Analysis of Patent Hedicine&l 
The following startling figures are an 
Analysis of Tonics, Beverages, etc., from 
the report of the State Board of Health, 
Public Document No. 34, Commonwealth 
of Massachusetts. 
TONICS AND BITTERS. 
The following were examined for the 
purpose of ascertaining the percentage of 
alcohol in each. Some of them have been 
recommended as temperance drinks: 
SARSAPARILLA REMEDIES. 
Parker's Hair Balsam containe 
equivalent of about I ^32 _ 
Wolf's Vegetable Hair RestorerlcS*^ * 
tained the equivalent of A.l ,.ufc95 ; 
Champlin's Liquid Pearl J.I^Miph < 
Instances of lead poisoning l^a^b&en 
known to occty: from the free . external 
use of such preparations as the foregoing. 
The following contained corrosive-sub- 
limate, or some other poisonous salt of 
mercury, in the proportion of 1 to 15 
grains per ounce: 
Harriet Hubbard Ayer's Recamier 
Cream. Balm and Lotion. 
Madam Ruppert's World Renowned Face 
Bleach. 
Madam Yale's Excelsior Complexion 
Bleach. 
Hill's Freckle Lotion. 
Soule's Freckle and Moth Eradicator. 
Perry's Freckle Lotion. 
Oriental Cream. 
Mrs. McCorrison's Famous Diamond 
Face Lotion (14.7 grains to the ounce.) 
Royal Cream. 
In one instance a six-ounce bottle con- 
tained 47 of grains corrosive sublimate; 
another contained 14 grains of the bi- 
chloride per ounce. It is not surprising 
that instances of serious harm were re- 
ported from the use of such articles. 
In view of the facts disclosed by this 
report it becomes plain that the purchas- 
ers of patent and proprietary medicines, 
beverages, tonics and cosmetics should 
know what they are buying. 
In order that this information may be 
given it is proposed to petition the Legis- 
lature to enact a statute corresponding to 
laws which have long been in force in 
Germany and France with most benefi- 
cent results. 
This act may be substantially as fol- 
lows: 
Be it enacted that on and after ... no 
Patent or Proprietary Medicine, no Bev- 
erage or Tonic compounded of various 
materials recommended for curative pur- 
poses by advertising or other mode of 
publicity, no tonic, bitters, ginger com- 
pound, soothing syrup or other curative 
mixture, no medicaied soap, hair wash, 
face powder, or other compound by which 
it is proposed to promote the growth of 
hair, to color the hair, to remove freckles 
and pimples, to improve the complexion, 
and other compounds of like kind shall 
be sold within the Commonwealth of 
Massachusetts, unless every package, par- 
cel, case, paper, bottle or other receptacle 
shall have inscribed, stamped or printed 
upon it in type or other stamp approved 
by the State Board of Health, the exact 
formula by which such compound is 
made, giving the proportion, weight or 
quantity of each and all ingredients. 
The penalty for each infraction of this 
act shall be a fine of fifty cents on each 
separate parcel or package sold, to be as- 
sesssed on each separate parcel which 
may be contained in a case, barrel or 
wholesale package. 
On the complaint of any person it shall 
be the duty of the State Police to investi- 
gate the case and to make a report to the 
State Board of Health, by whom prosecu- 
tions may be instituted, or to any magis- 
trate having jurisdiction in similar cases. 
Such being the proposed action, subject 
to the framing by counsel of an adequate 
statute, all persons who desire action to 
be taken will send in their names to be 
appended to a petition as follows: 
The undersigned, adult citizens of Mas- 
sachusetts, men and women, respectfully 
petition the Senate and House of Repre- 
sentatives in Legislature assembled to 
enact a law to the effect that every sepa- 
rate package or parcel of patent or pro- 
prietary medicine, curative beverage, 
tonic, or medicated soap, hair wash and 
the like shall carry upon the case, paper, 
or bottle, the formula by which the com- 
pound is made, giving the proportion and 
quantity of alcohol, drugs or chemicals in 
it. Such act to provide suitable penal- 
ties and methods of enforcing the act. 
