“If Sanatogen consists simply of casein and sodium glycerophosphate, it is pretty obvious that all of its good effects (except perhaps the psychic influence of taking an expensive and, to the layman, mysterious remedy) can be gotten by including milk and eggs in the food....
“The objection to Sanatogen lies, it seems to me, not in the assertion of its proprietors that it is a ‘food and a tonic,’ but in the misleading of the public and physicians into the belief that it possesses extraordinary powers which make it worth while to pay the price charged for it in order to get it. Very extravagant claims are being made for it in advertisements in the lay press. If just as much, and more, good in the form of ‘food and tonic’ can be obtained from a dollar’s worth of milk and eggs as from a dollar and ninety cents’ worth of Sanatogen, it is surely the duty of the medical profession to inform the public of that fact.”
Dr. Frank Billings, professor of medicine and head of the Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, expresses his opinion thus:
“Of course, the thing is a fraud both as a food and as a tonic. Even if it met all the requirements of the statements made of it by the makers, it would not be any more of a food than as much casein taken in milk and probably not as good; or any more than some other albumin taken in some other form. I do not know just what pharmacologists say of the glycerophosphate of soda, but so far as my own clinical observations go I never saw any result from its use that could be called specific, that is, due to the drug.”
Dr. Richard C. Cabot, assistant professor of clinical medicine, Harvard Medical School, says:
“In reply to your letter respecting the properties of Sanatogen, I would say that in my opinion it is vastly improbable that it has the properties claimed for it in the advertisements which you enclosed to me. I have no doubt that it is a fairly good food. I see no reason to believe that the phosphorus that it contains has any special action.”
Otto Folin, professor of biological chemistry, Harvard Medical School, expresses himself thus:
“For myself, or for any one who would take my advice, I would prefer a glass of milk to Sanatogen when hungry and plain glycerophosphate to Sanatogen when in need of a tonic.
“Medicated feed used to be sold for horses. To me the ‘food tonic’ combination represents one of the most unscrupulous fake ideas used by manufacturers of patented articles to fool the public.”