Another "cure" which, for excellent reasons of its own, does not print
its formula, is "Shiloh's Consumption Cure," made at Leroy, N. Y., by
S. C. Wells & Co. Were it to publish abroad the fact that it contains,
among other ingredients, chloroform and prussic acid. 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 awhile, 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."
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But if I were a consumptive, after I had taken "Shiloh" for awhile 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? {050}
Morphin is the important ingredient of Dr. Bull's Cough Syrup.
Nevertheless, the United States Postoffice Department obligingly
transmits me a dose of this poison through the mails from A. C. Meyer
& Co., of Baltimore, the makers. The 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.
Bull's Cough Syrup has cured cases said to have been consumption in its
earliest stages."
Quite conservative, this. But A. C. Meyer & Co. evidently don't follow
their own advertising very closely, for around my sample bottle (by
courtesy of the Postoffice Department) is a booklet, and from that
booklet I quote:
"_There is no case of hoarseness, cough, asthma, bronchitis... or
consumption that can not be cured speedily by the proper use of Dr.
Bull's Cough Syrup_."
If this is not a claim that Dr. Bull's Cough Syrup "will cure an
established case of consumption," what is it? The inference from Meyer
& Co.'s cautious letter is that they realize 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 dangerous quantity of poison to
be sold without the poison label is shown in the coroner's verdict
reproduced on page 47.
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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 of 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.
Another case of poisoning from this same remedy occurred in Morocco,
Ind., the victim being a 2-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 labeled with skull
and cross-bones the mother would probably not have let it lie about.
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, N. J., 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," etc.
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.
{051}
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, "haf lied in brint" on
Mr. Green's bottle, which must be very painful to Mr. Green. Mr. Green's
remedy contains morphin and some hydrocyanic acid. Therefore consumption
will be much less often curable where Boschee's German Syrup is used
than where it is not.
Absolutely False Claims.
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 tne 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 consumption?
A.--Ozomulsion builds up the tissues, imparts vigor, aids the natural
resistance of the body, etc. (Goes into a long exploitation in the
manner and style made familiar by patent medicine pamphlets. )
Q.--But will it cure consumption?
A.--Well, without saying that it is a specific, etc. (Passes to an
instructive, entertaining and valuable disquisition on the symptoms and
nature of tuberculosis. )
Q.--Yes, but will Ozomulsion cure consumption?
A.--We don't claim that it will cure consumption.
Q.--Does not this advertisement state that Ozomulsion will cure
consumption? (SHowing advertisement.)
A.--It seems to.
Q.--Will Ozomulsion cure consumption?