The new era., August 29, 1907, Image 7

About The new era. (Walden, Colo.) 1906-19??

Image provided by: History Colorado

                
ARE PHYSICIANS’ PRESCRIPTIONS
NOSTRUMS?
To one not qualified, and few lay
men are, to discriminate intelligently
between physicians’ prescriptions, pro
prietary medicines and nostrums, it
may seem little short of a crime to
hint even that physicians’ prescrip
tions are in any manner related to
nostrums; nevertheless, an impartial
examination of all the facts in the
case leads irresistibly to the conclu
sion that every medicinal preparation
compounded and dispensed by a physi
cian is, in the jjtrict sense of the word,
a nostrum, and that the average,
ready-prepared proprietary remedy is
superior to the average specially-pre
pared physicians’ prescription.
What is a nostrum? According to
the Standard Dictionary a nostrum is
“a medicine the composition of which
is kept a secret.” Now, when a physi
cian compounds and dispenses with
his own hands a remedy for the treat
ment of a disease —and it is authorita
tively stated that probably 60 per
cent, of all physicians’ prescriptions
in this country are so dispensed—the
names and quantities of the ingre
dients constitute the remedy
not made Known to the patient.
Hence, since its composition is kept a
secret by the physician, the remedy or
prescription is unquestionably, in the
true meaning of the word, a Simon
pure nostrum. Furthermore, the pre
scription compounded by the average
physician is more than likely to be a
perfect jumble—replete with thera
peutic, physiologic and chemical in
compatibilities and bearing all the ear
marks of pharmaceutical incompe
tency; for It is now generally admitted
that unless a physician has made a
special study of pharmacy and passed
some time in a drug store for the pur
pose of gaining a practical knwyledge
of modern pharmaceutical,
he is not fitted to compound remedies
for his patients. Moreover, a physi
cian who compounds his own prescrip
tions not only deprives the pharmacist
of his just emoluments, but he endan
gers the lives of patients; fGr It is
only by the detection and elimination
of errors in prescriptions by clever,
competent prescriptionists that the
safety of the public can be effectually
shielded from the criminal blunders
of ignorant physicians.
Nor can it be said that the average
physician is any more competent to
formulate a prescription than he is to
compound it. When memorized or di
rectly copied from a book of ‘‘favorite
prescriptions by famous physicians,”
or from some text-book or medical
journal, the prescription may be all
that it should be. It is only when the
physician is required to originate a
formula on the spfir of the moment
that his incompetency is distinctly evi
dent. Seemingly, however, toe pliysi
clans of the United States are little
worse than the average British physi
cian; for we find Dr. James Burnett,
lecturer on Practical Materia Medica
and Pharmacy, Edinburgh, lamenting
in the Medical Magazine the passing
of the prescription and bemoaning the
fact that seldom does he find a "final
man” able to devise a prescription
even in "good contracted Latin.”
And what, it may be asked, is the
status of the written prescription—the
prescription that is compounded and
dispensed by the pharmacist—is it,
too, a nostrum? It may be contended
that the patient, with the written
forh>u!a in his possession, may learn
the character of the remedy pre
scribed. So, possibly, he might if he
understood Latin and were a physician
or a pharmacist, but as he usually pos
sesses no professional training and
cannot read Latin, the prescription is
practically a dead secret to him.
Furthermore, the average prescription
is so badly written and so greatly
abbreviated that even the pharmacist,
skilled as he usually is in deciphering
medical hieroglyphs, is constantly
obliged to Interview prescribers to
find out what actually ha 3 been pre
scribed. It may also be contended,
that inasmuch as the formula is known
to both physician and pharmacist the
prescription cannot therefore be a se
cret. But with equal truth it might be
contended that the formula of any so
called nostrum is not a secret since it
known to both proprietor and manu
facturer; for it must not be forgotten
that, according to reliable authority,
96 per cent, of the proprietors of so
called patent medicines prepared in
this country have their remedies made
for them by large, reputable manufac
turing pharmacists. But even should
a patient be able to recognize the
names of the ingredients mentioned in
a formula ho would only know half
the story. It is seldom, for instance,
that alcohol is specifically mentioned
in a prescription, for it is usually
masked in the form of tinctures and
fluid extracts, as are a great many
other substances. It is evident, there
fore, that the ordinary formulated pre
scription is, to the average patient, lit
tle less than a Secret remedy or nos
trum.
