In view of these facts—and also bearing in mind the findings of the Association’s Chemical Laboratory (The Journal, March 16, p. 801) that the preparations on the market under the title “acetphenetidin” are of equal quality with the preparations sold under the name “phenacetin”—the pharmacist should recognize that acetphenetidin is identical with phenacetin, is prescribed, provided, of course, that no special brand of phenacetin is ordered.
It is the physician’s privilege, of course, to specify the goods of a particular manufacturer, but in view of the fact brought out above that all brands of this chemical have tested up to the U. S. P. standard, it is placing an unnecessary burden on the pharmacist to require him to have on hand many different brands of one substance. The physician should save this privilege for use when prescribing some product that differs materially in its various forms on the market, as for example in the case of certain fluidextracts.
Physicians will doubtless find that the above comments will interest their local pharmacists. It is of mutual value for physicians to talk these matters over with their pharmacists.—(From The Journal A. M. A., Oct. 5, 1912).
CLEAN ADVERTISING
It is individual effort that counts for most in every movement for better things—socially, economically or politically. Realizing this, The Journal repeatedly urges physicians who write regarding various fraudulent advertisements to enter their individual, personal protest against the continuation of such advertisements.
Within the past few months The Journal has had brought to its attention a good example of what may be accomplished by personal effort in cleaning up the advertising pages of a fraternal publication. The Royal Neighbor, official organ of a fraternal organization, until comparatively recently, carried numerous fraudulent medical advertisements. Fake liquor cures, rheumatism cures, tapeworm expellers, tobacco-habit cures, asthma and hay-fever cures, epilepsy cures, etc., disgraced its advertising pages. These called forth protests from Dr. E. A. Hall, Henry, Ill., who addressed letters to the official physicians of the fraternal order that the Royal Neighbor represents, objecting to such advertisements. These letters in turn reached the advertising manager, and it was not long before the board of managers took the matter up for consideration and decided to eliminate this class of advertising from their official organ. By December, 1913, the Royal Neighbor came to its readers clean. There is no doubt that the same results can be duplicated in similar cases. Whether they are will depend on the amount of active work done by individuals interested in the question of clean advertising.—(From The Journal A. M. A., Feb. 14, 1914.)