For the benefit of those who desire to know what the venders of Phenalgin “have said it to be,” we have gone over their advertising literature of the past, with the following results, which are in the form of quotations from their advertisements:
An American Coal-Tar Product—Phenalgin—the only synthetic stimulant, non-toxic, antipyretic, analgesic and hypnotic.
Phenalgin is the ONLY ammoniated Synthetic Coal-Tar Product made from Chemically Pure Materials [What have the Ammonol people to say to this?—Ed.]
A synthetic Coal-Tar Product of the Amido-Benzine series, containing Nascent Ammonia.
These two chemicals [“stimulant ammonia of coal-tar origin” and “chemically pure phenylacetamid”] combine under certain conditions so as to obtain a produce which he [Dr. Cyrus Edson] named Phenalgin or Ammoniated Phenylacetamide.
Phenalgin is a compound of peculiar character which can not be extemporaneously made into tablets from the powdered drug, without seriously changing and impairing its medicinal qualities.
We believe these quotations are sufficient to show what the Etna Chemical Company has “always said it to be.” In going over the literature for several years past we find the above stated in the same, or similar, words in nearly all of it. From the above four statements may be deduced: 1. They have stated that Phenalgin is a synthetic[113] preparation; 2, they have conveyed the impression that Phenalgin is a chemical compound; 3, they have announced repeatedly that it is the “only” preparation of the kind, and 4, they have claimed that Phenalgin is non-toxic.
We believe that these four statements represent in plain English what the above quotations mean. They are all absolutely false. Phenalgin is not synthetic; it is not a chemical compound; it is not the only ammoniated phenylacetamide, or the only acetanilid mixture containing carbonate of ammonium—and it is most positively toxic.
In one place it is stated that Dr. Cyrus Edson
Employed his great facilities for chemical research and opportunities for chemical experiment for the purpose of producing a formula for a combination of stimulant ammonia of coal-tar origin (sic) and chemically pure phenylacetamide, also a coal-tar product ... which he named phenalgin, or ammoniated phenylacetamide.