ITALIAN PHYSICO-CHEMICAL COMPANY
Many and various are the letters received by The Journal asking for information about an alleged scientific organization in Italy styled l’Académie Physico-Chimique Italienne. This Italian Physico-Chemical Academy is operated from Palermo, Italy. Here is the scheme: Dr. John Doe, an American physician receives an imposing-looking letter bearing the Palermo, Sicily, postmark and addressed to “Monsieur le Docteur John Doe, Médecin.” On opening the letter “Monsieur le Docteur” finds that the “Council” of l’Académie Physico-Chimique Italienne has nominated him “Honorary Member of this Academy” and furthermore has bestowed on him “a First Class Medal for technical work and scientific merit.” All this, “in consideration of your many dignities and great learning.” Dr. Doe is told that as soon as he will write an acceptance of this honor “in conformity with Section 19 and 22 of the Constitution” he will be sent “the Medal, Diploma and all the other documents relating to the title accorded.” The joker in the scheme lies in the necessity for Dr. John Doe “conforming” with “Section 19 and 22 of the Constitution.” Here are the sections:
Reduced photographic reproduction of the stock letter sent to American physicians by the Italian Physico-Chemical Academy. The “joker” lies in the requirement around which we have drawn a line.
“Sec. 19.—The entrance fee to cover office and postal expenses, including postage of diploma is 5 Dollars, and is payable once at the admission to the Academy by special bulletin filled up, stamped and signed.”
“Sec. 22.—Those to whom medals are awarded and who wish to possess them must pay for their coinage 10 Dollars as the Academy does not, at present, possess the necessary funds for this purpose....”
In short the whole thing means that if Dr. Doe is willing to send $15 in good American money he will receive in due time from the academy a “diploma” and a gilt (not gold) medal.
About four years ago when the “Academy” seemed to be making a particularly heavy bid for American dollars the member of The Journal staff in charge of the Propaganda Department wrote to the “Academy,” on his personal stationery, asking about the cost of membership in the “Academy” and asking also for a copy of the “prospectus.” And that was all. In reply he received a letter stating that “in consideration of” his “many dignities and great learning” he had been nominated “an officer of this academy” and had been awarded “la médaille de première classe” for humanitarian work and scientific merit. In order to obtain these tokens of the “Academy’s” regard it would be necessary to inform the “Academy” of acceptance “in conformity with Section 19 and 22 ...” As the Propaganda Department did not consider the diploma and gilt medal worth $15 even as exhibit for its museum of fakes, the “Form of Acceptance” was not filled in and returned “in accordance with Section 19 and 22.”
Photographic reproduction (reduced) of the “Form of Acceptance” to “membership” in the “Italian Physico-Chemical Academy.” Filling out this blank and sending it with $15.00 to the “Academy” will bring the gilt medal and “diploma.”
The leading spirits in the operation of this diploma and medal mill are D. and G. Bandiera, who, so far as we can learn, are neither physicians nor pharmacists nor have any scientific standing. The “Academy” has been referred to at various times[294] by The Journal.—(From The Journal A. M. A., Feb. 26, 1916.)