The Propaganda Department has in its files a business card reading: “Capell’s Laboratories, Room 1510 Masonic Temple, Chicago. Dr. H. F. Matthews, Special Representative.” Capell’s Laboratory has its headquarters in Omaha, and is apparently conducted by Dr. W. L. Capell, who, for many years, seems to have been more or less interested in proprietary medicines. Some years ago he was connected with a concern known as “Acneine Pharmacal Company,” which, apparently, was dissolved some time in 1910; and soon thereafter a new company was organized known as the LeRoy Drug Company. In 1917 W. L. Capell was connected with the Capell, Cameron Co., Inc., of Lincoln, Neb., which was selling “Capell’s Uroluetic Test”, “Capell’s Treatment for Syphilis” and other remedies. The “Treatment for Syphilis” was said to be
“Painless, Pleasant, Harmless, Efficacious, and requires usually from 30 to 90 days only to eradicate the disease.”
The name of the treatment is “Mercarodin”—earlier it was called “Camit”—and it is now being sold from “Capell’s Laboratory,” Omaha. In addition, Capell’s Laboratory sells Acneine, which apparently is the same product that was sold in 1906 and 1907 under the name of “Sambu-Co” by the Holtman-Stringer Co. of Omaha and later was put out by the Acneine Pharmacal Company of Omaha.
While Capell’s Laboratory sells proprietary remedies, it is the “Uroluetic Test” which the concern now seems to be featuring. The claims made for this are:
“This test requires no expert knowledge, is inexpensive, and can be made in a few minutes, and is so plain that it cannot be mistaken.”
The idea of being able to determine the absence or presence of syphilis by a simple color test of the urine is a fascinating one. The present reliable diagnostic tests are, as Capell’s Laboratory so plausibly emphasizes, somewhat involved, and call for rather delicate technic. But there are no short-cuts to knowledge.
A physician who ordered Capell’s Uroluetic Test some weeks ago received with the bill the letter that follows: It is given not so much for what it says, as for how it says it. It is copied verbatim et literatim:
“Your letter received, and we have mailed you as per your letter 1 Doz. of Capell’s ‘Uroluetic’ Tests. In close find statement and instructions, for same.
“The ‘Uroluetic’ Test is meeting a far greater approval from the Medical profession than we had expected, while we do not claime that it is perfect, yet we have only received one unfavorable report, and we daily feel incuraged in its efficacy.
“You know Doctor that there are two dangerous elements in this world, one is the extreme pessimist and the other is the extreme optimist. The immoral Lincoln said, ‘That there was nothing that was wholly good or wholly evil,’ and we presume that this is equally true of the ‘Uroluetic’ test. But we want the truth no matter what it is.”