PATENT MEDICINES, ETC.

NZ Truth, Issue 65, 15 September 1906, Page 3

PATENT MEDICINES, ETC.

TO THE EDITOB.

Sir,— A great cry is being raised by the Chief Health Officer and others about the deleterious effects of patent medicines and other appliances. I quite agree that there are many impositions being thrust upon the general, public at the present time, and we have not to go far away from Wellington to find some of them. But there are patent medicines, however, prepared by clever medical rawi, that were obtainable m the old digIging days, when doctors were scarce ;or could not be got at, that saved many a miner's life, and which medicines were, for want of deletions qf their own,, recommended by the medical fraternity. It is all very well for .doctors a,n<d chemists to run down

patent medicines, but experience has something to say. A doctor once gave a very young child (only days old) up, saying it could not lfve. As a last resource the parents, believing that if it did no good it could not do any harm, gave the child one drop. of Dr. Collis Brown's Chlorodyne. In half an hour that child became quite lively and has been so ever since, having survived the ordeal up to now, is well and hearty at. 30, and has not troubled a doctor for any inward .complaint since. This is only one instance of many I could give of the good "this and : other pa^,:nt medicines have done. Then why should the public be debarred the right of obtaining for Is 6d what doctors and chemists would charge from '3s 6d to 10s 6d for ? There is more selfishness m this matter than anything else, and some people are allowing themselves to be made use of.— Yours, etc.,, .

, 4." I -i £?ATEE, Wellington, SIpV. 11, l#o6.