USE AND ABUSE OF DRUGS 143 



as a result. It has been demonstrated that tobacco has, too, an 

 important effect on muscular development. The stunted appear- 

 ance of the young smoker is well known. 



Use and Abuse of Drugs. — A large proportion of the American 

 people are addicted to the use of drugs, especially patent medicines. 

 A glance at the street-car advertisements shows this. Most of 

 the medicines advertised contain alcohol in greater quantity than 















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u 



u 





U 



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Ij 



1 



Amounts of alcohol in some liquors and in some patent medicines. 

 o, beer, 5%; 6, claret, 8%; c, champagne, 9%; d, whisky, 50%; e, well- 

 known sarsaparilla, 18%; /, g, h, much-advertised nerve tonics, 20%, 21%, 

 25%; i, another much-advertised sarsaparilla, 27%; j, a well-known tonic, 

 28%; fc, I, bitters, 37%, 44% alcohol. 



beer or wine, and many of them have habit-forming drugs in their 

 composition. 



Before the Pure Food and Drug Act went into effect it was 

 possible for the makers of patent medicines to sell those con- 

 taining alcohol, opium, morphine, and cocaine without the public 

 being any the wiser. In consequence, much harm was done by 

 the patent medicine industry. Not only were many ''sarsapa- 

 rillas" and ''bitters" put on the market, but they were sold to 

 persons who were opposed to alcohol. A dose of one of these 

 medicines usually contained about as much alcohol as the same 

 amount of whisky. Such ''bracers," as the American Medical 

 Association have called this type of medicine, were of course habit 



