LIFE DESTROYING DRUGS.

NZ Truth, Issue 64, 8 September 1906, Page 8

LIFE DESTROYING DRUGS.

Patent Medicines to Avoid.

No. nr.

SYRUF OF FIGS AND AQUAMIEL

Since "Truth" has commenced its crusade against pernicious drugs the, subject lias had some more light thrown^ on it by a discussion m the Commonwealth House of Representatives when the Patent' Medicines, Artificial Foods, and Medical Appliances Bill was before the House. It was then declared,

WHAT "TRUTH" HAS'MAINTAINED, 1 that a number of preparations on the market which are widely/ advertised are ! supposed to contain in.gredients and to possess certain magical properties. The cold-blooded analyst has, however, brushed aside man- of the pretensions put forward by the vendors of these concoctions. In the United States of America, where the drug habit has undoubted-' Iv become established far more firmly than m Australasia, and where , raudulcnt preparations have an even wider, although.' perhaps, a not more lucrative, market than here, certain investigations have been made 'by officials of the Post Office Department.. and the Bureau of Chemistry. In re-p-ard to

: PNE PREPARATION, "AQUAMIEL," V . the following particulass are-given.— This remedy was. exploited by the Mexican Remedy Company claiming it to be "The Miracle of Nature." "A magical bust developer and thei most marvellous flesh-producing, blood-enriching, tissue-forming preparation the world, ever knew." "Permanent development gua'rant;eed." "Acjuamiel is a product of he famous Maguey plant of Mexico.'' An analysis showed that it consisted of— ■

Water ... 97.33 per cent. Alcohol by volume 2.00 percent. Ash ... 0.02S per cent. Surrar ... 0.14 per cent. Bitter residue and . saccharin . . 0.14 per cent. The solution was colored with caramel andv. sweetened with saccharin. ■An investigation showed that the product was hot manufactured from the purported Mexican plant, but

WAS A CONCOCTION of some .laboratory. It cannot fulfil the remotest claims as a bust developer. "Aiquamiel" is absolutely worthless, and the" representations made concerning it., are false and fraudulent.

Then m regard to "complexion" tablets," the following is stated ':—

"A remedy under the above caption was analysed, and found to contain a deadly poison .known as 'mix vornfrca.' The unfortunate incident connected with this case is that the remedy was not marked as to the poisonous nature of its composiifion, and a mother into whose possession the remedy came, carelessly placed it within reach of her two and a half year old child, with the result that the child consumed a number of the tablets, and died as a result of strychnine poisoning."

We have inhere a very much advertised preparation, which contains nodophvllin, senna, and Podophyllin is one of the active poisons, and only within the last two or three days "a, case was reported m which a man lost his life through taking an overdose of the drup:. The 'preparation to which we refer is

CALIFORNIAN SYRUP OF FIGS. It contains no preparation from, figs, but merely the drutrs mentioned, yet the sales of it are said to be enormous. The public are exploited m awholesale fashion by these enterprising proprietaries, and charged scandalous prices for what is often of little or no value, and, m . some, cases, absolutely hurtful.