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Another mail-order medical concern, the Dr. Burleigh Corporation of Boston, seeking investors to buy shares in it, uses this argument:
"We are now able to purchase medical letters in lots of 100,000. These letters are from people who have been patients of other advertising doctors. These names we thoroughly circularize with our attractive and convincing booklets and follow them along for several months, and they always produce extra good results and at a very small cost."
The Chicago Brokerage Company sends out a circular, part of which reads as follows:
"For 30-Day Copy.
"High-Grade Letters.
"We are willing to rent for 30-day copy any of the following lots of mailorder letters at a very low figure. Write for samples of ads that drew them and any other information desired. We have over one million letters in stock and are constantly buying more. If you have any letters for sale, send us full particulars and lowest cash price. Many parties using our letters are getting rich quick quietly working some good legitimate schemes. With attractive, convincing literature, they circularize 100,000 or more people who are directly interested in their line in two weeks. Returns sure and quick. No expensive newspaper advertising. We shall be pleased to give you any pointers asked for. Our prices for rental of letters are lower than elsewhere. Our word can always be relied upon. Write us or call.
| "50,000 | Dr. Pierce, medical, 1902–3. |
| "20,000 | Ozomulsion, medical, 1903. |
| "300,000 | Jas. Wm. Kidd, medical file cards, all diseases, will sort, 1903–4. |
| "30,280 | Theo. Noel, medical file cards, 1902–3. |
| "24,500 | Physician's Institute and Edson France, medical, 1903. |
| "56,000 | Nervous debility, English, Swedish, Spanish, Norwegian, etc., will sort in original envelopes. |
| Medical—all kinds, such as rheumatism, dyspepsia, kidney, etc. | |
| "Chicago Brokerage Co., Chicago, Ill." | |
Such is the destination of most of the letters which poor dupes send to quack doctors, medical specialists, and patent-medicine concerns, under the cynical assurance that their letters are kept "strictly confidential."
