5a28;. Mis.ora/D.ding (l;f .... Cro,mDQUJUI Pri,eJdy A.l!h Bitters.!' u. s. • • * v.
P:riekl-y Ask BittePJ!l C'-l., a en.-~rution.- Plea. of guilty. Fine, $20
and. cests. (F, & D. No~ 128~. I. a Noa..11050-J;, 1U54-t)
On September 20, 1916, the United States attorney for the Eastern District
of Missouri, aicting upon a r.eport by the Seeretary of Agriculture, filed in tlae District
Court o:t the United Sta.t~s for- said district an. intormatiol!l. against the
Prickly Ash Bitters Co., a corporation, St. Lauis, Mo., alleging shipment by sakl
company, in violation of the Food and Drags Act, as amended, on or about:
December 8, 1915, and No-vembe-r 23", 1915, from the State of Missouri into th-eStates
of Texas and- Louisiana, respedively, of quantities flf an article Labeled
in part, "Dr. :B. F. Sherrnan~s Compound Prkkly A$h Bitters * * *," w1li-ch
was misbranded.
Analyses of samples of the article by the Bureau of Chemistry of this de~
partme-nt showed that it was essentially a hydroalcoho-lie solution C(}ntaining
sodium acetate-, emodi-n-bearing drugs, capsicum, aromatics, and mant extrac~
tives; buchu indieated.
It was alleged in substance in the information that the article in tlle, shipment
on December &, 1915, was misbranded for the reason that ee-rtain statements
appearing on the labels of the bottles and cartons fu}scely and framiuiently
represented it is a remedy for gallstones, retention or snrnn~ession of urine, as,
a treatment for inflammaticm of the kidneys and diabetes, as a Pemedy fol' indigestion,
dyspepsia, and hepatitis, and as a preventive of the dangerous diseases
that attack the kidneys, when, in truth and in fact, it was not\.
It was aile.ged in substan~e that the article in the shipment ,l)n November 23',-
1915, was mishranded for the re-ason fhat certain statements appeaFing on thelabels
of the bottles and cartons falsely and fraudulently represented it as a
preventive of the dangerous diseases that attack the kidneys, as a remedy
for gallstones, incontinence of urine, retention or suppression of urine, difficulty
in passing urine, pains in back and loins, headache, diabetes, leucorrhea
(whites), and irregular periods, inc1igeston, dyspepsia, and hepatitis, and as
a remedy and treatment for inflammat.i.on of the kidneys and diabetes, ,,·hen,
in truth and in fact, it was not.
On May 7, 1917, the defendant company entered a plea of guilty to the infor.
mat1on, and the court imposed a fine of $20 and costs.
CARL VROOMAN, Acting Secretarv of A.griciilture