Chemical and Physical Papers. 29 



NOSTRUMS. 



By L. E. Sayre. 



TT would seem that an apology would be in order before present- 

 -■- iug a paper upon this subject before a scientific body, but if 

 one considers the immense importance that nostrums have in the 

 eyes of the public and the recognition of them by chemical an- 

 alysts in the administration of the drug end of the food and drugs 

 law, the reasonableness of such a paper becomes apparent. Nos- 

 trums are defined as medicines the ingredients of which are kept 

 secret for the purpose of restricting the profits of sale to the in- 

 ventor or proprietor. They have such synonyms as "quack medi- 

 cines," '"fake medicines," and "patent medicines." However, 

 these synonyms do not necessarily mean exactly the same thing. 

 The fallacy of secrecy on the part of pharmacists and physicians is 

 becoming more and more apparent as the science of therapeutics 

 progresses, and since the enactment of the food and drugs law 

 more attention has been given to this problem of secrecy. Both 

 professions, pharmacy and medicine, have been severely called to 

 account. It is not the purpose of this paper to reflect upon the 

 sister profession for any of its shortcomings. The profession is 

 perfectly able to do that for itself. In discussing the subject 

 of nostrums, however, it must not be conceded that the only guilty 

 parties, if indeed there be any guilt, are attached to the pharmacy 

 profession. 



Since the term "patent medicines" has been applied to these, 

 this would naturally lead to the query, What do we understand by 

 this term ? 



Dr. F. E. Stewart, in his report to the committee of revision of 

 the United States Pharmacopoeia, discusses the subject as follows: 



The history of the nostrum business will show where the names "pat- 

 ent" and "proprietary" medicines originated. 



At first these preparations were known as secret nostrums and claimed 

 to be inventions or discoveries in therapeutics. In process of time some of 

 these secrets were betrayed or divulged, and it was then found that any 

 one possessing the necessary knowledge and having obtained, the same 

 legitimately, has a perfect right to make and sell the same things. The 

 next move was to patent these preparations under the provision allowing 

 the patenting of compositions of matter. The board of examiners in chief 

 finally decided that it "was never intended that any composition or mix- 

 ture of simples should be the subject of monopoly. If rhubarb and senna, 



