Show PROPRIETARY REMEDIES VS1 PHYSICIANS PRESCRIPTIONS Statistics Show of the Deaths from i Misuse of Drugs in Two Years Only Three Per Cent Were DUe to Patent I j Medicines According to Figures Based on Medical Certificates The press committee of the Iroprle lary Association of America will present pre-sent nt the next meeting of that body 1 a report showing the number of acc dental deaths mused by patent modi chaos In the two years ending June 30 1907 an conjpaiecl with deaths from other causes Almost Immediately after the beginning begin-ning of the latest crusade against proprietary medicines this committee was Instructed to collect data This work WitH done through tho clipping bureaus which furnished accounts of all deaths exclusive of suicide due to tho misuse of medicines drugs or poisons The result showed that only three per cent Could be traced di tectly to the products made by the t members of the association The greatest care is said to have been exercised In tabulating tho figures fig-ures received Whenever the cause of death was doubtful special Investigation Inves-tigation was made no matter where tho case might have occurred Tin work of assorting and preparing the record was done In Chicago and the original clippings and correspondence are In the possession of Ervin V Kemp 181 La Salle street that city tho associations publicity agent Tho report says In part A large number of accidents resulting re-sulting fatally or otherwise were caused by the carelessness of persons who loft drugs medicines or poisons within the reach of children A large number also were caused by persons going to medicine cabinets In the dark and taking down the wrong bottle In no case reported was any medlcln patent or otherwise held responsible for Injury or death except when left within the reach of children or taken or administered In gross overdose The committee says that It Is unlikely un-likely that any cases of death from tho use of patent mertlclne escaped tho newspapers but that It Is probable prob-able that death from the causes tabulated tabu-lated did occur without receiving publicity pub-licity Physicians of course report the causes of death Tho committee says that they would bo the last to suppress the cause If due to the use of medicine not reqularly prescribed A recapitulation of the committees findings show 4295 cases of poisoning of which 1753 wore fatal The greatest great-est number of cases 1636 with 803 deaths is attributed to medicines other than proprietary remedies There are on tho list 90 cases of sickness sick-ness and 43 deaths due to patent medicines medi-cines Analyzing its statistics tho commit teo finds 201 cases of sickness with 143 deaths due to strychnine tablets which are among physicians favorite remedies and are often left within the reach of children Under the head of miscellaneous prescriptions are grouped 44 cases where the report says It has been impossible im-possible after diligent inquiry to ascertain as-certain the name or the character of the drug or medicine which caused In Jury or death beyond the fact that tho medicine or drug was prescribed by a physician Of these cases 18 were fatal The committee says Under the head of All Patent Medicines are grouped all those remedies rem-edies which are recognized as patent medicines and which are advertised direct to the public for Internal use competent authorities say that at least onehalf of tho medicines taken in the United States are of the kind known as patent medicine and yet in two years among 80000000 people there have been but ninety cases fortythree fatal that have been reported re-ported In tho newspapers from the use or misuse of these remedies Not in a single fully substantiated case Is It ever charged that any patent pat-ent medicine In recommended doses was Injurious In this connection it should be understood that In making death certificates and in reporting cases of Injury to the newspapers from which these cases fare secured a physician had the final word and In this connection Is there any probability prob-ability that the doctor will hide his own carelessness or1 neglect or that of a fellow practitioner whose support ho may want at some time and Is there even a possibility that he might I hide any responsibility that could bo thrown at a patent medicine Ask yourself these questions Then when you have found the answer consider that during all this most thorough and careful Investigation covering a period of two years In not a single established case was It shown that patent medicine In recommended doses was injurious The most remarkable case reported was that of an Italian laborer In New York who suffered from pains in the chest A physician ordered n porous plaster which the patient ate with fatal results |