False advertising and professional standards - Archive of the Month, August 2010
Nowadays we are all use to TV and printed adverts, often for beauty products, which make extravagant claims about their properties. Claims which are often brought into question by the small print which shows the limited nature of the survey conducted or that additional aids have been used, like false lashes in mascara adverts! It seems, however, that this is not a new problem, amongst the College's papers I came across a letter written in 1906 to a Dr McEvoy, a licentiate of the College. The letter states that the College's attention had 'been drawn to a laudatory certificate of "Valentine's Meat Juice" to which your name is appended'.
Valentine's Meat Juice, according to A Brief History of the Production of Valentine's Meat Juice was developed in Autumn 1870 by Mann S Valentine for an ill relative. Valentine was aware of 'the value of raw meat, when the stomach and intestines were equal to its digestion, [he] recognized its utility as an article of diet; but I discarded the idea that organs but feebly performing their functions, could elaborate it as nutriment'. Valentine therefore undertook various experiments to extract the nutritional value of the flesh in a new way, which unlike 'usual methods of preparing food' would not alter the chemical constituents. This new method involved 'first mechanically tearing asunder the broad muscular fibre; secondly by the application of heat, at a low temperature, rupturing the ultimate fibres; and thirdly, by the adoption of judicious pressure, liberating from the entire body of the meat all the constituents contained in it'.[1] The resulting product was marketed as Valentine's Meat Juice, and was recommended for use 'whenever the stomach, for whatever cause, rejects food or medicine', examples of cases are given, in various adds, as influenza, phthisis, typhoid, diarrhoea and cholera infantum.
I couldn't find a copy of the advert bearing Dr McEvoy's laudatory certificate but it is easy to imagine in ran along the same lines as those in this advert, and the main included in A Brief History;
Having his name linked to Valentine's Meat Juice may have seemed like a good professional move to Dr McEvoy but the College were not impressed;
'such certificates are regarded by the President and Fellows as "misleading to the public, derogatory to the dignity of the Profession, and open to censure by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland", I have to ask you to kindly to forward me any explanation of the matter you may deem advisable to submit to the College, and take steps for the early suppression of the certificate complained of.' [2]
Unfortunately, no reply survives in the College archive, so it impossible to know what, if any, justification Dr McEvoy offered. However, from another series of letter we do know what Dr Duke thought when he was questioned by the College over the inclusion of a testimonial from him on an advert for Hommel's Haematogen.
Publicity flyer for Hommel's Haematogen, with the offending recommendation from Dr Duke
Dr Duke states he gave the statement on the 'distinct understanding it should not be used for publication. I am entirely in agreement as to the resolution of the College', this presumably is the same resolution quoted above from the letter to Dr McEvoy. Dr Duke obviously took steps to remade the situation and the last letter in the series is from the manufactures of Dr. Hommel's Haematogen. In the letter they apologise for an annoyance caused and assure the College that the testimonial will be removed from future publications.[3]
[1] A Brief History of Valentine's Meat Juice together with testimonials of the medical profession, 1874, full text available here
[2] Letter from James Craig, Fellow and Registrar, RCPI, to Patrick J. McEvoy, LRCPI, 31st January 1906, RCPI Archive.
[3] Series of letters between James Craig, Registrar RCPI, Dr Duke FRCPI and Nicolay & Co, August - November 1901, RCPI Archive.