The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-07-04
FATAL BLUNDERS.
How They May Happen-professi0nnI Care.
Iessncss-A Word for a Druggist in
Error.


How They May Happen-profcssiounI Care
Iessncss-A Word for a Druggist in
Error.
NEW YORK, July ., 1870.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:--
In your paper OF this date you give the details OF a
terrible affair in Brooklyn, by which life was sac
r1ced through the "terrible blunder OF q drug
clerk"
1t was trulya "terrble bundern but being a
drug clerk myself, 1t occurred TO me, While reading
the particulars, that the blunder was not
altogether with the clerk. Physicians as a rule do
not write very plainly neither they at all uniform
in their Authorizations. For instance, one NJ d. may
write-
"Tr. Op Comp squIbbs"
SO that 1t VIII look vNy much Ike
"Tr. Opii Camp. squib5s"
II Is but the change of single letter. The former
is rot an ofictna preparation while the latter al
vested OF its Latin verbiage means simply paregorc
What meaning might be attached to the former
would depend, think, very much upon the under
standing between the physician and his iavorite
druggist. If '1r. Opii Comp" means "Suuibb' 4
Choleia Mixture, !" suspect Is not generally known
ana IL Is fortunate that but one life has been sacrI-
known that DR.. Squibb does make q "LiG.
Opt Comp" the. strength OF which Is about
PROBABLY this preparation that was put up by ..the
laundering drug clerk" And when we take into
|
glsts lhat physicians as class use "tinc,ures' ana
'nquores" quite Unfortunately we can very
readily understand s now sleepy drug clerk came to
i've, wen known article, for str Opii Comp
Sgnibbs" which II IN existence at all, was only an
arbitrary, local name, without the sanction Of
either the United States Pharmacopeia,' or its
commentary Wood and Bache's Dispensatoryr
dering cork" should have known by the dose thpt
upii comp, Squibbs, was nor the preparation
hutv i'm
the desired effect.
was called upon to put up one night about two years
ago. ! too was called rom my sleep by the ringing
OF the store bell. The prescription read as follows,
wiz
spoonful every fifteen minutes until relieved tsisneG
Now, when 1t Is known that teaspooniui of Ma
gendie's solution contains very nearly two Grams
or twelve times the usual DOSE and fully six times
the narcotic power contained In "a teaspo0nful Of
Squlbbs .Liq. 0pli Comp II will readily be be-
lieved tnat pulled my sleepy eyes open several de-
grees wider, and read again. But there it was as
plain as b q. Satisfied tnat the prescrlber mad
while Intending U. s. solution 1.-THE former sixteen
times stronger than the latter, made some excuse
to cover the doctor and sent II back TO him.
This proceeding brought the NJ. d. IN D1Opri0 De,..
soma, and very irate M. ID. was he. He suggested
to me tha II thought he was not capable OF writing
prescription as he wanted it 1 had better accom-.
pany MIN ana write them Tor him. with many other
complimentary words fully as suggestive. Tie result
was that Iput up the prescription and he admins.
tered 1t himself, giving a leaspOoniui every
fifteen minutes, until he had given eight
doses, and then sent for chIoroform and
put MS patient 70 sleep by inhalation. IL
was the case Of young woman who
had been very badly burned by the bursting Of
Kerosene lamp; but, Notwithstanding the severe
burning and the ITO mel unparalleled dosing Is still
alive and WELL She took In the snort space OF two
hours the full equivalent of forty eight grains or
opium and lived while the lamented Mrs. barnard
teok something less than the equivalent OF ten grains
of opium and died Verify, circumstances alter
cases." and think 1t can readily be seen from
what / have written that the moor over.
worked ana half-Daid drug clerk is not
always In position to decide whether
the dose prescribed Is too large not. II am not
trespasslne 100 mucn upon your space permit me,
before Closing to add my against the too fre-
guent custom among physicians OF writing their
prescriptions IN such manner that they can only he
understood ut one particular store. More than one
life has been sacrificed by the habit and am not at
all certain but that 1t VIII be found that Mrs. Bar
nard's Is one OF them when this latest blunder' Ii
slited TO the bottom.
NEW YORK DRUG CLERK