THE PATENT MEDICINE QUESTION.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 139, 9 December 1904, Page 6

THE PATENT MEDICINE QUESTION.

\ DEPUTATION TO SIR J. G. WARD. REGULATIONS TO BE REVISED. PROIECTION, NOT REPRESSION. Thi.s morning the Minister of Public Health heard the case against the recently gazetted legulations. affecting "patent" medicines. The arguments against the innovation weie put before him by a deputation representing manufactuiers, vcndois, and importers of the ai ticks in question. Mr. W. E. Woods recapitulated the remarks which he made at the recent meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, and held that the Act as it .-.lood could not be admiiiisU'ied, owing to the fact that there were practically no "patent" mecliuiiKS. With refeu»ce to the lcgulation requiring that medicines which contain poitons should bear on the label an announcement to that effect, lie pointed out that in Australia the Pharmacy Boards were entrusted with the admiuifctialion of both the Pharmacy and Poi-t M>nw Acts, while in this colony the Government letained to itself the administration of the Act dealing with poisons. Ue thought that this was the proper way to deal with poihons, but he maintained that they could be dealt with quite .satisfactorily without the introduction of Mich a drastic measure. The people interested in the question were all 111 a !>tute of uncertainty as to what they were' to do. Mr. Cobb also .«poke on the lines of his speech before the Chamber of Commerce, and j>aid that those concerned left the matter in the hands of the Department in the full confidence that they would be accorded fair treatment. Messrs. W. Larkin and R. E. Wood also spoke, and the latter ha the course of his remarks mentioned that those travellers who are accustomed to carry their medical piescriptkms about with them would in many cases find it impossible to get their requirements filled m this colony if the regulations were enforced. A plea for the patent foods for infants and invalids waa put forward by Mr. Miller. He out that in the case of Mellin's Food, in which he was particularly interested, the large increase in the sales therefore whs ample proof that the article was valuable and supplied an urgent i\eed. He was of the opinion that if the importation of the foods for infants and invalids were qtopped the child life of the colony would be seriously affected. As the birth-rate question wa« one of the most pressing questions of the day, the Government, instead of hampering the importation of these valuable foods, should remove the duty. Speaking as a member of the general public-" and as a storekeeper, Mr. T. Cnmings, of Wanganui, pointed out that the enforcements of the regulations would be a hardship to the dwellers in the backblocks. He, him&elf, whenever he got an order from the backblocks — from a bushfellers' camp, for instance — always found that some of the best known proprietary medicines were included in the order. THE MINISTER'S REPLY. . Replying to tho deputation, the Min"ister paid that, as the result of statementi he had seen in the press, he had asked the Chief Health Officer whether th-j, recommendations wero made at mc instigation <>f the doctors or any section of the chemists of the colony, and Dr. Mason had assured him that such was not the case. The idea was not to interfere with the enterprise of the drug trade, but to protect the public, and tho regulations were the tmtcome of the analysis of articles submitted to the Department by various people. He admitted that there were many' very good medicines imported", which ought not to bo interfered with, but there were also some very bad ones. He had in his possession a statement by the Chief Health Officer that an imported proprietary medicine was being widely aold in, the colony which was of stich a character that if a doctor gave a prescription to a patient for mediciue of the same kind he would be criminally prosecuted. The Druggists ought to be with the Government and the Health Department in their efiorts to prevent the wholesale distribution of such articles as these. (Hear, hear.) Tho Department did not want to put any proprietor in the position of having to disclose his formula, and admitted that he was entitled to protection and to the fruits of his research and enterprise. Regarding the objections to the "'poison" provision, he could not s>cc why such strong exception was taken to it, as it was the law in England. The ' Chief Health Officer had furnished him with information regarding* certain specifics which were on sale, and which contained more poison than they ought. He admitted thav there had been no case of poisoning by patent medicine;., however. In the case of a .cf-Ttain soothing syrup, Dr. Mason had informed him that the child life of the colony was seriously prejudiced by its use, and there were also certain alleged tonics — which had a wide vogue among women — which contained 48 per cent, of alcohol. With reference to the complaint that holders of stocks would suiter serious loss through not being able to quit them by the time the regulations came into force, he said that if the regulations came into operation, the stocks on hand could be sold in the way, though probably the formula of thair composition would have to be lodged with the Health Department. He had received from various parts of the colony expressions of approval from the public of the steps taken to protect them, and it would be criminal on the part of the Government if it did not slop tho sale of noxious concoctions. What the Government wanted to ascertain was" which medicines were injurious. The wholesale people need have no fear about their stocks, and the people in the backblocks would not be interfered with, for local people would surely provide them with good medicines. He was convinced that when the matter was finally settled on a proper basis, the same volume of trade would go on, with the. exception that the injurious ' drugs i would be kept out. He had said in Dunedin, and he was still of tho opinion, that it was perhaps not necessary to disclose the formula by printing it on tho label, but tho Department mast have some way of knowing what the medicines 'contained. Replying to a question from ono of those present, the Minister said importers would be able to go on importing. But should not, of course, import those which they know would bo stopped. At this stage Mr. W. E. Woods interrupted the Minister, and declared with much heat that it was a slur on respectable people to say they knowingly imported and .sold noxious drugs, and lie disputed the Minister's sUtiewenls on the point on the ground that he (Mr. Woods) spoke from a larger experience than Sir Joseph Ward. The Minister reiterated his statement 1 thai he had positive proof that noxious, drugs were imported. Answeriag several questions, he cleared up som© points in doubt. Mr. Gallichan asked whether _as a colonial manufacturer, he could with safety continue producing his medicines, and he was assured that he could, if he supplied his fonnulse. The Minister intimated, in reply to Mr. Woods, that manufacturers wio supplied fcheir formula 1 to the Department and knew the formulae

represented good articles, could go o:\ with couiidvueo. If formulas Meie supplied to the Health Department they would be quite suclet, as they would not bo available to any one )sut the Chief Health Oilicer. rte'w-as. ciuite prepaivd to remove fioin the regulations anything tending to interfere with trade. The "poison" provision wa.s again rai.sed by the deputation, and it was urged that a drug was not a "poif-on" except when h was of a quantity that produced baneful and serious effects. The Minister said that if a medicine contained an infinitesimal and quite harmless amount of strychnine, morphia, or other "poison," he would consider that it did not contain ''poison." He intimated that he would consult Dr. Mason on the subject at Timaru to-morrow, and would take steps to see that, while the public was thoroughly protected, there would be no interference with trade. '