thers
are only 'dopes,' or preparations intended to defraud the
public, have been altogether too generally advertised and sold
to the public. In many ways it seems a deplorable fact that by
an unfair method of advertising the American people have come to
be consumers to such an extent of a class of medicines, which,
at times, are positively detrimental to health. In other
instances the continued use of the product is liable to result
in the formation of a drug habit which may lead to serious
consequences.

"It should not be understood that this department condemns the
use of legitimate proprietary or patent medicines, but it
insists that there is a need for wiping out of existence about
half of the products now generally sold, and with regard to the
others the public have a right to know what is contained in
them, and not be misled by false statements, or by statements so
cunningly worded as to positively mislead the unwary reader. * *
* In view of the fact that about 90 per cent. of the nostrums on
the market are sold by newspaper and magazine advertising and
not by the customer seeing the package, it would seem advisable
to amend the law so as to cover this point."

There is no doubt that it is the advertising which makes the patent
medicine business so tremendously profitable. One firm boasted, prior to
the exposure of the fraud nature of their preparation, that they spent
$5,000 a day in advertising. What must have been made on the nostrum to
allow such expenditure? It is said on good authority that the cost of
these nostrums does not exceed fifteen to sixteen cents a bottle, and
they sell for a dollar a bottle. Such profits make it easy to buy up
newspapers that are conscienceless as to the robbery of the unfortunate
sick.

The only effectual way of putting an end to the sale of nostrums is to
make illegal the advertising of such preparations in the public press.
Norway has safeguarded her people thus. The difficulty in gaining such a
law in America will be the opposition of the newspapers, the large
majority of which still cling to this selfish method of adding to their
gains. Even the so-called religious press is not all clean yet in this
respect. Once they could be excused because of lack of knowledge. Now
there is no excuse.

During the debate in Congress upon the patent-medicine clause of the
Pure Food Bill, Senator Heyburn s