Natasha Oslinger
August 31, 2015
I am proud to accept this commendation on behalf of the honorable Samuel Adams for his achievements in muckraking. Adams has helped this society in way unimaginable through his series of 11 articles in Collier’s Weekly Magazine titled “The Great American Fraud.” These articles exposed the inaccurate and absurd claims made by those declaring themselves to be medical professionals, and selling what they called “medicine” to the public. In actuality, what they were selling was nothing more than pain relievers and alcohol mixed together with a misleading label slapped on the front. These pain relievers were damaging to people's health and put their users in great risk, while simultaneously putting money in their manufacturers pockets. Adams believed that the health and well being of his community was more important than the wealth that was being made off of their misfortune, so, he did what he could to help. He fought for the safety of society, and his writing was instrumental in the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. This act worked to prevent any further loss of life by making the sale or manufacturing of any mislabeled or poisonous medicine illegal. Once this law passed, Adams’s work was done, so he thought.
In 1911, the Supreme Court ruled that companies were once again free to make clams that were inaccurate and possibly damaging to the health of those they were supposed to be helping, but Adams wouldn’t accept defeat. He came back fighting and wrote another series of articles in Collier’s Weekly, working to expose the lies companies were telling the consumer about what was in their so called “medicine.” “Gullible America will spend this year some seventy-five millions of dollars in the purchase of patent medicines. In consideration of this sum it will swallow huge quantities of alcohol, an appalling amount of opiates and narcotics, a wide assortment of varied drugs ranging from powerful and dangerous heart depressants to insidious liver stimulants; and, in excess of all other ingredients, undiluted fraud,” Adams stated in his article The Great American Fraud. Adams spent years continuing to inform the public on the ridiculous claims being made by patent medicine manufacturers. If not for his work, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Samuel Adams deserves this award for his tireless efforts and successes in the medical world. Without his writings, I myself might be taking dangerous narcotics to cure a simple headache. Adams has changed my life by fighting for what is right and caring about the wellbeing of his community. Because of him, I trust the label on the pills I take, and I don’t fear that I am being lied to by the people who are meant to be protecting me.
August 31, 2015
I am proud to accept this commendation on behalf of the honorable Samuel Adams for his achievements in muckraking. Adams has helped this society in way unimaginable through his series of 11 articles in Collier’s Weekly Magazine titled “The Great American Fraud.” These articles exposed the inaccurate and absurd claims made by those declaring themselves to be medical professionals, and selling what they called “medicine” to the public. In actuality, what they were selling was nothing more than pain relievers and alcohol mixed together with a misleading label slapped on the front. These pain relievers were damaging to people's health and put their users in great risk, while simultaneously putting money in their manufacturers pockets. Adams believed that the health and well being of his community was more important than the wealth that was being made off of their misfortune, so, he did what he could to help. He fought for the safety of society, and his writing was instrumental in the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. This act worked to prevent any further loss of life by making the sale or manufacturing of any mislabeled or poisonous medicine illegal. Once this law passed, Adams’s work was done, so he thought.
In 1911, the Supreme Court ruled that companies were once again free to make clams that were inaccurate and possibly damaging to the health of those they were supposed to be helping, but Adams wouldn’t accept defeat. He came back fighting and wrote another series of articles in Collier’s Weekly, working to expose the lies companies were telling the consumer about what was in their so called “medicine.” “Gullible America will spend this year some seventy-five millions of dollars in the purchase of patent medicines. In consideration of this sum it will swallow huge quantities of alcohol, an appalling amount of opiates and narcotics, a wide assortment of varied drugs ranging from powerful and dangerous heart depressants to insidious liver stimulants; and, in excess of all other ingredients, undiluted fraud,” Adams stated in his article The Great American Fraud. Adams spent years continuing to inform the public on the ridiculous claims being made by patent medicine manufacturers. If not for his work, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Samuel Adams deserves this award for his tireless efforts and successes in the medical world. Without his writings, I myself might be taking dangerous narcotics to cure a simple headache. Adams has changed my life by fighting for what is right and caring about the wellbeing of his community. Because of him, I trust the label on the pills I take, and I don’t fear that I am being lied to by the people who are meant to be protecting me.