Chapter XVII: Remedies for Piles

The series of analyses of secret remedies for hæmorrhoids, and the extracts from the advertisements by which these nostrums are commended to the public, make it evident that the prevalence of this complaint, which is always disagreeable and painful, and sometimes incapacitating, provides a happy hunting ground for the nostrum monger. An additional attraction is, perhaps, to be found in the fact that considerable variety is possible in the method of treatment. Local applications, represented by suppositories and ointments, appear to be most in favour, but there is an obvious opportunity for the man who wishes to sell a medicine to be taken internally to declare that local applications “only afford temporary ease, and do not tend to remove the cause. Only internal treatment can cure.” The further possibility of extracting double or threefold payments from sufferers by insisting on the necessity of both local and internal remedies has by no means been neglected; in some cases one preparation only is advertised, and after obtaining this the sufferer learns that something further must be bought if the promised cure is to be effected. In another case, where the remedy is a “threefold treatment, because there are three avenues of approach to the seat of the ailment,” it is advertised to be sent without payment, the money to be paid after a week’s trial if benefit has been received; any one availing himself of this offer necessarily supplies the vendors with his name and address, and will then, it seems, become the recipient of numerous letters, emphasizing the dangers of neglect, and offering “our full-size guinea treatment” on special terms. It has been shown in previous chapters that this method of doing business directly with the persons taking quack remedies is in great, and apparently growing, favour with makers of such things. The letters with which the sufferer is inundated are, as a rule at any rate, printed in imitation of typewritten letters or reproduced by some manifolding process, and the recipient, unless he be something of an expert, is likely to suppose that he is receiving letters composed for his personal benefit, an illusion that is sedulously maintained by a profession of “special interest in your case,” or some equivalent fiction. The majority of the preparations described in this chapter contain substances commonly employed for the relief of piles, such as hamamelis (witch hazel), lead acetate, zinc oxide, calomel, or others, if possible, still more old-fashioned; some, like the “Muco-Food Cones, containing concentrated glutinous nourishment,” consist of flour and cocoa butter, and are innocent of medicinal ingredients. Advertisers, of course, indulge in the usual impudent reflexions on the work of the medical profession; one, for instance, hazards the statement that “for centuries piles have been treated in a careless, listless, manner by physicians, who, through ignorance or indifference, were unfit to be entrusted with such cases.” These same advertisers remark: “The people do not like to be humbugged”—a statement, perhaps, as far from the truth as some other assertions in the advertisements and letters. One company—two of whose “cures” have been shown in previous chapters to consist of sugar only, and whose ointment for piles is about equally active—invites those who are not cured by it to detail their symptoms to “our medical correspondence department”; it is easy to believe that “you will receive the same thorough attention from our medical staff as if you were examined personally,” but how much attention that would be is wisely not stated. The majority of the articles are of American origin, some of them being marked “Made in U.S.A.,” and others being now prepared in this country, but having originally come from across the Atlantic. Whether English or foreign, however, the usual disproportion is to be found between the prime cost and the price charged. If in the present series the highest price is charged—and the greatest pertinacity in extracting the sufferer’s money is shown—by a transatlantic concern, in other chapters English quacks have been shown well to the fore as regards both price and methods.

BUER’S PILES CURE.

On purchasing from an address in one of the Home Counties Buer’s “Piles Cure” for 1s. 1½d., it proved to consist of a box of Buer’s Mul’la, and a single sample powder of Buer’s Pile Powders, which cost a further 1s. 1½d. for a box. Several circulars were enclosed in the package. The trade mark was a picture of a donkey; a few extracts will suffice as specimens of the statements made:

Is it money (1s. 1½d.) or your life? Buer, the founder,
the proprietor is the seventh son, not trading on his
birthright but on his cure, testified by hundreds.
Warrants it will cure you. If you suffer, will you try
it?

The pains experienced range all the way from the
slightest itch to the most terrible sufferings, which
appear like tearing the body asunder, and unless
the piles are cured with Buer’s Mul’la there is no
relief....

They cause you to be despondent, caring little to live;
no go in you; quarrelsome in yourself; weakening to the
constitution; until something gives way and hastens
your death. It is therefore money or your life; no
hesitation.

But one thing—not for the sake of selling the
Powders—keep a box of Buer’s Pile Powders in house—12
for 1s. 1½d. ain’t dear—and take one as directed
whenever you feel any irritation.

The box of ointment contained two-fifths of an ounce. The directions were:

Apply this Mul’la to parts affected.

Analysis showed the ointment to contain:

Lanoline (anhydrous) 66·5 per cent.
Beeswax 1·5 ”
Water 32·0 ”

Hamamelis ointment is usually made from the liquid extract which contains rectified spirit, but no alcohol was present in this oddly-named preparation; it may have been made with liquor hamamelidis prepared without the use of alcohol; a minute trace of water-soluble substance contained in the ointment suggested by its behaviour with reagents that such was the case. The estimated cost of ingredients is three farthings.

