In short, whatever may be the advisability of prescribing iron, arsenic or mercury in any given case, it is irrational to prescribe them in fixed proportions. A physician who is induced by the exaggerated advertising claims to prescribe these drugs in a proprietary mixture, under a non-informative name, does grave injustice to his patients.
Maizo-Lithium
Maizo-Lithium (Henry Pharmacal Co., St. Louis) is one of the many proprietary lithium preparations based on the disproved theory that lithium dissolves uric acid deposits in the body. The label on a trade package states that:
“Maizo-Lithium promptly facilitates the elimination of the uric and phosphatic deposits from the system.”
As might be expected, the promoter of Maizo-Lithium ascribes a long list of ills to “uric and phosphatic deposits,” and argues that, therefore, Maizo-Lithium is the proper treatment:
“In lithemia, hematuria, incipient diabetes, cystitis, urethritis, pyelitis and ALL inflamed conditions requiring a non-irritating diuretic.”
“Inflamed conditions,” naturally, include almost all of the real or imaginary ills of kidney, bladder, etc.
Maizo-Lithium is distinguished from its congeners chiefly by the claim that it contains a mythical or problematical compound, maizenate of lithium.