NOVEMBER 26, 1897.] 
that the composition is known and can be 
seen at the Patent Office. The proprietary 
medicine is a secret preparation protected 
by a trade mark in this country, and hence 
preferred by the owner, but both are vaguely 
termed by the public patent medicines. 
The extent of the traffic will be apparent 
when I tell you that up to December 31, 
1896, the United States Patent Office had 
issued patents on the following: 
IDMSMTACHETNIS oc DonH000 SHGODGNHO06O000000 235 
IDSATEROISs o Good D OND OODSeHOOCOONGDS000N0000 226 
Hair dyes and tonics ..................... 43 
IRSBHCIGIES o co san bo SuonsD CO DDOODBOO0GNRR 145 
Imtermaliremedies! .-.. jcc. ene eee = 356 
TPIBSIBIS 10 cone pooO OD OOO DDOGOaUSSBE00000N 48 
HRopicaleremedies ner tiacietrleiieaicleissiererclelieis 351 
\WelaEMEMy HOMECHIES, 65 0cq000bD00900u00000 75 
TRADE MARKS. 
Drugs and chemicals................--+-. 614 
Medical compounds.................0-00+- 4979 
The proprietary medicines are subect to 
the control of the State authorities, and if 
containing alcohol in sufficient quantity to 
be intoxicants are subject to Internal Reve- 
nue Laws, but so far as my knowledge ex- 
tends little or nothing has been done in 
this country and in England to control the 
sale of secret remedies. Dr. G. Danford 
Thomas, Coroner of London and Middlesex, 
before the International Congress of Hy- 
giene in 1891, very justly urged that all 
proprietary medicines should be under the 
Patent Laws, because the composition is at 
least disclosed ; he would abolish licences 
to sell them and confine the sale to chemists 
and druggists only. In these matters we 
could certainly profit by the example of the 
Japanese, Italian, French and German 
laws. The Japanese government has es- 
tablished a public laboratory for the analy- 
sis of chemicals and patent medicines. The 
proprietors are bound to supply a sample 
with the names and proportions of the in- 
gredients, directions for its use and an ex- 
planation of the supposed efficacy. During 
SCIENCE. 199 
the year 1889 there were no fewer than 11,- 
904 applicants for licenses to prepare and 
sell 148,091 patent and secret medicines. 
Permission for the sale of 58,638 different 
kinds was granted ; 8,592 were prohibited ; 
9,918 were ordered to be discountenanced, 
and 70,943 remained still to be reported on. 
The majority of those authorized to be sold 
were of no efficacy, and but few were really 
remedial agents. The sale of these was 
not prohibited, as they were not dangerous 
to the health of the people. No objection 
can be urged to this law from a sanitary 
point of view, except that it continues to 
protect the ‘ pseudo-scientist.’ 
In Italy (which country, by the way, 
has the best national board of health) the 
sale of secret remedies in January, 1891, 
became subject to the following regulations: 
The composition as to the quality and 
quantity of the active substances contained 
must be written on the labels and on the 
advertisements ; no special therapeutic vir- 
tue or indication shall be attributed to 
them either on the label or advertisement; 
they shall be sold only by chemists under 
the vigilance of the sanitary authorities 
and with medical prescriptions. 
In France the pharmacier is forbidden to 
sell secret remedies or even to keep them 
on his premises under heavy penalties. 
In Germany the chemist may sell patent 
medicines when ordered by the prescription 
of the physician. He must not sell secret 
remedies. All patent medicines sold by 
the chemist must be prepared under special 
supervision and according to the rules of 
the pharmacopea. 
From the foregoing we may conclude 
that, while a good deal has been accom- 
plished by public and private sanitation, 
much remains to be done before the aver- 
age length of human life reaches three- 
score and ten. 
GrorcE M. Koper. 
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY. 