On the other hand, the formulae of
nearly all the proprietary medicines
that are exploited exclusively to the
medical profession as well as those
of a large percentage of the proprie
tary remedies that are advertised to
the public (the so-called patent medi
cines) are published in full. Under
the Food and Drugs Act, every medi
cinal preparation entering Interstate
commerce is now required to have the
proportion or quantity of alcohol,
opium, cocain ana other habit-form
ing or harmful ingredients which it
may contain plainly printed on the
label. As physicians’ prescriptions
seldom or never enter interstate com
merce they are practically exempt un
der the law. And if it be necessary
m/or the public to know the composi
tion of proprietary remedies as is
contended by those who through ig*
norance or for mercenary reasons are
opposing the sale of all household
remedies, why ia it not equally neces
sary for patients to know the compo
sition of the remedy prescribed by a
physician t Does any sane person be
lieve that the opium in a physician’s
prescription is lesß potent or less like
ly to create a drug habit than the opi
um in a proprietary medicine? As a
matter of fact, more opium-addicts
and cocain-flends have been made
through the criminal carelessness of
ignorant physicians than by any other
means.
Unquestionably, there are a number
of proprietary remedies on the market
the sales of which should be prohibit
ed, and no doubt they will be when
the requirements of the Food and
Drugs Act are rigidly enforced; many
are frauds, pure and simple, and some
are decidedly harmful. Of the aver
age proprietary remedy, however, it
may truthfully be said that it is dis
tinctly better than the average physi
cians’ prescription; for not only is its
composition less secret, but it is pre
pared for the proprietor by reputable
manufacturing pharmacists in magnifi
cently equipped laboratories and un
der the supervision and advice of able
chemists, competent physicians and
skillful pharmacists. It should not be
considered strange, therefore, that so
many physicians prefer to prescribe
ready-prepared proprietary rem
edies rather than tfust those of their
own devising.
ALL RELIGIONS IN LONDON.
Faithist Community Latest Addition
to Its Queer Sects.
The Faithist community which has
established a modest footing in Bal
ham, and whose comprehensive gospel
ranges from the creation of man to
the "glory and labors of the gods and
goddesses of the Etherian heavens,” is
tho latest addition to the long list of
London’s religious sects, which are
now almost as many as the days of
the year. In London the Chinaman
burns his incense stick in more than
one joss-house in the east end, the Ma
hometan has his mosque, the Malayan
his temple, near St. George’s street
east; the Parsees worship the sun in
Bloomsbury, the Mormons have a mis
sion in Islington, and in many parts
of the metropolis the Buddhists and
Ancestor Worshipers perform their
strange rites. Of Christian sects in
London there are at least 300, includ
ing the Cokelers, the disciples of Wil
liam Sirgood, the Walworth shoe
maker; the Peculiar People, who pre
fer prayer to physicians; the Sande
manians, the followers of Joanna
Southcott, the prophetic serving
maid; the Shakers and the Seventh
Day Baptists.
WOMEN IN MEDIEVAL TIMES.
in Many Ways They Had Easier Lives
Than Their Descendants.
The women of the sixteenth century
and earlier times had easier lives than
those of our generation. To be sure,
there are a hundred labor saving de
vices to-day which were unknown to
them. But in at least two important
respects they had the advantage over
their descendants. They waged no
conllict against dirt such as we carry
on from morning till night. The Eliz
abethan bad no prejudice against gar
bage in his front yard, vermin in his
bedroom, decaying rushes on the floor
of his banquet hall, or soiled lace in
his sleeves. The strength of arm and
spirit which now goes to keeping clean
was left to the medieval lady for other
tasks. Moreover, although her cloth
ing was gorgeous—rich with embroid
ery and lace, and heavy with jewels—
it was not subject to rapid changes of
fashion. The cut of a sleeve or the
hang of a skirt was settled for five
years rather than five months. Life
was then free from the modern terror
of "looking like a last year’s rag bag.”
—Youth’s Companion.
