BELL’S FAIRY CURE.
This Fairy Cure, which is put up by an English Company, is stated to give relief instantly in all cases of neuralgia, headache, etc. A handbill enclosed in the package made further claims, from which the following extracts are taken, “guaranteed to be an instant and absolute cure” for “neuralgia, headache, brain fag, nerve pains.” “Nothing else is like it. Nothing else is so good. Don’t compare it with ordinary ‘cures’ or ‘powders.’ Fairy Cure stands absolutely alone.”
Ten powders were sold for 7d. The average weight of a powder was 2·7 grains, but individual powders in a package varied from 2·0 to 3·7 grains.
Analysis showed the composition of the powder to be:
| Acetanilide | 1·16 | grains. |
| Phenacetin | 1·16 | ” |
| Caffeine | 0·38 | grain. |
The directions were to take one powder, “repeat in an hour if necessary, then every two or three hours until a cure is effected.” Yet it is guaranteed to be an instant cure! There was a notice that it was not to be given to children below 12 years of age.
In this case also an “analyst’s report” was given on the wrapper; it stated that the powder “is composed of several organo-therapeutic agents well-known in medicine”; probably the “analyst” did not mean quite what he said in the following: “In my opinion, the preparation is well calculated to fulfil the purpose for which it is intended, namely—neurotic affections.”
The estimated cost of the drugs (27 grains) in a package is ¼d.