PE-RU-NA: A YANKEE NOSTRUM.

NZ Truth, Issue 59, 4 August 1906, Page 8

PE-RU-NA: A YANKEE NOSTRUM.

A Concoction Cure for Catarrh.

Compounded of Bad Whisky, Cubebs, and Burnt Sugar.

Foy and Gibson Fined a " Tenner " for Selling the Stuff.

Full particulars are to hand from our Brisbane correspondent with regard to the prosecution m that city of the manager of Messrs Foy and ; Gibson for selling a bottle of Pe-ru-na under other than legal conditions. Donald McKenzie, Sub-Inspector of the State Inland Revenue Department, proceeded against Robert Conochie, manager for Messrs F-oy and Gibson, Wickham-street, Fortitude Valley, for that on May 11, he not being the holder of a license, did unlawfully sell to one Thomas Rawkins Prowles, certain liquor m a less quantity, at one and the same time, than two imperial gallons of one and the same description of liquor, to wit, one bottle of Pe-ru-na. MrConochic, being m Melbourne, did not appear, but a letter from him was put m, m which he stated that he pleaded , guilty, and authorised his co-manager to appear m his behalf. ' The Bench having accepted this .plea, Sub-Inspector McKenzie said that the department had no desire to single Messrs Foy and Gibson out for prosecution or to deal harshly with the firm m any. way, but this was ■'•■■*. A VERY SERIOUS CASE, and 1 it was desired to warn traders against stocking any such dangerous so-called medicine as Pe-ru-na. It had been analysed, and found to contain over 42 per cent, proof spirit, yet on the printed label round each bottle it v/as recommended as specially suitable .for children, a teaspoonful before meals. Sub-Inspector McKenzie handed a bottle up to the bench, so that what he said could be verified. The Bench, without o.ny hesilatio.Ti . fined the defendant £.1.0, in* default I one month's imprisonment. It is fortunate -that this gross imposition has been discovered and effective.-' steps taken to prevent, its further sale. Gocdnerts knows what harm it has alxeady . done to the public health— in how many dyspeptics, or those who are always imagining themselves ill, it has already induced the drink habit, a -craving for strong drink. This Pe-ru-na is a Yankee nostrum, sold, we believe, for, 5s a bottle, and the patient is required to tajie 25s worth to effect .a 'cure 'for catarrh. There isn't a bigger fraud to-day on the market. It is a swindle from beginning i-p end. First of all, it is not a "medicine," but simply colored over-proof, spirit and water. Next, it has no more relation to catarrh than cart-grease has to the equinox. -And, lastly, what is sol-d for 5s does not cost more than sixpence to land at Melbourne. We are not speaking without some knowledge of this imposition on the credulous people, and we propose to give a few particulars ABOUT THE ALLEGED DRUG, even at the risk of giving it a free advertisement. Pe-xu-na is manufactured (?) at Columbus, Ohio, m North America. How the swindle is worked may be gleaned from an article that appeared m "Physical Culture" m December, 1903. Later particulars also may be obtained from the Diirban "Prince" of April 28. The editor of "Physical Culture" had the liquid, for which the gullible public pay 5s per bottle, submitted to chemical analysis, and this was the practical result : "Pe-ru-na is a compound of deodorised spirits, cubebs, and water, colored with burnt swear.. Its sole merit "is that the 'spirits' used are 90 over-proof. And, as sold, the 'medicine' contains about 40 per cent, of alcohol, far more than enough to make , ALCOHOLIC SLAVES of the women and children who make use of it." Yet this stuff is sold throughout the 'Commonwealth' as a genuine article^ and every week you will see it advertised m big, type, and backed up with a lot of cronk testimonials. Let us show how those bogus advts. are obtained, by a quotation from Durban "Prince" :— "The ex-travelling agent, whose pet description of Pe-ru-na is a 'dope 1 liquid,' tells how the testimonials, which form so large a part of the advertisements how appearing, were obtained. He declares that he secured hundreds of testimonials, and m no cases did the cured (?) write a word other than the signatures ! The practice was to write a strong testimonial, and then induce the ostensible welter tb sign the statement by the promise of a dozen photographs, and by the judicious use of, a little soft sawder, which is an essential qualification of the travelling agent of a patent medicine. The first testimonial he secured was from a farmer m Minnesota m. 189<t. The ex-agent counted 71 empty Pe-ru-na bottles m the farmer's barn, and upon showing THE FLOWERY TESTIMONIAL" to the druggist from whom the Pe-ru-na had been bought, . that gentleman laughingly assured him that the farmer never had catarrh— only a bad thirst every hour or so. No doubt all the testimonials are of equal value. Indeed, what can' any sensible person think of a man who says lie has been cured of catarrh, or anything else, by drinking a compound of water, alcohol, cubebs, and burnt sugar ?" After weighing all the "evidence" the fraudulent Yankee company palm on the public, to enable them to gull the sick and suffering with the diabolical quackery, we are inclined to treat with respect those of whpm a famous historian writer speaks when, he says; "Fetishes, said to IKS the relics of saints, but no better than those of tropical Africa, were believed to cure every disorder." In fact, give us the witch-doctor any day, to this dishonest sale of spoiled spirits as a medicine. If the true scientific spirit were abroad among our rulexrs this company's representatives and acentis WOULD BE "RUN IN" lor obtaining money under false pretrnces, anil for the most deliberate J-iud of robbery by charlatanry. They are worse than robbers, for they not only take llic money out or the pcclc* lets of the ailing, but tJieydeiuiu; U'v-u 1