THE LOAD OF THE LAZY.
This Man Worked Hard In His Own
Particular Way.
One of the neighborhood loafers sat
comfortably smoking his foul pipe, ac
cording to hiß daily custom, in the pre
scription room of a drug store. He
was soliloquizing aloud to the clerk.
Here is a sample of his sound, con
tented philosophy: 'Til tell you what!
A man is mighty miserable if he ain’t
got nothin’ to do, when he ain’t work
in’ at somethin’. I know it —I’ve tried
both ways an’ I find that there ain’t
nothin’ that makes a man more miser
able than doin’ nothin’. But, you
know, there’s two kinds of work; one
of them is where a feller goes to work
at six In tho mornin’ an’ works with
his hands till six at night. The other
is where a feller sits around an’ thinks.
I ain’t never happy unless I’m work
in’, but I don’t believe in that first
kind of work. I believe in thinkin’ all
day long, an’ that’s harder than the
other kind, I can tell you—you just
try it if you don’t believe me; a man
is mighty miserable when he ain’t
workin’.”
In Praise of the Pie.
Laura Simmons tells in an article
why good New Englanders should
stick to pie, and calls attention to the
fact that Emerson ate it three times
a day, and says that pie is the ladder
by which New England has climbed
to its place of proud eminence. She
questions whether any sensible per
son was ever known to forage at the
midnight hour for predigested cereals
or the innocuous prune. She does not
believe that many New EASisnd ances
tors died of apoplexy, due to pie, but ;
counsels all to go on pie-eating, despite !
the fact that the flat has gone forth
that it is vulgar to eat pie.
FULLY UP WITH THE TIMES.
Oklahoma City Surprised Narrow-
Minded New Yorker.
Oklahoma amazes an easterner. The
wide, asphalted streets, the plate glass
fronts of department stores, the clean
sidewalks, the well-dressed, unhurried
shoppers, the finish, the metropolitan
air you find in Oklahoma City, for ex
ample, seem marvels to find in a ter
ritory only 17 years old. But do not
say so.
A New Yorker who went there on
business complained that fate was
thrusting him into a wilderness, and
his Oklahoma associates could not re
assure him. But coming down to
breakfast the first morning, at his
hotel in Oklahoma City, he stared
around in wonder as he entered the
dining-room.
“This,” he exclaimed, "this is Okla
homa!! Why, do you know?” confi
dentially, "I even found a porcelain
bathtub in my room.”
"Well,” said an Oklahoman, drily,
"don’t you have those in New York?”
He Was Not to Blame.
Little Bartholomew's mother over
heard him swearing like a mule
driver, says the Cleveland Leader. He
displayed a fluency that overwhelmed
her. She took him to task, explaining
the wickedness of profanity as well
as its vulgarity. She asked him where
he had learned all those dreadful
words. Bartholomew announced that
Cavert, one of his playmates, had
taught him. Cavert’s mother was
straightway Informed and Cavert was
brought to book. He vigorously de
nied having instructed Bartholomew,
and neither threats nor tears could
make his confess. At last he burst
out: "I didn’t tell Bartholomew any
cuss words. Why should I know how
to cuss any better than he does?
Hasn’t his father got an automobile,
too?”
Laundry work at home would be
much more satisfactory if the right
Starch were used. In order to get the
desired stiffness, it is usually neces
sary to use so much starch that the
beauty and fineness of the fabric is
hidden behind a paste of varying
thickness, which not only destroys the
appearance, but also affects the wear
ing quality of the goods. This trou
ble can be entirely overcome by using
Defiance Starch, as it can be applied
much more thinly because of its great
er strength than other makes.
Late Already.
Five minutes after the tardy gong
had struck, the principal of the school
was walking through the lower hall
when he saw a pudgy little fellow
scampering toward the first grade
room as fast as his fat legs could
carry him. "See here, young man, I
want to talk to you,” called the prin
cipal to the late comer. "I hain't got
time to talk to you; I’m late already,”
replied the breathless beginner as the
door of his classroom closed. —The
Circle.
A Country Marvel.
