Am.  J.  Ph.] 
[Apr.,  1882 
A  WORD 
To  those  Interested  in  the 
JllC 
Since  the  year  1877  we  have  lost  no  opportunity  to  place  be- 
fore the  professions  of  Medicine  and  Pharmacy  the  injury  which  was 
resulting  to  public,  professional,  and  scientific  interests,  through  the 
abuse  of  the  laws  relative  to  patents  and  trade-marks,  by  certain  man- 
ufacturing pharmacists,  or  patent  medicine  dealers,  working  under  the 
title  of  "  Manufacturing  Pharmacists."  We  have  sought  and  expected  a. 
reply  to,  or  counter-attack  upon,  our  efforts,  without  satisfaction,  until 
recently  one  Horatio  R.  Bigelow,  M.  D.,  has  appeared  as  the  mouth- 
piece of  the  patent  medicine  ring. 
A  recent  and  specially  enlarged  edition  of  a  journal  published 
Sandyhook,  Conn.,  the  New  England  Medical  Monthly^  contains  an  article- 
in  the  interests  of  the  ring,  by  the  above  named  physician,  severely  attacking 
the  reputation  and  policy  of  our  house.  We  understand  that  pecuniary  aid 
has  been  given  to  this  undertaking  by  those  interested.  As  this  article 
seems  to  be  the  concentrated  and  final  effort  of  our  opposers  we  desire  to 
call  the  attention  of  physicians  and  pharmacists  to  the  fact,  and  to  our  ex- 
pressed willingness  to  send,  post-paid  on  application^  a  printed  copy  of  this 
article  and  other  printed  itiatter  bearing  upon  the  subject^  which  we  are  sure 
will  prove  instructive  to  all  who  have  the  interests  of  the  public,  the  pro- 
fession of  medicine,  or  science,  at  heart.  The  personal  attack  upon  ourselves 
is  beneath  our  notice.  The  principle  at  stake  is  worthy  the  attention 
of  every  one,  and  this  fact  is  our  only  apology  for  giving  the  above 
advice. 
Through  limited  space  we  will    here    call    attention  but    to  one 
fact, — that  Dr.  Bigelow  would  convey  the  idea  that  we  were  seeking  to 
destroy  that   just    protection    given  to  inventors  by  the    patent    law  | 
and  to  manufacturers  by  the  law  of  trade-marks.    We  tell  Dr.  Bigelow,  i 
and  the  whole  fraternity  of  quacks,  that  this  is  a    willful  perversion  j 
of    our  position.      The   patent  law  secures   to   an   inventor  any  new 
and  useful  composition  of   matter;   but  he  must  disclose  the  secret  of  his  ! 
invention,  and  show  that  it  is  nc7v  and  useful.    The  trade-mark  law  is 
only  to  secure   to  the   maker  of  a  known  article   the  benefit  of  any 
peculiar  skill  which  he  has  brought  to  the  making  of  the  article.  Hence 
he  may  adopt  and  own  any  arbitrary  sign  to  indicate  his  own  manufac^ 
ture  :    this  is  the  whole  scope  and  end  of  the  law  of  trade  marks.  . 
Our  war  is  against  the  abuse  of  these  laws  ;  against  the  practices  of  i 
those  spurious  pharmacists  who  seek  to  draw  the  protection  of  these  laws  ! 
07>er  secret  and  unknown  preparations.     We  also  denounce  that  kindred  i 
abuse  where  the  common  or  only  name  of  an  article  is  claimed  as  a  trade-  I 
mark.     To  allow  this  would  be  to  allow  the  most  odious  form  of  mono- 
poly; a  monopoly  of   an  article  the  composition  of  which  is  kept  secret 
and  unknown.    Such  a  monopoly  the  patent  law  will  not  permit.  Sound 
medical  science  will  not  permit  it.    It  belongs  to  the  domain  of  quackery 
pure  and  simple. 
PARKE,  DAVIS  &  CO. 
Detroit,  Mich.,  March  1,  1883. 
Send  for  'Viiiled  inalk  \M\n  to  the  abuse  of  the  pateot  aod  trade-mark  laws." 
