Nostrums and quackery : articles on the nostrum evil and quackery reprinted from the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Date:
[1911]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Nostrums and quackery : articles on the nostrum evil and quackery reprinted from the Journal of the American Medical Association. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    “Obesity and associated conditions” were the four Avords in the whole letter that were filled in by means of a type- writer; the balance of the letter, with the exception of the name and address of the patient, was printed in the usual imitation of typewriting. With this letter three prescriptions were sent. These prescriptions, printed in imitation typewrit- ing on prescription blanks headed, “Private Office of Dr. Bertha C. Day,” were an atrocious mixture of incorrect Latin and poor English, as may be seen by the photographic reproduc- tions. After reading all that accompanied the prescriptions the cloven hoof became evident: “There are so many reasons why I am afraid you will not be able to get these prescriptions filled properly and at the right price, that I have decided ... to supply you with the medi- cines you need direct from my office . “In order that you may begin treatment at once, to save you the trouble of ordering from me or of trying to have the various prescriptions filled, I have decided to send you the Special Treat- ment you need by Express, prepaid. I have paid the express charges so that all you have to pay the Express Co. is the reduced price of $2.50 which I am making to you.” Dr. Day then says that the patient is under no obligation to accept the package, but, as a physician, she feels it her duty to send the medicines at once. Furthermore, the $2.50 “also entitles you to my professional advice.” The victim, in this case, did not bite and received the usual series of follow-up letters urging her to take the package from the express company and to remit the money. Finally the patient wrote that she had not taken the packages from the express office because she could get the prescriptions filled at the drug store so much cheaper. Back came a letter, stating that this course was “perfectly satisfactory” to Dr. Day. How very unsatisfactory it Avas to Mr. Griffin’s company is evident from the following paragraph: “I wish to warn you against trusting this work to a careless and unprincipled druggist who might substitute drugs similar but inferior to those called for in the prescription.” Further : “Be sure that all the medicines to be used internally are pre- pared in tablet form. This is very important.” [Italics ours.—Ed.] Not content with wilifying the druggist and accusing him of substitution and lack of principle, those fakers are bound to make the patient dissatisfied with the druggist’s work hoAvever honestly done. The main prescription of the three given aboA^e calls for desiccated thyroid and phytolacca berry com- pounded in the form of a suppository. Yet these humbugs have the effrontery to insist that the patient be sure that the medicine “be prepared in tablet form.” CONCLUSION So much for the methods of the Bertha C. Day mail-order medical fake. The dishonesty of the claims, the fraudulence