394  Crucial  Test  of  Therapeutic  Evidence.       {  A™epteSer ^9™'. 
presentation  of  all  sorts  of  routine  observations  that  have  no  relation 
to  the  problem. 
The  majority  of  reports  obtained  by  the  agents  belong  to  these 
classes,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  they  are  often  written  for  the 
special  use  of  the  Council,  and  therefore  with  the  realization  that 
they  are  likely  to  be  subjected  to  a  thorough  examination,  and  there- 
fore presumably  representing  the  best  type  of  work  of  which  the 
reporter  is  capable.    So,  at  least,  one  would  suppose. 
It  is  also  possible,  however,  that  some  of  these  reports  are  written 
merely  out  of  thoughtlessness,  or  perhaps  often  to  get  rid  of  an  im- 
portunate agent.  This  is  illustrated  by  the  following  correspon- 
dence, taken  literally  from  the  files  of  the  Council. 
A  letter  from  a  prominent  physcian  "A,"  endorsing  a  certain 
preparation  "  D,"  having  been  submitted  to  the  Council,  the  secretary 
was  directed  to  write  to  Dr.  A  as  follows : 
"Dear  Dr.  A: — The  B  Company  of  C  has  requested  the  Council  on 
Pharmacy  and  Chemistry  to  admit  its  preparation  D  to  New  and  Nonofficial 
Remedies.  As  part  evidence  for  the  value  of  the  preparation,  the  company 
submitted  a  letter  from  you  which  contains  the  following : 
"  So  far  as  my  experience  has  thus  far  gone,  they  are  certainly  superior 
to  a  number  of  other  iodin  compounds  now  on  the  market,  and  I  should  judge 
that  they  ought  to  take  a  superior  place  in  therapy  involving  the  use  of  iodin. 
"The  referee  of  the  Council  in  charge  of  D  writes  that  he  was  inter- 
ested by  your  letter  and  asks  that  I  inquire  :  As  compared  with  sodium  or 
potassium  iodid,  what  would  you  say  are  the  differences  between,  and  real 
advantages  of,  D  and  the  alkaline  iodids?  Did  you  make  any  comparative 
experiments  and  keep  a  record  of  them?  If  so,  the  referee  would  like  to 
receive  an  account  of  your  trials.  In  what  direction  could  D  be  expected  to 
occupy  a  superior  place  in  iodin  therapy? 
"  I  hope  that  you  can  give  the  information  asked  by  the  referee  and  thus 
aid  the  Council  in  arriving  at  a  correct  estimate  regarding  the  value  of  D." 
The  following  reply  was  received  from  the  physician  in  response 
to  the  foregoing : 
"Dear  Professor  Puckner: — In  reply  to  yours  of  January  19,  I  did  not 
proceed  far  enough  in  the  investigation  of  D  to  draw  conclusions  of  any 
particular  value  for  the  purpose  of  the  Council  on  Pharmacy  and  Chemistry; 
and  I  so  stated  in  my  letter  to  the  proprietors  of  that  remedy. 
Answers  to  the  questions  you  put  in  your  letter  require  an  amount  of 
investigation  of  the  remedy  far  beyond  anything  I  undertook.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  I  returned  about  five  sixths  of  the  capsules  sent  me,  because  of  lack 
of  time  and  opportunity  to  carry  out  the  extensive  clinical  experiments  that  I 
plainly  saw  would  be  required  to  give  an  opinion  at  all  worth  while.  I  believe 
you  had  better  not  consider  me  in  the  matter  at  all." 
