REDUCING TABLETS

Southland Times, Issue 21820, 24 September 1932, Page 5

REDUCING TABLETS

ALLEGED TO CONTAIN WORM. MINISTER EXPLODES IDEA. (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, September 23. The theory regarding the action , of a certain brand of obesity reducing tablet was exploded in the House this afternoon when Mr W. E. Barnard asked the Minister of Health whether he would take immediate steps to stop the sale of certain obesity reducing tablets, if as was alleged the active ingredient in each tablet was a segment of live tapeworm which when swallowed developed into a full-sized tapeworm. The desire for a youthful figure induced many people to resort to sundry forms of treatment, drugless and otherwise, and if an unscrupulous person or firm was catering for public requirements in that direction by horrible means, he suggested that urgent and drastic action was called for. “I am in a position to give a complete and emphatic denial to the allegations made regarding the preparation in question,” the Hon. J. A. Young said. “Investigations have been made by my department and the preparation does not contain the ingredient mentioned, but is believed to contain animal extract which has a subtle influence on the human body. Regulations will be framed requiring such preparations containing animal extracts to be marked danger. This preparation should not be used except under medical advice.”