The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-07-19
rHs LATIN PRrsosIPrToD oRIxs.
Hew the Medfest Fscpity Surrender the
Puslie 20 Incsmpetent and Careless Drug
Cierks-A Case Little Short sf Murder
Give ne Prescriptisps which the Public

Public 70 Incomnetfnt eno Onfetoss Bret
Cierks-A Case Little Short Of Murder
Give us Prescriptisps which the Public
can Upderstand,
10 he Ediior o. Ias sun.
Sra: The case Of poisoning in Brooklyn by the
incompetence Of q drug clerk has elected many
comments Of more or less pcrtinence, all Of them
bearing justly and powerfully the druggist, but
none Of them as conceive, touching at all the real
cause Of the sad calamity. Your independent
course In the conduct Of your paper WILL hope,
induce you to give q short space to one VINO mas
spent more money and incurred more wrath from
his professional brethren and their CONDUCTORS the
druggsts for his exposure OF the evils OF druggery
than any man would willingly endure who had not the
vitality Of sslamander and the hide Of rhinoceros
few ideas that seem to 1ow logically from the sad
event. may possibly do some good.
A medical gentleman was called on to prescribe
for lady laboriug under some intestinal irritation
accompanied with It's natural result. pain and
diarrhGa. PardonablS (perhaps properly he immo-
dlately resorted TO medicine for her relief. Warmth
to the abdomen, aromatics, and perhaps simple
dose of paregoric or a few drops OF laudanum would
naturally be the first resort OF the majority ofphysi-
Clans The doctor selected moro powerful remedy;
he availed himself Of CHOLERA mixture containing
four powerful ingredients, the fourth part OF which
10 Nncture or opium, or laudanum: This n fur,
nished ready made by gentleman OF great integrity
and science, pbarmaceu,ist and physician q mem,
esr o. se Aoaae sSysrss,., !. e,sS the ~
pound Tincture OF Opium !" or, squbb's Diarrhra
Mixture" The order for the medicine was distinctly
written a. we have given II by the physician who
But there is another preparation Of opium, made
also by DR. squibb four times greater strength than
the Compound Tincture Of Opium" and the incom-
petent druggist furnished this instead OF the one
ordered. II is called the LIQUOR opn Comp pos
OF the former, and the latter TOUR times me strength
| OF the mixture directed, being substituted, the
patient took four times the quantity Of laudhnum
intended, and the mistake not being suspected was
| not discovered By the family or physician unit u
too late to apply remedy and the patient died
Now let US ask in all sincerity, what was the true
| We have in our DspensAtory--the only legally
acknowledged authority OF the apothecary for the
strength Of the separate and single ingredients with
which he is expected AL tue recelpts sent
| him by physicans-Tncture OF opium Uludanumf
| Tncture OF Orium (camnhoratc v. or paregoric. q
| very mild preparation. v ncn Ne have these az vel
as the other really useful ingredients OF Dr. squDbs
preparations and our medical men II educated are ex-
| peeled to know them all, and to be able TO com
| why not do il clearly and ieobly always in Ergsh
| II there be any plain English terms, universally
known as lsud'num or:porsgoric @e:,W Why write ne
| Tnc,ura opii camphorata y and when both may
be written with perfect professional Propriety com
Depend upon it. my dear sir, the mistake will oc-
| cur again. "Diarrhca mixtures" however skill
fully compounded, should never be furnished ready.
made In times Of pestilenee, when people cannot
obtain medical aid such preparation Drsquibb's
| may he admissib G; but our ordinary summer
| or bilious diarrhqas bring with them Their
| own remedy; they should not be stopped
| by any such remedies The recumbent position,
| dry warmth to the abdomen, and some essence OF
gnger will cause Of them TO subside as soon as
| the offending bile is evacuated
| The physician should do his duty In placing his
patient IN normal condition NJ to his regimen, and
use such simple remedies as HE knowledge is sup
| posed 10 control and write his receipts whenever
| possible in plain English The manu- acturing che.
| mist should prepare his articles according TO the
| lights Oh modern chemistry, In simp'c or uncom-
pounded form, and the apotheclry should be he Id 10
rigid accountability TO dispense them according to
the receipt sent by the physician, never compound
ing any article except the Identical one written. Al
specific prescriptions published In books OF druggist
circulars are at best miserable substitutes for medi
| cal intellect or In eompOundnS.
| EDWARD II DIXON.