HEADACHE REMEDIES

Evening Star, Issue 15065, 23 December 1912, Page 7

HEADACHE REMEDIES

Profeesor YV. E. Dixon, M.D., of King's College, London, gave interesting evidence recently before the House, of Commons Committee on Patent Medicines. The following were among his points: Simple headache was generally the result of some trivial trouble connected with the eyes or the- teeth, which could be quickly dispersed by powders. The remedies so largely advertised would be worthless as cures for chronic headache, which might be caused by kidney disease or brain trouble. Dyspepsia was very often caused bv cerebral trouble, and the same symptoms arose from a gastric ulcer and cancer of the stomach. Under the. Merchandise Marks Act local authorities were enabled to prosecute in cases where fraudulent claims

were made for proprietary remedies. Only one local authority had used these powers. People had died as the result of taking acetanilide contained in proprietary medicines. People who were attacked by cancer so badly that they could only live a few months spent all the money they had on perfectly useless remedies, and left their dependents unprovided for. It would be a fraud for anyone to say he could cure consumption. Ho might be able to cure some people, but the assumption of the claim would be that he could cure all cases. The Chairman (Sir Henry Norman) said that they had had correspondence with a man who had been taking a “ consumption cure.'’ Samples of the “cure” were sent by the committee to the Government analyst, who reported that they were essentially a mixture of wine and glycerole. The man demanded the return of the sgs he had given for the “ cure,” and after a Jong correspondence and some threats he obtained the money.