“A Cough Syrup with a History”
The following letter was received from Dr. Geo. P. Tolman, Watsonville, Cal.:
To the Editor:—The enclosed advertisement was underscored and mailed to me by my druggist. The properties of cocillana are similar to ipecac. The dose of the fluidextract is from 10 to 20 minims. Each fluidounce of the extraordinary (!) dark-colored cough marvel of P. D. & Co. contains 40 minims of the tincture. If the tincture of cocillana is 10 per cent. (the average tincture strength) you can see that to get a minimal dose of the drug you would have to take 21⁄2 fluidounces of the syrup.
“Query: Can we still hang on to the old-fashioned cough mixtures freshly compounded by our druggists or shall we put our shoulders to the wheel and help P. D. & Co. save the nation and make a few dollars for the druggist?”
“The secret of its prompt recognition lay in its unusual composition.” Nay; its prompt recognition lay in liberal and persistent advertising. “It quickly made a ‘hit’ with physicians”—because too many physicians, like other human beings, are susceptible to the psychology of advertising. Here is the “unusual composition,” as given by the manufacturers:
“Tinct. Euphorbia pilulifera, 120 mins.; Syrup Wild Lettuce, 120 mins.; Tinct. Cocillana, 40 mins.; Syrup Squill Compound, 24 mins.; Cascarin (P. D. & Co.), 8 grs.; Heroin hydrochloride, 8-24 gr.; Menthol, 8-100 gr.”
The following is a reproduction of the advertisement referred to:
As we have said above, Parke, Davis & Co. should be proud of this “elegant specialty.” It would be hard to find a better specimen of a shotgun prescription; not only does the prescription contain eight ingredients, but one of these ingredients (compound syrup of squill) itself contains three.