The little fresh air boy was com
fortably quartered in a farm house
near the salt water for his summer’s
outing. The first day he strolled down
the road to the marshes and he stared
in astonishment at the cat-tails grow
ing there. Then »turning around to a
native of the place who was accom
panying him he said: "Gosh; I didn’t
know that sausages grow on sticks.”
One to Reckon With.
There’s a little girl who gave her
folks a shock the other day.
“Ma, I want a bathing suit,” she
said.
"You shan’t have any,” ma replied.
"Then I’ll go bathing without one."
The bathing suit matter is now be
ing arbitrated.
Foreign Waterways.
Since we began the neglect and
abandonment of canals, France has
quadrupled her waterways. Accord
ing to figures furnished by commer
cial associations, the British isles
have 8,000 miles of canal and it does
not all antedate the railroad.
WHAT’S THE USE?
To Pour In Coffee When It Acts as a
Vicious Enemy.
Fasters have gone without food for
many days at a time but no one can go
without sleep. "For a long time I have
not been sleeping well, often lying
awake for two or three hours during
the night but now I sleep sound every
night and wake up refreshed and vig
orous,” says a Calif, woman.
"Do you know why? It’s because I
used to drink coffee but I finally cut it
out and began using Postum. Twice
since then I have drank coffee and
botb times I passed a sleepless night,
and so I am doubly convinced coffee
caused tho trouble and Postum re
moved it.
"My brother was in the habit of
drinking coffee three times a day. He
was troubled with sour stomach and 1
would often notice him getting soda
from the can to relieve the distress in
his stomach; lately hardly a day
passed without a dose of soda for re
lief.
"Finally he tried a cup of Postum
and liked it so well he gave up coffee
and since then has been driuking
Postum in its place and says he has
not once been troubled with sour stom
ach.”
Even after this lady’s experience
with coffee her brother did not suspect
for a time that coffee was causing his
sour stomach, but easily proved it.
Coffee is not suspected in thousands
of cases just like this but it’s easily
; proved. A ten day’s trial works won
j ders. "There’s a Reason.”
Read the famous little book, "The
Bead to Weilville,” in pkgs.
AFFLICTED ONLY AT TIMES.
Good Reason for Capt. Bascomb’* In
termittent Hearing.
When Capt. Bascomb had left his
old friend, Capt. Somers, and the new
school teacher sitting on the south
porch, and had disappeared down the
road, the young woman spoke of him
with some curiosity.
"I understand from Mrs. Bascomb
that her husband was very deaf, ‘al
most stone-deaf,’ she told me, I’m
sure,” said the school teacher. "But
he seemed to hear all we said with
perfect ease.”
Capt. Somers leaned toward her
and spoke in a low, cautious tone, al
though there was no eavesdropper to
hear him.
"Don’t let Mis’ Bascomb know it,"
he said, hurriedly. "He does seem
to hear pretty well when she ain’t
round, but none of us folks ever let
on to her. She’s a good woman as
ever lived, but a most tremendous
bosser and an everlastin’ talker. Aa’
we all think that Gersh Bascomb be
gun to realize ten years ago that If
he didn’t want to be harried right off’n
the face o’ the earth, the thing for
him to do was to grow deef, gradual,
but steady—an’ he’s done it, to all
intents an’ purposes, ma’am!”
Youth’s Companion.
BABY TORTURED BY ITCHING.
Rash Covered Face and Feet—Would
Cry Until Tired Out—Speedy
Cure by Cuticura.
"My baby was about nine months
old when she had rash on her face and
feet. Her feet seemed to irritate her
most, especially nights. They would
cause her to be broken in her rest, and
sometimes she would cry until she was
tired out. I had heard of so many
cures by the Cuticura Remedies that
I thought I would give them a trial.
The improvement was noticeable in a
few hours, and before I had used one
box of the Cuticura Ointment her feet
were well and have never troubled her
since. 1 also used it to remove what
is known as ‘cradlo cap’ from her
head, and it worked like a charm, as it
cleansed and healed the scalp at the
same time. Mrs. Hattie Currier,
Thomaston, Me., June 9, 1906.”
Cunning Chap.
"Yes,” confessed the blushing girl
with the white parasol. "1 thought it
rather odd that Jack should keep on
asking about our college yell. Finally,
to get rid of him, I told him it was
three yells in quick succession.”