Per Cent, of 
Name 
Iodide of 
Potassium. 
Wilson's 
0 32 
Howe's 
0.33 
W bite's 
0 38 
No name 
0.41 
Charles's 
0 41 
Mahern's 
0 41 
Ayer's 
Bartlett's 
0.50 
No name 
0.50 
No name 
0.50 
Packard's 
0.58 
Coleman & Co's 
0.83 
Bass's 
0.84 
Brown's 
1 00 
Leavitt's 
1.00 
Moriarty's 
1 11 
Dana's 
1.17 
Woodward's 
1 33 
Dudley's 
1 50 
Cherry & Wingate's 
Jaynes's 
Nim's 
1 59 
1.67 
Raynstord's 
0 58 
Adams's 
0 75 
Broad & Co.'s 
075 
Hood's 
0.75 
Hutchinson's 
0 75 
Dr. White's 
0.75 
Cherry & Wingate's 
1 67 
Mattison's 
2 00 
Myrick's 
Leavitt's 
2 12 
2.17 
Church's 
2 25 
Per Cent, of 
Alcohol 
(by Volume). 
"Best Tonic" 7 6 
Carter's Physical Extract 22.0 
Hooker's Wigwam Tonic 20 7 
Hop Tonic 7 0 
Hoofland's German Tonic 29 3 
Howe's Arabian Tonic, "not a rum 
drink" 13 2 
Jackson's Golden Seal Tonic 19.6 
Liebig Company's Cocoa Beef Tonic 23 2 
Mensman's Peptonized Beef Tonic.. 16.5 
Parker's Tonic, "purely vegetable," 
recommended for inebriates 416 
Schenck's Sea Weed Tonic, "entire- 
ly harmless" 19.5 
Atwood's Quinine Tonic Bitters.... 29 2 
L T. Atwood's Jaundice Bitters.... 22 3 
Moses A'wood's Jaundice Bitters... 17.1 
Baxter's Maudrake Bitters 16 5 
Boker's Stomach Bitters 42 6 
Brown's Iron Bitters 19 7 
Burdock Blood Bitters 25 2 
Carter's Scotch Bitters 17 6 
< Colton's Bitters 27 1 
* Copp's White Mountain Bitters, "not 
an alcoholic beverage" 6 0 
Drake's Plantation Bitters 33 2 
Klint's Quaker Bitters 21.4 
Goodhue's Bitters 16 1 
। Greene's Nervura 17 2 
1 1 Hartshorn's Bitters 22 2 
I \Hoofland's German Bitters, "entire- 
lv vegetable and free from alcohol- 
ic stimulant" 25 6 
Hop Bitters 12 0 
Hostetter's Stomach Bitters 44 3 
Kaufman's Sulphur Bitters, "con- 
tains no alcohol" (as a matter of 
fact it contains 20 5 per cent of al- 
cohol and no sulphur) 20 5 
Kingsley's Iron Tonic 14 9 
Langley's Bi ters 18.1 
Liverpool's Mexican ionic Bitters.. 22 4 
Paine's Celery Compound 21 0 
Pierce's Indian Restorative Bitters. 61 
Puritana 22.0 
Z. Porter's Stomach Bitters 27.9 
Pulmouine 16.0 
Kush's Bitters 35 0 
Richardson's Concentrated Sherry 
wine Bitters 47.5 
Secor's Cinchona Bitters 13.1 
Sbonyo's German Bitters 21.5 
Job Sweet's Strengthening Bitters.. 29 0 
Thurston's Old Continental Bitters. 11.4 
Warner's Vinegar Bitters, "contains 
no spirits" 6.1 
Warner's Safe Tonic Bitters 35.7 
Warner's Bilious Bitters 21.5 
Wheeler's Tonic Sherrv Wine Bit- 
ters. 19 18.8 
Wheat Bitters 13 6 
Faith Whitcomb's Nerve Bitters.... 20.3 
Dr. William's Vegetable Jaundice 
Bitters 18.5 
Whiskol," a uou-mtvxicaung sum- 
ulant whiskey without its sting". 28.2 
Colden's Liquid Beef Tonic, "recom- 
mended for treatment of alcohol 
habit" 26.5 
Ayer's Sarsaparilla 26.2 
Thayer's Compound Extract of Sar- 
saparilia 21 5 
Hood's Sarsaparilla 18 8 
Allen's Sarsaparilla 13 5 
Dana's Sar-aparilla 13 5 
Brown's Sarsaparilla 13 5 
Corbett's Shaker Sarsaparilla 8 8 
Kadway's Resolvent 7.9 
Also the following medicines for alco- 
hol: 
Per Cent, of 
Alcohol 
(per volume). 
