The Patent-Medicine Habit by G. H. HEALD, M. D.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 8, 1908

The Patent-Medicine Habit

By G. H. HEALD, M. D.

G. H. HEALD, M. D.

AFTER publishing an article showing the folly of attempting self-treatment by means of patent medicines, and giving some particularly glaring examples of patent-medicine fraud, the writer has received inquiries as to whether certain patent medicines were “good to take;” and he would like to answer, once for all, that the man who attempts self-treatment has in himself a combination of credulous patient and ignorant doctor.

Even admitting that the medicine is made on some prescription used by a successful physician (which is not usually the case), it must be remembered that a progressive physician does not give one prescription indiscriminately to all his patients, even when they are apparently suffering from the same disease. The successful physician first ascertains the exact nature of his patient’s disorder, considers the patient’s temperament, idiosyncrasies, etc., and writes a prescription to fit the case.

The self-treating patient thinks, after reading the symptoms on the patent-medicine label, that he knows just what is the matter with him—and that is where he makes his mistake. An intelligent physician, if seriously ill, does not attempt to treat himself, but goes to another physician, because he knows his judgment is likely to be faulty in his own case. If the physician can not trust to self-treatment, much less can one who has not made a special study of the human body.

Many are persuaded to use these nostrums because they have a vague idea that anything in a bottle must possess some mystic virtue, and that, somehow, it will probably do them some good. The pretty and cunningly-worded labels help out wonderfully. If the “medicine” happens to be a whisky dope, the patient will “feel better” after each dose, and so will fall easily into the “bracer” habit, which is little different from the whisky habit.

The safest procedure for every one is to depend on hygienic measures, and leave alone all stuff intended to enrich the charlatan. If the illness does not yield readily to hygienic measures, it is far better to consult some honorable physician than to trust one’s self to self-medication with phosphates, iron, or any patent or proprietary medicine whatever, no matter how smoothly the literature is written up. The safest place for all patent-medicine samples is your ash-barrel.

Takoma Park, D. C.