Torbenson Michael, Erlen Jonathon
Department of Pathology, Room B314, 1503 E. Jefferson, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA.
Pharm Hist. 2007;49(1):15-27.
At least 661 unique patent medicine manufacturers promoted their nostrums in Baltimore from 1863 to 1930. The industry saw its greatest growth from 1880 to 1900 and peaked in 1907. Overall, about 7% of these companies were owned by women and 4% by African-Americans. Based on the short life span of most companies, the business environment appears to have been very competitive. The patent medicine industry began a steady decline after 1907 and by 1930 had lost nearly 40% of the companies. The temporal correlation of this decline with the passage of the Food and Drugs Act of 1906 argues strongly that this legislation was an important contributor to the decline of the industry.
从1863年到1930年，至少有661家独立的专利药品制造商在巴尔的摩推销他们的成药。该行业在1880年至1900年期间发展最为迅速，并在1907年达到顶峰。总体而言，这些公司中约7%为女性所有，4%为非裔美国人所有。基于大多数公司的短暂寿命，商业环境似乎竞争非常激烈。专利药品行业在1907年之后开始稳步衰落，到1930年已有近40%的公司倒闭。这种衰落与1906年《食品和药品法》的通过在时间上的相关性有力地表明，这项立法是该行业衰落的一个重要因素。