Hoff's Extract of Malt and Iron .... 5 24 
Peruna 28 59 
Vinol, Wine of Cod Liver Oil 18 88 
Lydia Pinkham's Vegetable Comp. .20 61 
Dr. Kilmer's Swamp Root 7.32 
Dr. Peter's Kuriko 14.00 
MISCELLANEOUS DRUGS. 
Intemperance Cures.-Dr. Grant's "Gold- 
cura," for the liquor and drug habits, 
manufactured by the Canadian Chemical 
Company, Rutland, Vt., and sold for $5 
per package, consisted of two bottles of 
liquid and one small bottle containing 
pills. The two liquids were found to 
contain 41.11 per cent, and 28.22 per cent, 
of alcohol by volume respectively, while 
the pills contained nux vomica and were 
coated with a very thin layer of gold foil, 
which, by the way, was the only gold 
found in the preparation 
From Weekly Bulletin of the State 
Board of Health of Massachusetts, "Re- 
sults of Analyses of Certain Articles of 
Food for the months of October and No- 
vember, 1903": 
"Liquozone," "Simply Liquid Oxygen," 
The Liquid Ozone Co., Chicago. A solu- 
tion of 1.35 percent, sulphurous and 1.08 
per cent, sulphuric acids, in water. With 
this combination of acids, the teeth are 
liable to injury, unless the preparation is 
quite largely diluted. 
From the report of the State Board of 
Health, Public Document No. 34, Com- 
monwealth of Massachusetts. 
COSMETICS. 
The following were found to contain 
acetate of lead (sugar of lead) or some 
active lead compound: 
The dose recommended upon the labels 
of the foregoing preparations varied from 
a teaspoonful to a wineglassful, and the 
frequency also varied from one to four 
times a day, "increased as needed." 
"BLOOD PURIFIERS." 
An examination of the "sarsaparilla" 
remedies, or "blood-purifiers," was made 
in 1892, and in nearly every instance the 
remedy was found to contain iodide of 
potassium in variable amounts. 
The following list presents the percen- 
tage of iodide of potassium found in those 
samples which have been submitted to the 
analyst for examination: 
Per Cent, of 
Lead 
contained. 
Ayer's Hair Vigor contained the 
equivalent of about 
"Renown" Hair Restorer contained 
the equivalent of about 
Mrs. Alien's HairResto'ercontained 
the equivalent of about 
0.30 
1 86 
2 30 
American Hair Restorative c u- 
tained the equivalent or about.... 
0 61 
Barrett's Vegetable Hair Restorative 
contained the equivalent of ab< ut. 
0.22 
Chevalier's 1 if- for the Hair conf d. Much 
Hall's Vegetable Sicilian Hair Re- 
newer contained the equivalent of 
about 
1 75 
Wood's Hair Restorative contained 
the equivalent of about 
1.59 
Ring's Vegt tab e Ambrosia contain'd 
the equivalent of about 
151