Twelve of the powders are supplied in the 1s. 1½d. box. The directions are:

To be taken at bedtime in a glass of milk or water.

Analysis showed the composition to be:

Precipitated sulphur 14·9 grains.
Calcined magnesia (partly carbonated) 23·6 ”

in one powder of average weight. Single powders in one box varied from 28 to 48 grains. The estimated cost of the ingredients for twelve powders is 1¼d.

MUNYON’S PILE OINTMENT.

This ointment is supplied by the same Homœopathic Home Remedy Company as has been encountered in earlier chapters. The price charged was 1s. a package, containing a collapsible tube holding 1 oz. of ointment and a metal tube for introducing it.

On the outside of the package it was stated that the ointment

permanently cures all forms of Piles or Hemorrhoids,
and immediately relieves pain, burning, itching, and
distress at the outlet of the bowels.

In the circular enclosed in the package, in which thirty of this company’s preparations for different complaints were advertised, it was stated that the ointment

cures piles, blind or bleeding, protruding or internal,
stops itching instantly, allays inflammation, and
gives ease at once to the sore parts, heals fissures,
ulcerations, cracks, and all anal troubles.”

A label on the tube of ointment asked the purchaser

if this remedy fails to cure him, to write to the
proprietor stating fully all your symptoms. He
will have your case carefully diagnosed, and, you
will receive the same thorough attention from our
medical staff as if you were examined personally.
All communications are kept strictly confidential,
and replies are sent in plain envelopes. Our Medical
Correspondence Department is having great success in
curing old obstinate cases. Remember we sweep away
all fees for medical advice, we put special medical
attention at your service absolutely free. We want you
to feel at liberty to write us whenever you need any
medical advice, and to fully understand that there will
be no charge of any kind for our service.

Analysis showed the ointment, which was directed to be applied three times a day, to consist of soft paraffin, with a trace of ichthyol sufficient to give a slight odour, but not enough to affect the appearance of the ointment. Experiments showed that 0·2 per cent. or over of ichthyol appreciably darkens the colour of soft paraffin, and it appears therefore that less than this proportion was present. The estimated cost of one ounce of the ointment is one farthing.

DOAN’S OINTMENT.

This is sold by a company giving an address in London; the price is 2s. 9d. a tin, containing 1⅔ oz.

On the package it was stated that

Doan’s Ointment cures Piles, Salt Rheum, Chilblains,
Eczema. Cures Black-headed Pimples, Hives and any
itching disease.

In the enclosed circular it was referred to as:

The “Thorough” Cure for Piles, Eczema, Shingles, and
Itching Diseases of the Skin.

And the statement was made that:

Bleeding and torturing itching piles are quickly and
thoroughly cured by Doan’s Ointment, relief being
usually obtained from the first application. A cure
will follow—a “thorough” cure.

A “Pile Pipe” was supplied at 6d. for applying the ointment to internal piles; for external piles it was directed to be applied with the finger or a piece of clean soft rag. Analysis showed the composition of the ointment to be:

Calomel 36·0 per cent.
Zinc oxide 11·2 ”
Phenol 1·3 ”
Beeswax 2·3 ”
Soft paraffin 49·2 ”

The estimated cost of the ingredients is 2d.

OXIEN MEDI-CONE PILE TREATMENT.

The sole proprietors of this treatment are stated to be “The Giant Oxie Co.,” of a town in the U.S.A., but having a British depôt in London. The price charged for a box was 2s. 3d.; it contained twelve suppositories, described on the label as:

Warranted to cure Blind, Bleeding, or Itching
Hemorrhoids, and all other Diseases of the Lower Bowel
and Rectum.

The following extracts are quoted from the enclosed circulars:

Just so far as an electric light is ahead of a tallow
candle, is the Oxien Medi-Cone Pile Treatment in
advance of and superior to all other remedies for
Rectal Diseases.

The people do not like to be humbugged. Modern Men
and Women demand modern methods of treatment. With
this in view we have after careful painstaking study
and experimenting organized a radically new method
for the positive cure of Bleeding or Itching Piles or
Hemorrhoids, Rectal Ulcers, Fissure, Polypi, Fistula,
and all ailments of the Rectum and Lower Bowel....

If you are a sufferer from this terrible malady which
has scourged people of all classes of society, in every
clime since Bible times, do not now give up. You can
be cured. For centuries Piles have been treated in a
careless, listless manner, by physicians who through
ignorance or indifference were unfit to be entrusted
with such cases, or by quacks who by questionable
methods and high-titled nostrums extracted dollar after
dollar from patient sufferers. During the past few
years, however, a great awakening has taken place. The
people demanded a suitable and satisfactory treatment
and students have been at work, and the subject and
its cures have had the most careful and scientific
attention.