"What then?” asked her chum.
"What then? Why, tl\e goose kissed
me three times before I could re
monstrate and when I gave a yell for
each kiss mamma thought I was giv
ing the class yell.”
Fresh Fuel.
The sernp between the married cou
ple had died down to a few listless
mutterings, and the canary bird in the
cage was beginning to think aboul
singing again, when she remarked, a*
a sort of afterthought:
"At any rate, everybody in my fam
ily thinks 1 am very intelligent.”
"Yes. by the side of them you are,"
he replied with a bitter snort.
After this the scrap was renewed
jubilantly.
Sheer white goods, in ract, any nn*
wash goods when new, owe much of
their attractiveness to the way they
are laundered, this being done in a
manner to enhance their textile beau
ty. Home laundering would be equal
ly satisfactory if proper attention was
given to starching, the first essential
being good Starch, which has sufficient
strength to stiffen, without thickening
the goods. Try Defiance Starch and
you will bo pleasantly surprised at the
improved appearance of your work.
The Reason Why.
"How did you come here?" said one
Mexican bull to an old acquaintance,
as tlmy met in the arena.
"How?”’ replied the other, with a
glance around. "I may say I was
roped In."
Mrs. Wlmlow'N Soothing Syrup.
For children teetblug, softens the gums, reduce* In
flammation. allays pain, cure* wind colic. 25c a bottle.
Let thy discontents be thy secrets.
•—Franklin.
H’Ml W
Big Profits Made
in Concrete Brick
and Blocks In
with this machine.
today for
catalog A- 16 This 1
ap
pear again.
Helm B. Co.
TRAVERSE CITY. - - • MICHIGAN
CONSUMPTION
cured At home without medicine or doctor.
Address F. A. KUIINS,
654 Morris Street, Washington, D. O.
Xf £K c &7.l2} Thompson** Eye Wattr
TEN YEARS OF PAIN.
Unable to Do Even Housework Be
cause of Kidney Troubles.
Mrs. Margaret Emmerich, of Clin
ton St., Napoleon, 0., says: "For
fifteen years I was a great sufferer
from kidney trou
bles. My back pained
me terribly. Every
turn or move caused
‘sharp, shooting
[ pains. My eyesight
. was poor, dark spots
appeared before me,
and I had dizzy
spells. For ten years
I could not do housework, and for two
years did not get out of the house.
The kidney secretions were irregular,
and doctors were not helping me.
Doan’s Kidney Pills brought me quick
relief, and finally cured me. They
saved my life.”
Sold by all dealers. 60 cents a box.
Foster-Milburn Co., Buffalo, N. Y.
Old Bell Still Tolls Curfew.
In the belfry of the old parish
church at Bury, England, the curfew
that tolled tho knell of the parting day
300 years ago is still in place, and is
rung every night at sunset.
Shake Into Your Shoes
Allen’s Foot-Ease. It cures painful,swollen,
smarting, sweating feet. Makes new shoes
easy. Sold by all Druggists and Shoe Stores.
Don’t accept any substitute. Sample FREE, j
Address A. S. Olmsted. Le Roy, N. Y. |
A life in continual need Is half-death.
—German.
fS]CfISTORIA
SGjJ » ALCOHOL 3 PER CENT. * *1
MM & AVogolaWcPrcparalionrorAs- , M
81 SSSffiSSSa Bears the
, ||| EWMlMllgja Signature
\ SI Promotes DigestioniChreiful- A/\f P>
ke :|| i ness and Rest.Containsneiitw Vl #l\ 1 U
; (3°; f Opium.Morphiru: nor Mineral. ft \ll w
g|jS Not Narcotic. I ALT
t SfSr' Jltcyx ofOtJ IkSWUmXffll i %
: 111 Sr 1 ; * lA* In
ill «£» (V Jr ln
g| m X Use
f Aperfectßemedy forConslipa- f II yr
§ lion.SourSloroach.Diarrhoea I IfcT n a
m! Worms,Convulsions.Fevrrisn 1 ■ LAF 11U Ol*
E ness and Loss OF SEEEP. \J TUI UvCI
s
I UHL Thir, y Years
si= EBilffiHn iota mil
Guaranteed under 1 lie | G I jjlH 1 JIA
Exact Copy of Wr.ppef. ... cnr .
