November, 1910 



MAINE 



AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION 



ORONO, MAINE. 



CHAS. D. WOODS, Director 



Analysts 

 James M. Bartlett Herman H. Hanson 



Albert G. Durgin Royden L. Hammond 



Raymond P. Norton Alfred K, Burke 



(ifftrtal ittj0p^rtwtt0. 



26 



HEADACHE REMEDIES. 



During the summer of 1910 quite a large 'number of head- 

 ache remedies on sale in Maine were purchased. The investi- 

 gation was made because of the large sale of these powerful 

 drugs in the form of patent medicines and outside of physician's 

 prescription. 



The Harmfulness of Headache Mixtures. 



The Bureau of Chemistry of the United States Department 

 of Agriculture has made an extended statistical investigation 

 into the harmful effects of acetanilide, antipyrine, and acet- 

 phenetidinum (Phenacetin) which is published as Bulletin 126 

 of the Bureau of Chemistry. A general and popular summary 

 of this is published as Farmers' Bulletin 377 of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture. The following is quoted 

 from different parts of the bulletin. A copy of Farmers' Bulle- 

 tin 377 can be obtained by addressing a member of Congress 

 or of the Secretary of Agriculture. Washington, D. C. 



"Acetanilid, antipyrin, and phenacetin (acetphenetidinum) 

 are very commonly used in the preparation of mixtures in- 

 tended for the relief of headache and other minor aches and 

 pains. Thus there will often be seen upon the label of a 



