Drug Regulation In The Twentieth Century

The century known as the “roaring twenties” was “one of the most lawless periods in American History” (Levinthal, 2012). Two of the important factors that fueled the movement of drug regulation in the twentieth century was the abuse of medicines that were patented and minority groups that were associated with the use of drugs. When we think of patent medicines today, it means they have been registered with the government. Back in the twentieth century they were not registered with the government. You will see ingredients listed on a bottle because by law they have to. In the twentieth century patented medicines did not have to list its ingredients on the bottle. When the patented medicines grew, so did drug abuse.
When people started to depend on the drugs, President Theodor Roosevelt proposed to have a law that would regulate foods, drinks and drugs that were misbranded. This law was passed and was named the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act. This act required every ingredient that was on the product to be listed on the label. Unfortunately, drugs were still sold even after this act was passed. Two of the most common drugs used in these patents were cocaine and alcohol. As long as those drugs were listed, the medication could be sold. …show more content…
A doctor in 1884 named Dr. Koller discovered that it not only numbed the eye during surgery, it would also tighten blood vessels, which helped the bleeding. “This development was another step forward in the popularity of cocaine in medical use” (“Pharmaceutical Use of Cocaine”, 2018). Alcohol was also used for prescription. One included the use of the alcoholic beverage called Brandy. It was not only used orally, but it was also administered by injection, rectally and intravenously. Brandy would be used to resuscitate patients that fainted. (Pomeroy,