, and myrrh, made into a mass with mucilage; might give rise to dangerous symptoms if given to young children, or to persons debilitated by age or disease.

Holloway's Ointment, fresh butter, beeswax, yellow resin, vinegar of cantharides, Canada balsam, expressed oil of mace, and balsam of Peru or liquid storax. It is said that "no two samples are precisely the same colour or consistence." .

Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup, morphia with essence of aniseed, syrup of balsam of tolu. Mother's Friend, opium with carminatives. Indian Tincture, capsicum, cannabis indica, ether, and methylated spirit. Mother Seigel's Curative Syrup, concentrated compound decoction of aloes with borax, capsicum, gentian, oil of sassafras, oil of wintergreen, taraxacum, treacle, and rectified spirit.

Reynold's Gout Specific, colchicum. Blair's Gout Pills, finely-ground colchicum corms. Injectio Brou, sulphate of zinc, sugar of lead, laudanum, tincture of catechu, and water. Loeoek's Pulmonic Wafers, lactucarium, ipecacuanha, and squills.

693. Eau de Fleurs-de-lys, "an infallible banisher of freckles," a milky fluid consisting of 2! per cent. of calomel, a trace of corrosive sublimate, and common salt, with water scented with orange flowers. Eau de Blane de Perles, an alkaline fluid with a thick deposit of about 15 per cent. of carbonate of lead scented with otto of roses and geranium. Lait de concombres consists of soap, glycerine, and cotton-seed oil, made into a semi-emulsion with water.

Norton's Chamomile Pills, aqueous extract of aloes, extract of gentian, and essential oil of 0hamomile. Kitehener's Peristaltic Persuaders, probably compound rhubarb pills with a little caraway. Keating's Cough Lozenges, lactucarium, ipecacuanha, squills, extract of liquorice, sugar, and

mucilage of tragacanth. Ruspini's Styptic, a strong solution of ga,llic acid in spirit of roses, and perhaps a little sulphate of zinc. 694. Roche's Embrocation, olive oil mixed with oil of amber, oil of cloves, oil of lemons.

Holt's Specific (for whooping-cough), also known as " Hooper's," said to contain half a grain of tartar emetic in a dose. Cohosh is actea racemosa or cimicifuga. Hamlin's Wizard Oil contains camphor, ammonia, sassafras, cloves, chloroform, turpentine, and spirit.

Haarlem Oil is a mixture of balsam of sulphur, Barbadoes tar, oil of amber, oil of turpentine and linseed oil. Spirone used as an inhalation in consumption, in bronchitis, was found on analysis to be a 2 per cent. solution of iodide of potassium, mixed with glycerine and acetone.

St. Jacob's Oil, largely used for the relief of pain, contains turpentine and aconitine. 695. Warner's Safe Cure was found on analysis to contain in each bottle, extract of Lycopus virginicus 20 grammes, extract Hepatica 15 grammes, extract of Gaultheria (wintergreen) i gramme, nitre 2! grammes, alcohol 80 grammes, and glycerine 40 grammes, the rest being water. Lycopus virginicus is the bugle-weed of the United States. As more than half a century has elapsed since

medical virtues were ascribed to it, and as they have up to now failed to receive recognition, it may be assumed that they are not of a very high order. Hepatica is the common liver-wort, respecting which it is stated in the National Dispensatory that: "Its medical value is very small, and hardly entitles it to a place in the Materia Medica." :':'i , t J 1 rr!j Analyses

189

Analyses of Secret Nostrums by Dr. Robert Hutchison. 696. Hereunder is a list of analyses prepared by Robert Hutchison, M.D., F.R.O.P., Assistant Physician to the London Hospital, and to the Hospital for Sick Children,· Great Ormond street (formerly also the editor of Taylor's Medical

I have placed in your hands a sheet which represents the approximate composition of a considerable number-but not by any means all-of the better known patent and proprietary preparations or nostrums. I wish it to be clearly understood that my analyses make no pretence to perfect accuracy. The analyses of many of these preparations, particularly such as are of vegetable origin, is often a very difficult matter, and it has been found impossible tu give quantitative results. I believe, however, that I have succeeded in

representing the active constituents in most, if not in all, cases.

APPROXIMATE INGREDIENTS OF VARIOUS PATENT AND PROPRIETARY PREPARATIONS.

Aperient Liver Pills. · l

697. Beecham's Pills.-Aloes, ginger, and soap. Baillie's Pills.-Aloes, colocynth, oil of cloves, and soap. Bile Beans.-Oascara, rhubarb, liquorice, oil of peppermint, coated with gelatine. Cockle's Pills and Barclay's Pills.-Aloes, colocynth, and rhubarb.

Carter's Little Liver Pills.-Podophyllin (one-eighth of a grain) and aloes soc. (one-third grain) in each pill. Dixon's Pills.-Taraxacum, podophyllin, jalap, and soap. Holloway's Pills.-Aloes, rhubarb, saffron, glauber salt, and pepper.

Page Woodcock's Wind Pills.-Aloes, oleum carui, and soap. Scott's Pills.-Aloin and cascara, with soap basis. Whelpton's Pills.-Rhuba