Quack Medicines.

Maoriland Worker, Volume I, Issue 6, 20 February 1911, Page 6

Quack Medicines.

When many of these people on the list are stopped they alter their names and addresses. I have some samples of the literature they send out which will .show you that they are undesirable people to have anything to do with. The postal people put Herr Rassmussen on the list, and immediately he issues a circular to his clients in New Zealand stating that., owing to the large number of patients, he had decided to shift to Sydney, and Avill treat his New Zealand patients from there. As a matter of fact his place is still open here. He goes on to say, ' All correspondence to Herr Rassmussen will be carried on in the name of John Drew, and all letters should be addressed to Mr. John Drew, 547 George Street. Sydney In future Herr Rassmussen will attend personally to all letters from his New Zealand patients and send them any advice direct which they may require. Nothing will be charged for advice, and all correspondence will be held confidential, and remedies will be sent securely packed and in plain cover, free from all observation, and free of duty, and if it should take a week longer the patient will receive the benefit in extra advice.' He says, 'By patients addressing their letters to mc in the name of John Drew no one will know their private business, as Herr Rassraussen's name is so familiar in reference to treatment for private complaints. Many patients have requested Herr Rassmussen to give them an opportunity to address their letters in such a way that their business would be p'rivat©. . That is the usual game. Then you have something similar from the "Retired Clergyman," who admits in open print that he has been guilty of the 'errors of youth.' Then there is the Cornish ' Miner' who sends the letter: 'My dear friend, —I have not heard from you since I sent you an account of my experience in search of a cure, and the remarkable manner in which I found it. I wish you could see some of the letters T receive daily from those who have been cured. The joy and gladness set forth in them does my heart good to read, and woukl make yours lea.p for joy at the certainty of being oured of all your troubles. Tf you are a sufferer do not he.sitate to send at once for the Indian Herb Powder, and you will have the pleasure of feeling a. return of your health, strength, and manhood. To be a strong, healthy, and vigorous man among your fellow-men is surely worth something to you. Tt is for your o-vrn

Last month the extracts from "Hansard" dealing with the introduction of the Quackery Prevention Bill were printed in "The Maoriland Worker," The folloAving extracts from the evidence given in committee are particularly valuable:—

The principal Avitness was Dr J. Al. Mason, who was at that time Chief Health Officer for NeAA' Zealand. Thr Mason emphasised the importance of the amendment of the Postal Act, which gave the Postmaster-General poAver to decline to carry mail matter belonging to anyone advertising the treatment of certain classes of ailments. " I Avill give you a list of firms Avhich have been put in this black list," said I>r Mason to the Chairman of the Committee; "but it has been noticed that as soon as you schedule one name the firm takes on another

sake I urge you to send for the cure, for you can believe mc when I say that I feel an interest in all those who are suffering as 1 was. Kindly let mc hear from you, and believe me.— Yours sincerely, A Miner.' .

The Cornish ' Miner' is of the same class as the ' Retired Clergyman,' and his pamphlet is couched in the same words. In fact, I think they come from the same place. This is another letter, from the ' Electine Medicine Co.,' Ash Streetj Sydney. They send a few sample pills to some clerk or girl. This is what they afterwards write: ' Dear Patron, —-This is the second time Aye have had to write asking you to settle your account with us for the Newlife Vegetable Pills we seoit you on consignment, but as yet we have no record of your having sent us the money. Our contract with you was a plain, busi-ness-like arrangement, which we are prepared to fully live up to, and we must insist on you doing likewise. You, of course, are aware tbat we have your written order in our office showing clearly that you undertake to sell our goods within thirty days and return us the proceeds." The man to whom this was sent had never anything to do with these people at all, but the person written to has generally to sell so many boxes of the pills, for which he gets a gilt chain or a seven-and-sixpenny watch.

Tn referring to the exchange established in America for the supply of "testimonials," Or Mason said:—"lt (" Collier's Weekly ") is an American paper which has done most valuable work in fighting quackery. In one illustration they set oxit a photograph of the price-list of confidential letters. You can borrow these for so much, and there is a regular deal done in them. Apparently a Christchurch quack has got much out of boys by threats to tell their fathers, but of course he never does. You may write to a Melbourne firm, and this man writes back to you, and you Avonder how he has got to hear of it. Your only safeguard is not to ansAver him, otherAvise he may plant something on you. In America these things are rented out, and " Collier's Weekly " shoAvs you a price-list which is like a share-list. There is a sexualdiseases reply letter, and a reply letter for those Avho look after the diseases of women. The letter, after it is done Avith, is rented to another man, who then tries to get the person to begin with his medicine. There is another aspect of this question which, in my opinion, is only second in importance to the demoralisation of the youngsters, and it refers to the man holds out a cure for consumption or cancer. Take the case of a man Avho lias had a little lump on his lip. It has grown very gradually, and is not very large, but his AAife probably notices that he is rubbing it, and tells him that he had better go and see a doctor. The doctor, after careful examination, says that he had better have it out. The man goes home and tells his wife that he must hare it out, and there is an impression that a big operation is proposed. The man cannot make up his mind, and thinks the lump is not big enough for an operation, and he puts it off month month. A friend tells him that the doctor only wants to cut him, and the man spends the time in which a complete removal CQuld take place, and finally goes to one of these who advertises that he can cure cancer. I Avould have no mercy on such men."

" You know that a man advertises in the 'New Zealand Times'?" "That is D. P. Yonkerman. He only professes to cure consumption. This is a contract advertisement which, after expiry, I do not think you will see again. He suggests that he replaces the iron in the blood by a preparation of copper, and by putting copper in the red blood corpuscles the tubercle will leave. This stuff has been analysed on several occasions, and has been found to contain no copper at all. He was prosecuted recently in New South Wales, and the only suggestion of copper found, the analyst said, must have come from the badly-made vessel in which the stuff had been conveyed. I have a lot of his pamphlets, and he is certainly facile princeps, a prince of quacks.' Of course, you know that Mr Labouchere publishes a most elaborate black list of these people every year, and I have personally received a very great deal of help in tracing these various people, from the ' Truth ' office in London. There is our old friend ' Peruna,' which has been taken off the market here. It contains anything from 30 to 40 per cent of alcohol. It was recommended to women suckling children, and it was nothing more than a strong nip. It was crude alcohol with a little gum. Tt was worse than ordinary whisky. The proprietors of 'Peruna' were prosecuted in New South Wales, and we have talked about it here in public and through the Press until they have withdrawn it from circulation. There was a leading article published against the Health Department for not putting a stop to the sale of these quack medicines, while on the back of the paper which published it was an advertisement about ' Peruna!' "