Some years ago—about ten at this writing—a new treatment for chronic nervous and mental ailments was introduced. Its sponsors were men of high standing in the profession, instructors in leading medical colleges. That the treatment had great merit is undeniable; many wonderful results were accomplished with it. It also had great money-making possibilities, but the promoters did not know how to develop this feature.
Finally they engaged a press agent—we’ll call him Mr. Johnson, because that is not his name. His terms were $50 a week salary, and a royalty on the business. For three or four days Mr. Johnson did nothing except post himself as to the scientific features of the treatment and he was soon able to talk more glibly and intelligently about it than the physicians in charge. Then one day he said:
“Trot out some of your star cases. I want to look them over.”
Mr. Johnson went over the records carefully and selected one which seemed to give promise of producing a big free advertisement. It was that of a well-known, well-to-do merchant in a neighboring city who a year before had been seized with primary dementia. Homicidal tendencies developed and his family, on the advice of prominent alienists, placed him in a sanitarium, the physicians at which, as well as those called in by the family, pronounced the case absolutely incurable and hopeless.
In time the new treatment was administered. In ninety days the patient was discharged as cured, returned to his home, and resumed charge of his business. To this day he is well mentally and physically, and no one, unacquainted with his history, would ever think he had been insane, and confined as a dangerous lunatic.
Having satisfied himself as to the accuracy of the story, Johnson’s next move was to plan out a line of action. The story to be acceptable in a news way, and carry plausibility with it must come from the patient’s home town. It would never do for Johnson to offer it to the newspapers himself. His connection with it must be carefully concealed. The first thing he did in this direction was to ascertain who handled the correspondence that was sent out to the big dailies from this particular town. He found that it was virtually in the hands of a Mr. Wheeling, city editor of a local paper.