The Waikato Times, THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE, AND KAWHIA ADVOCATE. Established Thirty-Four Years. THE OLDEST DAILY NEWSPAPER IN THE WAIKATO. THE LARGEST CIRCULATION OF ANY DAILY PAPER SOUTH OF AUCKLAND. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1906 THE QUACKERY BILL.

Waikato Times, Volume LVII, Issue 8004, 8 September 1906, Page 2

The Waikato Times, THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE, AND KAWHIA ADVOCATE. Established Thirty-Four Years. THE OLDEST DAILY NEWSPAPER IN THE WAIKATO. THE LARGEST CIRCULATION OF ANY DAILY PAPER SOUTH OF AUCKLAND. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1906 THE QUACKERY BILL.

It is satisfactory to learn that the Government has determined to deal with the evils connected with the sale of certain so-called medicines. Doubtless, the new Health Minister, Mr Fowlda, would have taken the matter up, even if Mr Hornsby had not forestalled him with the Quackery and other Frauds Prevention Bill. The approval of Ministers and the unanimous support of the House of Representatives on Thursday evening, when the Bill passed its second reading without opposition, constitute the strongest grounds for believing that the sale of injurious preparations with the help of lying advertisements will be stopped by some thoroughly effective measure. It is certainly needed. The public of more than one continent had scarcely recovered from the shock of the Chicago revelations when it was again horrified by the disclosures of American cure frauds published by Mr IS. H. Adams, in Collier's Weekly. New Zeahiuders were not allowed to hope that this country was untouched by the matter of his accusations, for Dr Mason, the Chief Health Ullicer, iu two lectures at Wellington last month, exposed some of the evil that is being doue among our own people. So strong was the doctors indictment that it would have been impossible for the Government to ignore it. He told of advertised remedies which can only make the sufferer worse, of alcohol disguised under other names and sold with instructions calculated for the making of drunkards, of blackmail practised on the unwary >vho are drawn into the meshes of the " confidential quack." He admitted that there are some genuine and useful remedies on the market. He divided patent medicines into three classes: — "(1) Bad, useless drugs, inducing drug habits. (2) Harmless; may be good, but are simply formulae or recipes which the advertiser has stolen or bought from some chemist or doctor. (3) Good ; and the result of real original research on the part of the inventor or maker." The first of these should be prohibited, and the second scarcely deserve more consideration ; but nothing should be done to the prejudice of the third class. Dr. Masou recommended a plan which was proposed, but subsequently abandoned, by the Government Home two years ago. This was to compel the manufacturer of every proprietary medicine to print an analysis of its contents on the label under which it is sold. Mr Hornsby'a Bill takes another couise. It provides that every bottle or package other than those supplied by registered medical practitioners or chemists shall bear a copy of a eertilicalo signed by the Chief Health Officer, and declariug that he is batish'ed as to its beneficial qualities. We can well understand that even so earnest and capable :\ public servant as Dr Miieoti would shrink from assuming -uch a responsibility. Nevertheless it is plain ih'.t this method, if ir is found to be practicable, would be, of the 'wo, the more effective protec 'ion to the public against these worst of frauds.