The result of the careful and scientific attention of the students is these suppositories, which were found on analysis to have the following composition:

Lead acetate 5·6 per cent.
Creasote, about 2·0 ”
A resinoid substance 3·0 ”
Vegetable tissue 1·0 ”
Hard paraffin 7·0 ”
Oil of theobroma (cocoa butter) 81·4 ”

The resinoid substance showed the presence of tannin; it could not be identified with any certainty, but may have been “hamamelin,” an extract of hamamelis (witch hazel) for which there is no official standard or method of preparation, but it did not agree closely in character with the hamamelin ordinarily supplied in this country. The vegetable tissue appeared to be that of a young leaf, and from the peculiar nature of the hairs was probably hamamelis leaf; the mature leaves as imported into Great Britain, however, possess characters which were absent. The suppositories were of the average weight of 19 grains, and the estimated prime cost of the ingredients for twelve is 1¼d.

HEMOTORA.

The fluid to which this name is given is stated to be manufactured for a company by a chemist in Cheshire. A bottle containing nearly 4 fluid ounces, costs 2s. In the accompanying circular the company’s views as to the cause of piles are expounded as follows:

Hemotora is a Concentrated Extract of Herbs which has
been tested and proved beyond doubt to be a “Certain
Specific for Piles.” A short explanation will clearly
show the action of Hemotora. Should any hindrance occur
to the flow of blood through the hæmorrhoidal veins,
they naturally become congested and distended; this
further brings about a thickening of the vein walls,
eventually developing painful tumours called “Piles,”
or technically, “Hæmorrhoids.” The many and various
conditions that eventually produce Piles can always
be traced to this accumulation of blood, and it is
in this direction, the very basis of the complaint,
that the active principles of Hemotora display their
wonderful efficiency by removing the obstruction to
the natural flow of blood; the parts will then return
to their original condition and functions. Relief may
be obtained from the external use of Ointments, Creams
and Suppositories, but these preparations only afford
temporary ease, and do not tend to remove the Cause.
Only internal treatment can cure. Results show that
External, Internal, and Bleeding Piles alike soon yield
to this remedy; after a few doses the pain is greatly
alleviated, accompanied by a sense of relief from the
sickly feeling of lassitude and depression. The tonic
properties of Hemotora quickly restore the general
health.

From another circular it appears that

The “Hemotora Salve” for Itching Piles is sold in small
1s. Jars, large size, 2s. 6d.

Analysis of “Hemotora” showed it to be an aqueous liquid containing about O·09 per cent. of a bitter amorphous alkaloid and 2·7 per cent. of vegetable extractive, including a little of a substance of the nature of a tannin, but not medicinal tannic acid. The liquid appeared to be produced by aqueous extraction, infusion or decoction, of some bitter vegetable substance.

ROLLO’S REMEDY FOR PILES.

This ointment, made by a Scottish company, is sold in tins, price 1s. 1½d., containing rather under 1 oz. It is described in an accompanying circular as a remedy for a good many disorders besides Piles:

Rollo’s Remedy for Piles, Eczema, Rheumatic Pains,
Burns and Scalds, Chilblains, Soreness or Roughness of
the Skin, Itching.

Rollo’s Remedy is a Vegetable Extract in the Highest
Possible State of Purity, without any addition
whatever. It is obtained from a little known part of
Africa, and has been brought to its present perfection
after a long series of scientific experiments. It
does not contain any Poisons, Drugs, Chemicals, or
Impurities of any kind, and although intended for
external use only, it is so pure that even if eaten it
would be quite harmless.

Analysis showed the ointment to contain over 99 per cent. of fatty basis, with a very small quantity of a dark substance which appeared to be vegetable extractive. It contained no alkaloid and no tannin, and possessed no characters indicative of the drug or plant from which it was derived. The basis showed the characters of a mixture of fats in which oil of theobroma (cocoa butter) predominated, with about 15 per cent. of lanoline (anhydrous).

DR. VAN VLECK’S COMPLETE ABSORPTIVE PILE TREATMENT.

The preparations sold under this name are, or were, very widely advertised by a company giving an address in London. They are offered without previous payment, as indicated by the following extracts from an advertisement:

To every person who sends us the coupon below at once,
we will send—Free to try—our complete new threefold
absorption cure for Piles, Ulcer, Fissure, Prolapse,
Tumours, Constipation, and all rectal troubles. If you
are fully satisfied with the benefits received, send
us 4s. 6d. If not, we take your word, and it costs you
nothing; you decide after a thorough trial.

Our valuable new Pile Book (in colours) comes free with
the approval treatment all in plain package. Send no
money—just the coupon—to Dr. Van Vleck Co.

