Journal v. Lancet

The world's two best medical magazines, the British Lancet and the Journal of the American Medical Association, disagreed last week over the merits of Listerine as an antiseptic. The Lancet had stated that Listerine was a good antiseptic. The Journal growled that it was not.

The Journal, watchdog for the U. S. medical profession which examines every patent medicine and household medicament, has been sniffing at this proprietary bone for some time. The philosophy of the Journal, and of the American Medical Association, is to keep foolish people from doctoring themselves where a doctor is really needed. The family medicine chest can become, in its philosophy, a Pandora's box of evil.

While studying Listerine last month, the Journal noted something new. In Printers' Ink, advertising men's weekly, John Lawrence Johnston, banker-president of Lambert Pharmacal Co., makers of Listerine, told how advertising had made his company successful. In 1920 the Lambert Company spent practically nothing for advertising. Its year's earnings were $115.000. Last year the concern spent approximately $5,000,000 for advertising. Its year's profit was $7,132,412.55.

That was meat for the Journal, which last week growled:

"Listerine undiluted will do no more so far as its bacteriologic action is concerned, than other commercial antiseptics; in fact, it will not do as much as many. . . .

"Listerine advertising implies that when put into a body cavity Listerine has an action similar to that in a test tube experiment; it fails to state that conditions in the mouth are not comparable with those in laboratory test tubes. No mouth wash is completely efficient in sterilizing the cavities of the mouth, nose and respiratory system, bacteriologically speaking. . . ."

About two years ago, the Lancet went on record as follows:

"The statement of the [Listerine] manufacturers in regard to the killing times of various organisms is substantially correct. . . .

"The antiseptic has been proved to be perfectly safe for use in all the body cavities."

President Johnston last week smiled at the editors' fight, declared: "Controversies are plentiful when one does business all over the world. After all, no product advertised or otherwise can live unless it has merit."

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