QUACKS AND QUACKERY.

NZ Truth, Issue 67, 29 September 1906, Page 8

QUACKS AND QUACKERY.

TO THE EDITOK.

Sir,-— ln your issue of Sept. 22 "Freedom" wishes the Government to seriously consider the Anti-quack Bill.. He says the doctors are. selfish. First of all I say the doctors are not selfish, secondly, that I am not an M.D. ;. thirdly, that "Freedom" is trying to mislead the mind of the public. He need not read the provisions of the Bill at all ; if he were only to read some of the luring, lurching advertisements or some of these quacks m the Christchurch dailies, he would find quite enough to make any right thinking man say that quacks have taken a mile instead of an inch., Down with them, I say (not all, perhaps ; those whose medicine really is 'beneficial, they being, about one m one thousand quacks; their case can be overcome m other ways), but I mean flown with quacks that are frauds. Yes, Sir, I say frauds, because I have, proved them. I liave been a sufferer for seven years and may know a little about them. Here is one instance: A firm or a something m Dunedin advertises m the Christchurch papers electric hells, "no cure no pay ;" and yet when you wear the belt for

the .time stated, and' do everything you can to help the belt" to '<i 6' its work, which you "think" it will do but does not do, you return the belt; but do not get your money returned. In my case, I went to a barrister and communications' followed which led to a threat to sue, as they say the money is not returnable m my case, but m- another case, which is exactly the same kind of belt, but instead of the ' buyer sending cash he has to deposit it m the hank here, and they say the man who buys the belt and deposits the money m the bank; here m his own name is the man to whom they return the money. Did you ever hear such rot? How can they return his money when they have not any to return, and yet it does not mean return money , for cash belts. . Then what the devil does it mean? Why, fraud, of course. Anyhow, they refused to return the money, and I believe they are not registered, therefore I cannot sue, or I would have had them on the oarpet long ago. Now, Sir, this is only one instance during my seven years' pain, and if "Freedom" wants any more he can get Ihem. "Freedom" wants to know why doctors complain of so-called quacks. I can tell him.

■It,; is,; , because ; , Ist', that a quack gets a sii'bject ' because tlie sufferer employs the fraud cheaper than the M:D., and when the fraud has as much money out of his man as he 'can, the unfortunate being finds that his cheap doctor has failed to do him any good, and finally (if not dead) goes to an M.D. ten times '•deeper m disease than he was before he went to the fraud. I say down with them. Fraud medicine is worse than gambling. Gambling mostly affects the pockets, but the other affects both the pockets and the system and spells ruin all round, if not premature death.— Yours, etc., E. W. ERNIE. . Sydenham, Christchurch, September 22, 1906.