and keep: them away from real help and genuine cures. Here is the way the deceptive concoction is got up m America :— "ln America a bottle of Pe-ru-na is (or was) sold wholesale at, roughly, 2s 6d. . As the retail price is 5s pec bottle, this will explain why reputable chemists and drug stores are willing to handle the stuff. As to the cost of this dope, the Pe-ru-na Company buys its spirits by the caff-load from Peoria, Illinois. The cubebs are bought by the barrel, and the water DOESN'T COST MUCH. An ounce of caramel or buirnt sugar will , color; a case <of Pe-ru-na. This is a close estimate of the cost of Pe-ru-na, according to the ex-agent :— Cost of liquid, 2£d ; bottle, l£-d ; label and wrapper, £d ; total cost;, 4jd per bottle. Thus, for a decoction mainly consisting of crude alcohol and costing (landed at Melbourne) not more than sixpence per bottle, the public are asked to pay 5s ! When a dupe is the victim of a purchase he or she will find enclosed an invitation to write direct to "Dr" Hartman, of Columbus, who will,-. -give "his valuable advice gratis." Merely, another piece of DAMNABLE HUMBUG and quackery. The "doctor," if not absolutely a myth, is at the best only, a dodge to advertise Pe-ru-na. The letter reaches no "doctor," but is handed. to the paid typist, as a matter of course, by the office ujxderlingy who knows no more about catarrh dr. any other ailment' tlian "the Man m the 'Moon knows about Pink Peter. But a letter is sent back by the returning mail, and it simply advises unlimited doses of Pe-ru-na before and after meals ; on going to bed, and on getting up. And ot cour;se a cure is promised. In some parts of America the alleged drug has actually been prohibited on account of the de>. lcterious quality of its alcohol. Chronic drunkenness is almost a certainty from its use. For this reason, we especially warn our readers against it. A LITTLE WHILE AGO the Home authorities were asked to briiiß certain tjimck medicines within l.!ic : ban of the law. Henry Labc-u---chero's London "Truth" took the matter up, and we commend the utterance of tlint outspoken journal to our local authorities •.—"ln reply to la question," asked recently, the writoi: says: "The Home Secretary gave it as his opinion that the evils retail ting from the sale of quack medicines would be better met by the spread of education than by Government prosecutions for fraud. 11. seems to uu! that if a man commits a fraud by mean* f» f a quack medicine he is

as fit a subject for a Government prosecution as • the "man who commits a fraud by selling adulterated food, or shares IN BOGUS COMPANIES. I should like to think that the Home Secretary is right m expecting that the spread of education will render people less likely to fall victims to this particular kind of fraud. But I am sorry to say that I see no evidence for expecting much m that direction. If Mr Gladstone knew as much about this subject as I do he would be as surprised as I am to see the extent to which people who might be supposed to ; knqw better are imposed upon by medical quackery, ant! the same thing is more or less true of Pe-ru-na. It is the medicine that gets into the homes of the rich AS WELL AS OF THE POOR. As Dr. Robert Hutchison is reported to have said ("British Medical Journal") : — "lt was monstrous that people should be allowed to produce m the public mind an exaggerated dread of disease simply to serve their own ends. It was intolerable that false hopes shouM be raised m persons suffering from incurable diseases, m or;der that much money should be made out of a patent medicine. The medical profession ought to make some organised effort tp suppress this obtaining _ money \inder false pretences." And this sentiment applies m the superlative degree to Pe-ru-na.