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

Date:: [1911]

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

98/522 (page 94)

$cure” for some years, later going into the oxygen'business. Says a correspondent, “land schemes, irrigation schemes, patent car- coupler schemes and possibly others of greater or less notoriety can be charged up to this man, who thus makes cap- ital out of his son’s misfortune.” TWO MORE DEATHS Another case which was inquired into was that of a mar- ried woman from a small town in Illinois. The family phy- sician, to whom we wrote, replied (Sept. 18, 1908) in part as follows, concerning the patient: “She is not there on my advice, but at the earnest solicitation of Mrs. ——^—— , whose husband had tuberculosis and was there doing so nicely, improving every day, tut who was consigned to the grave yesterday—cured. I presume ! ... I am sure she will be in the Sanitarium Above within six months.” From a later letter (Nov. 26, 1908) : She [the patient] was brought home October 24, arriving here about 2 a. m,. and died in her home about 11 :45 a m of the same date.” Other cases are under investigation and but for the urgent need of giving physicians such facts as we have already at hand publication of this matter might have been further post- poned. We shall publish in the future the results of such in- vestigations if a continued pernicious activity of this concern makes it necessary. {From The Journal A. M. A Dee 12 1908). ’ ■ ’ What the International Institute Did for Sixty-Two Consumptives When the methods and personnel of the “International In- stitute” were discussed in The Journal of December 12, it was stated that the cases of patients “treated” by the 0. E. Miller method were under investigation. The results which have come to hand, in addition to demonstrating the, not unexpected, worthlessness of the “cure,” have brought to'light the astounding heartlessness of which men engaged in this line of business are capable. There are cases, no doubt, of ignorant and untutored men who have put forth a fake rem- edy in which they themselves had faith. Such obsessions are possible though not common; just as in an earlier day there were magicians who believed in their own magic. Such indi- viduals deserve pity rather than contempt. No such ex- cuse, however, can be put forward in defense of the Interna- tional^ Institute for the Treatment of Tuberculosis and those financially interested in it. The damning facts which we are about to give must, in the nature of the case, be known to the exploiters of the 0. E. Miller “treatment” and doubtless in some cases on which we lack information the knowledge$