492 
Editorial. 
("Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
<-     August,  1919- 
ness  we  are  pleased  to  publish  the  following  quotation  from  the 
reply  of  the  Bayer  Company,  Inc. 
"  We  are  naturally  very  sorry  to  learn  that  your  organization 
has  taken  exception  to  some  of  our  recent  advertising,  and  we  take 
pleasure  in  informing  you  that  the  particular  copy  complained  of 
has  been  discontinued.  It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  we  are  de- 
sirous of  retaining  the  good  will  of  ail  retail  druggists,  as  we 
recognize  the  fact  that  they  are  a  necessary  link  in  the  chain  of 
distribution  of  our  merchandise,  and  we  consider  their  interests  as 
identical  with  our  own. 
"  In  our  opinion  no  class  of  business  men  are  more  deserving 
of  the  respect  of  the  public,  but  we  feel  sure  that  you  wrill  agree 
that  there  are  exceptions  to  this  rule.  This  is  made  evident  by  the 
fact  that  the  president  of  the  Verandah  Chemical  Co.,  of  Brooklyn, 
who  manufactured  and  marketed  what  they  chose  to  call  'Aspirin,' 
was  recently  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary  because  his  company  had 
been  shown  to  have  sold  hundreds  of  thousands  of  tablets  consist- 
ing entirely  of  talcum  powder. 
"  The  evidence  in  the  case  showed  that  sales  of  this  material 
had  been  made  throughout  the  United  States,  and  while  we  are 
loathe  to  believe  that  these  were  purchased  by  the  better  class  of 
druggists,  the  quantities  involved  were  so  considerable  that  wTe  were 
convinced  some  action  on  our  part  was  absolutely  essential.  It 
seemed  to  us  therefore  that  we  were  morally  obligated  to  call  the 
attention  of  the  public  to  this  incident,  and  to  warn  them  accord- 
ingly, and  we  feel  certain  that  every  member  of  your  association 
would  have  acted  similarly  under  the  same  circumstances. 
"  We  sincerely  trust  that  upon  further  reflection  you  will  believe 
that  we  were  absolutely  justified,  and  assuring  you  of  our  desire 
to  assist  the  legitimate  drug  trade  in  every  possible  way." 
This  admission  of  their  error  in  deviating  from  the  proprieties 
of  advertising,  while  not  as  frank  as  we- might  wish,  is  nevertheless 
an  admission  accompanied  by  an  explanation,  which  showed  a  just 
cause  for  their  resentment  against  certain  rascals  but  which  could 
not  justify  a  disparagement  of  the  entire  drug  trade.  We  are  of 
the  opinion  that  the  present  management  of  this  company  is  com- 
posed of  fair-minded  American  business  men  and  the  discontinu- 
ance of  this  style  of  advertisements  evidences  that  the  ethics  of 
business  and  the  properties  of  advertising  will  be  observed  by 
