Read before the Detroit Academy of Medicine, November 18, 1884.
Gentlemen of the Academy:
The use of a class of remedies whose composition is either wholly the secret of the manufacturer, or else is deliberately misrepresented in the statements purporting to give an account of their composition, seems to be gaining ground among reputable physicians. I cannot but regard this as a misfortune to the profession. A few years ago there were few educated physicians who would attempt to defend the use of nostrums and secret remedies. Now I meet often with men who hold a high position in the medical profession who openly maintain that the physician ought not to be restricted in any way in the choice of his remedies. They take apparently high philanthropic ground, and say that we have no right to deprive our patients of the benefit they might obtain from the use of a