The Health bulletin [serial] - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

14 The Health Bulletin March, 1927
addition to diphtheria. Tlion there is
septic sore thidat which is often followed
in children hy danfj;erous complications.
In adults an inflamed, sore
throat is often one of the first s.vm[)-
toms of laryngeal tuherculosis which
is ohserved hy the patient. A particularly
dan.Lierous type of tuberculosis.
There is often a sore throat which is
local such as tonsillar abscess or more
properly abscess behind the tonsils
which is very i)ainful, hut not particularly
dan.wrous.
The wise thinj; for any person to do
who has a sore throat which persists
for many hours is to consult a physician.
A good physician alone can differentiate
in the beginnin.i; between the
different types of sore throat and decide
which may be only local and which may
be the beginning of some dangerous
general disease. It is particularly important
to have a physician examine the
throat of every child who may api)ear
sick in any way by manifesting symp- ^
"
toms through nose or throat especially
accompanied with an elevation of temperature.
The trouble may be diph- |
theria ; and if so minutes are precious
aud every one lost before proper treatment
is instituted, may mean the difference
between recovery and death.
QUACKERY
Doctor Lewellys F. Barker of Baltimore
is authority for the statement that
"more varieties of irregular practice are
in existence today than at any earlier
period in the worlds history." Doctor
Barker says also that while quackery
can never be entirely eradicated, which
we all know, it can be reduced to a
minimum by making it "unprofitable,
disreputnble, and penalizable." In our
own oiiinion, and judging from our experience
in the State of North Carolina
for more than twenty years in the work
of [iromoting the public health of the
people of the State as a whole and in
the private practice of medicine, we are
satisfied that Doctor Barker is correct
in his statements. We also know that
to accom[)lish anything leading toward
the establishment of the three preventives
listed by Barker is a slow and
diffcult process and requires constant
efforts toward educating the public in
all matteis pertaining to their health.
One of the greatest difficulties in getting
the interest and attention of people
centered on the seriousness of quackery
and all it includes is the fact that the
greater nun)I)er of newspapers in the
country still carry an enormous amount
of advertising from these quacks. It
is reliably said tiiat at least one-twelfth
of all the advertising, including magazines
and newspapers, done in the
United States of America is [laid for
by the quackery interests. One of the
country's leading drug journals, representing
the best of the drug interests
in America, estimates that the national
sales of "proprietary medicines" by
drug stores amount to two hundred and
seventy-five million dollars per year,
which sum is twice as much as that
paid for the legitimate prescriptions of
physicians.
Naturally we should ask ourselves the
question as to what is the cause of the
enormous prestige now accorded to
quackerdom. Possibly some of it is
economic. It is easier and cheaper for
a man to call at a drug store counter,
or for that matter a grocery store, department
store, or a cross-roads store,
for an extensively advertised bottle of
"proprietary medicine," recommended
alphabetically to cure everything from
acne to warts, than it is to go to a
reputable physician, have a proper examination,
and a thorough one, concerning
whatever trouble he may have, and
receive the proper prescription, if any
is needed. Doctor Howard Fox, president
of the American Dermatological
Association of New York, in a presidential
address of that association at
Washington in 10:25. under the title of
"Dermatologic Quackery,"' says that
"the shortcomings of the medical profession
itself have often been considered
as contributory causes at least to the
prevalence of quackery. Thus we have
been accused of too much drugging and
too ready recourse to surgery, conditions
which at present have been largely
remedied." Doctor Fox says further
that "too little attention is paid to the
more trifling ailments of mankind and
the temporary alleviation of subjective
symptoms. Where the scientific physician
fails in studying the p.sychic needs