The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-08-01
DRUGS ANA DRUGGISTS.

.FIbs3fgE g--r-t 4AtyflFs.a
HOwlFataF Mistakes arc Made-.-A
BuTgIaI'A ,ETpeFIence...The Hu.
morIHE OF CUSTOMERS. % "'"
(Prom tho st.. Louis RePublIcau) q 3D. g..
a prolific source Of mistakes in the
shop Of the apotheCary exists In the beau
tilui gold and, glass labels with which hil
drawers and bottles are ornamented
Nothing SETS oil 4 drug storC more. hand.
sumely than these labels, consequently
their popularity il great and their use
almost universal. Without the teachings
ol experience one would naturally sup
u0sc that from their plainness and dis
Ilnctness they would rather be . safe
guard against error than means OF It.
But as ia tue case Of almost everything
else in this world, tie primo tacie impres:
sion is not 10 be trusted. It Is seldom
that anything Is IS It appears 10 be on a
cursory examination. The apolhecary in
fitting up his shop makes out Q list oil la
bells ior his bottles, arranged as he e1-
poets the exigencies Of the case 10 re-
uuiTe, In a little while he finds that he
has numerous bottles labeled for articles
that he does moi need, and none for Others
that ara Indispensable. II d trouble
some and expensive thing 10 have them
changed, 60 he writes q small paper label
and psstes Il, on tho bottle near the bot.
tom, in front, showing what 1t really con.
tains Now mark the result. The porter
or the mortar boy has 10 wash tho bottles,
and to facilitate the business sets several
at lime 10 tub or basin OF water. The
p4pcr labels become soaked and drop of
in lhe water, and To- escape Censure for
lis carelessness he pastes them on again,
and in his Ignorance happens to get them
changed, or perhaps leave them of al.
together, and says nothing about It, even
il lie notices II. AltGr awhile some one
IN the shop, knowing nothing Of the
transaction, dispenses perhaps tincture OF
acOnile for tinCture Of SIENNA, and the
physician who presCfibes 1t mysteroualy
aud Unexpectedly loses-a patient, and the
undertaken has a, customer that lie did
not calculate on. .r lL- .'..IfE.t Irs
THIS KIND OF MISTAKE
is more common tkan eny one would sup
pose. An instance or two may be rela'
led. Two bottles standing side by side on
the shelf contained, the one, tincture 'oi
iodine, and the other compound tinclurc
OF guiacum. Their appearance was lden.
tical, although their other sensible proper
lies were quite dtfierent OneOf the clerks
in The establishineht had some cutaneouE
eruption Of the ankles which annoyed him
greatly, and he resol we'd to m m appliea'
lion Of tinclure Of iodine. On going to
bed ono night ho took down the bottle 10.
beled In paper for the article he wanted,
and cautiously made an application with
Camels hair brush. Hejwas a liltlesur.
prised that tie sensation was not what he
had antiCipstea but thought no more
about It, and Want to bed, 1n1the morn
Ing he eKRlnine dhis anEle5, expecting to
lind them stained Of c0lOt similar 10 that
produced by green walnut hullH, but to his
CONSERVATION found item covered With q
hard notified crust. H6 thought be was
ruined, aud that the iodine had acted as a
powerful eschafotic, destroying the whole
Cuticle Of his ankles. i alarmed him oil
the more thgt he eEpe1enced no senSa1
ton Of pain. an Ameptationa ven equal
TO those Of jeremiah, and attracted the at
lentiOn Of the porter, who then recollec-
tel that 10 washing those two bottles a
lew days before, tho labels had come oil
aud thAthe had pasted them on again.
His suggestion that he had got them
lraRspOscd infused new lie into the sor-
row'slrCkGn clerk, an1When he found BY
examination that the Dorier's suggestion
vas correct, his condemnation was sud-
denly metAmoEphosed into indignation
A little alcohol aud o sponge easily rel
moved the hard shell IRON his ankle, and
llere was apparently q rnoLastOSiR OF II to
lis heart, for that organ was ever alter
ward cnsIed 70 the po@ porter.
MORE SERIOUS oo4jEQUREcEs
We've narrowly mssel In another esiabT
lslmenI in consequence Of this same
paper labelling, A bottle, labelled ID
gold Aqua PIlegii," Anolite Pennyrnyal
Water, was supetnumeFaTy and had been
hlIed with Liquor POTASH, one Of the
most powerful Of the causlics. They
booked alike and both resembled clear
water During the mohehtary Absence
OF Tue prescription clerk . phySician came
III aud wanted some ample solvent 10
make gargle for "a, babyIs throat, and,
VtEt NAG lpGll ~ Wy, lihANSa Wy
lae liable Aqua Pulegu., Without no.
Wcng the paper label he filled his bottle
and left the store, md In . moment alter
ward the clerk came In On being IN
formed Of what the doctor had got be
saw IN an instant that he had been mislet
ny the gold lAbel, and started after him
post haste, He missed The track at first
snl finally, atLer q long search, found bin
lust IN The act Of pouring the preparation
sl'o a spoon for tho purpose 81 Sdminls-
STEERING II to the babe, A hurried ex
PLANTATION was entered Into and q terrible
death prevented. ~ ,.aUlT y.
Paper labels getting misplaced Ia fal
ifom being Tie only, Of even the principal
ctIlse Of accidents IRON their use. They
aIe easily and quickly oblItgraled, ant
the Apot6scRfy frequently know tho con
lenla ri o hnllln nnlLt LIZ lie lnnnllnr. a.