: —Bminnffl'iiaraim
W. L. DOUGLAS A~
$3.00 & $3.50 SHOES THC S WORLD MfSEffkk
SHOEB FOR EVERY MEMBER OF-.; « JUffiA
THE FAMILY. AT ALL PRICES. '**B
COff fifZn ( L° mn y° n » who can prove W. L. Mi,
\Dougtmm docs not ntako A molt Kvk
/more Mon'a S 3 A 53.80 aSi go* MMk fa MLW
flCpWrar If (.than any othar manufacturer. man*i
THB REASON W. L. Douglas shoes nre worn by more people
in all walks of life than any other nutko, is because <>f their Mw
excellent stylo, easy-fitting, ami superior wearing qualities.
The selection of tho leathers ami other materials for each part ’QJYv, '
of the shoe, ami every detail of tho making is looked after by
tho most eoinplcteorganizatinn of superintendents.foreniennml
skilled shoemakers, who receive the highest wages paid in the ■?*'£**-*&
shoe industry, ami whose workmanship cannot he excelled.
If I could tako you into my largo factories at Brockton.Mass., VSJr 'M
and show you how carefully W.L. Douglas shoes are made, you
would then understand why they hold their shape, fit hotter. rotor ** uied
wear longer and are of greator value than any other make. A'i▼ ejrcluuvelp.
IKy fdos and 85 Gold'Bond Shomm cannot bo OQuall'ed at any nr loam
CAUTION! Ihe genuine have \\ . 1,. Douglas naino and price stamped on bottom. Tako
No .Substitute. Ask your doalor for W. L. Douglas shoes. If lie cannot supply you, send
direct to factory. Shoes sent everywhere by malL Catalog froo. W.L.DougL», Brockton. Mas*.
x/ Cl- fj c*. _ ui -
"AlisC+siA AlstS J-r , A Ca-.
<lc!
- 'J?/- 6crrOcj <2JS^X
■x^ X £//,dr
V-
Sy-y /jLcS/
/£> C-Z
Pm
SICK HEADACHE
I - . . 1 Positively cured by
PARTFRS these Little Pills.
*I UW Th.y .1.0 relieve Die
r tress from Dyspepsia, Id
digestion and Too Hearty
K 8 I y f Eating. A perfect rem-
Ijl L| -| i* edy lor Dizziness, Nhu-
PH PILLde sea. Drowsiness, Bad
Taste In the Mouth, Coat
ed Tongue, Pain in the
Is Ida. TORPID LIVER
They regulate the Bowels. Purely Vegetable
SMALL PILL. SMALL POSE. SMALL PRICE.
Ipadtcdvl Genuine Must Bear
bAKlcno Fac-Simile Signature
lEH
Ifcj REFUSE SUBSTITUTES.
TO CURE ECZEM2.
The one Infallible method by whtcb
Eczema can be quickly and permanently
cured is by the use of II kiskkm.’s Oimt
mk.nt. For hal f a century tills greut re medy
baa been the means of curing skin dineaaea
of every naturo. Erysipelas, Tetter, Ulcere,
Pimples, Ringworm, Blotchy Skin, Erup
tloue. Rough Skin, Halt Rheum, Scald
Head—nil yield a* readily to tho marveloua
curative virtues of Hiciskf.ll’.s Ointment
ns tho dread disease—Eczema. Beforonpplj -
Ing tho ointment, bathe tho affected purls,
using IIKISK ISLIx’H M kdici n a i. Hos.p.
Hkiskkt.l’b Blood and Lrvan Pills tone
up tho liver nnd cleanse the blood. Oint
ment, M cents a box ; Hoap, 25 cents n cake;
Pills, 25 cents a bottle—at all druggists.
Rend for Interesting book of testimonials to
Johnston, Holloway & (J0.,551 Commerce
Btroct, Philadelphia, Po.
defiance starch--:: t.~j:
! —other starches only 12 ounces—same price and
, *G£FIANCE'* 18 SUPERIOR QUALITY.
W. N. U., DENVER, NO. 34, 1907.