The Wanganui Chronicle "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 1913. AN ILL-CONCEIVED REGULATION

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12881, 30 April 1913, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 1913. AN ILL-CONCEIVED REGULATION

Ix is perhaps not generally known that from. Friday next, as the result oi a regulation ga?otted by the authprities d Western Australia; it will be illegal to .import or -sell in tbat: State any patent medicines itnless tho foa-muia" thereof is disclosed. British m.anufa<'turers1 cannot see their way to con;ply with this demand, as by doing go they would inn a x great rLsk of ksing thciv trade rights^ and consequently tho citizens of Western Australia will be deprived of the opportunity of obtaining many of tho world's beat and dcsqi'va-?-ly most popular proprietary medicinos. In this connection it is interesting to note the important evidence relative 10 this question which was given at the Patent Medicines Inquiry which was conducted by a select committee of the House of Commons towards the end of last year. Mr. J. C. Umney, -with tlie qualifications which took the chairnia'i of the committee, Sir Hy. Norman, tlve minutes to read,l opened the defenco «f the class of traders who, for the purposes of attack, have been indiscriminately grouped by the medical profesr .sion under th(» opprobium "quack." "They are," as a very sensible leader in tho November 7th, V.)V2, pointed out, "only quack* according to fin artificial and not \c-ry' intelligble definition, which when examined carv'xa no imputation of moral depravHy.'

•Where," asks the "Times" "does iho public interest lie in this matter?" and in the opinion of, that journal if ■any Laymen can contribute anything to the relief of human suffering it is in .the public interest that he should do so, ond that his efforts should be jutlpji-ci. not by a test of special severity, but by the standard of average success which, as all that the regular practitioner can attain." The "Edinburgh '.Review," in Iho October issue of 1112, ■also points out that it i^ easy to .overdo the charge of fraud, and that to injure the- whole trade lest a part, slioul-l deal fraudulently is not only unjust but is a. reflection on our udminis* :n----tive sj-.'tem. Tho writor goes furthur, and saye that if a person feeling ill prefers to buy a nostrum rather than v'ilsit a doctor that is his affair not I'srliamßnt's, «and it cannot be just to legislate to suppress, the nostrum flJid leave him.only the doctor as an alternative. These two opinions show the direction of considered public Bcnt:ment. on the matter. 'Mr. Umnoy, as a. witness, camo fully acwedited a^ n representative of both official and unofficial pharmacy, and-in hie testimony brought t o boar that detailed Jcaow■led.Tia iupJ biroad observation of the drug busiuess which is posse.%<»l by few n\en in if... The book, " Secret R«ip«-

dies," is one of the roots in the modi ca.l contention, and Mr. Umney's d* claration ci inaccuracies ir. the analyses were almost dramatic in effect. Equally impressive was his statement that fourfifths of the remedies in the B. M. A. book were entirely unknown to hini. C^oniing to reasons against formula, nieclosure, he showod its unfairness to bosiness interests, its probable effect in increasing the number of proprietaries lj|/ imitation, and consequential ''Sncnvi-to in self-medication, to prevent which is th© avowed chief object -of• th© medical profession. Thus public interest could hardly,bo .sorvod by attempts to "ki:! ' proprietaries by formula disclosure. But, farther, propriotarj'es themselves were prescribed by-the doctors; they1 are iiow the basis of innumerable pharmacopoeial and official' preparation*, the B.P; and tho Codex having pracliicalty annexed many • valuable! paten«. medicines, and under tho guise of official. nomenclaturo set the- hall-mark of medical and pharmaceutical approval thoroio:& Incidentally ho showed that, ar. embargo, on-such things as hr<sdacho powders could hardly bo confi'ued to proprietaries, but .must extend to I tablets .in the form of aectanilide, aviipyrine, and phohacetin, tlio sale of which, by tho retail chomists, totals probably considerably more than that of all proprietary headache powders put together." As to the proposed censorship or supervision of advertieoments —another point put forward by

1 the doctors —while agreeing that theoi'--2 votioally the idea was an excellent -ne ac applied to ail articles of chemisrs. ho showed that in practice it was absolutely unworkable, and, any elimination 'of reference on advertisement or label to a disease, as had been suggested, would apply equally to medicine of any kind sold by any retailed