The “new Pile Book,” a pamphlet of 40 pages, entitled “The Rational Treatment of Rectal Diseases,” included a description of the rectum, with eleven illustrations—several of them coloured—with descriptions of various kinds of piles and treatments, and of the Van Vleck remedies. A few extracts only can be given:

Unless you are beyond every chance of recovery, this
wonderful threefold Absorption treatment will cure
you....

The Absorption Cure is Threefold because there are
three avenues of approach to the seat of the ailment.
To neglect one of these avenues means to leave an open
gateway for the return of the malady. Dr. Van Vleck
struck at the well spring of the disease, as well as at
the visible effect of it. Once cured by our treatment
the disease is cured to stay cured. There is no pain,
no confinement, no heavy doctor’s or surgeon’s bill,
no operation. The cost is placed within the reach of
all, and the treatment is accompanied by a positive
guarantee of cure. The treatment embraces:

1. Dr. Van Vleck’s Absorptive Plasma.
2. Dr. Van Vleck’s Muco-food Cones.
3. Dr. Van Vleck’s Pile Pills (and System Regulator).

The “positive guarantee” is given inside the back cover of the pamphlet, as follows:

GUARANTEE.

The Dr. Van Vleck Co.... Hereby positively agrees that
Dr. Van Vleck’s Absorption Cure for Piles, when taken
and used in accordance with our simple instructions and
directions, will cure any case of Piles, and in the
event of its failure to cure,

AGREES TO REFUND

The entire amount paid immediately upon required
statement that benefit has not been received.

The Dr. Van Vleck Co.

It will be observed that this purported to be a guarantee to cure, and would be read by most as a promise to refund the amount paid if the treatment did not cure; whereas it was only a promise to refund if a “required” statement were made that benefit (that is, any benefit) had not been received, a statement most uncured persons might hesitate to make.

On application for the 4s. 6d. treatment, 5 suppositories, 10 pills, and about 65 grains of “plasma” in a collapsible tube were sent, with a long circular letter of the usual type, offering the:

Large special treatment, including our new Rectal
Applicator, made from pure Stannum,[2] for 21s., or for
16s. 6d. in addition to the 4s. 6d. to be sent for what
was supplied.

[2] _Stannum_: tin. _Latin Dictionary._

The labels of the preparations were stamped “made in U.S.A.”

Letters subsequently received urging continued use of the treatment and pressing for particulars of the case, were much like those from other nostrum dealers which have been printed in earlier chapters, and included such statements as:

We have made a special study of your case, and we are
convinced that if this, our final offer to _you_,
is accepted, a permanent cure will be assured.

No “case” had been even mentioned in sending for the preparations. The “final offer” was:

On receipt of 12s. 6d. we will forward you our Full
Size Guinea Treatment, post free. We are perfectly
willing to trust to you to remit us the balance of 4s.
on completion of the cure. Remember you are absolutely
protected by our guarantee (see last page of booklet).

Other papers sent were a “Patient’s Special Symptom Form,” to be filled up after using the “treatment,” and including such questions as “Are your Piles better?” “Please state in what way your condition has changed since you commenced taking our treatment,” and a form for names and addresses of other persons suffering from piles.

Analysis of the “plasma” showed it to be a paraffin ointment containing about 6 per cent. of powdered galls and a small quantity of menthol (approximately 1 per cent.); the basis consisted principally of soft paraffin, with a dark substance which appeared to be the natural impurities of crude petroleum. The formula is thus approximately:

Powdered galls 6 parts.
Menthol 1 ”
Crude petroleum jelly to 100 ”

The “Muco-food Cones” had an average weight of 21 grains; analysis showed them to consist of:

Wheat flour 28 per cent.
Oil of theobroma (cocoa butter) 68 ”
Water 4 ”

Careful search failed to show any other ingredient.

The pills were coated with a mixture of talc and sugar, tinted an orange colour; after removing the coating they had an average weight of 1·1 grain. Analysis showed them to contain small quantities of powdered capsicum, powdered liquorice, and maize starch; 23 per cent. of ash, about half of which consisted of silicious matter and was apparently talc that had got into the pill from the coating; the remainder of the ash showed the usual constituents of the ash of vegetable drugs and extracts, together with a small quantity of zinc, which was present in the pill in the metallic state and was presumably derived from some vessel used in the preparation; a bitter extract, agreeing in its properties with extract of cascara sagrada, constituting the major portion of the pill; and a resinoid substance which resembled iridin. As a definite formula cannot be given for such a pill, the cost of ingredients can only be estimated somewhat roughly. After making liberal allowance for the unknown resinoid, the estimated cost of the ingredients of the quantities of the three preparations supplied for 4s. 6d. is three-farthings.