New-York tribune., 1873-01-17

write "pOison" thereon. We are not sure
barring our objections to capital punishment
that there was not good reason in the old law
that made the sale Of poison "present death, in
"Mantua.n
We are moved to these remarks by the dis
cOvery that when we have made all due
allowance for the possibility of having our
lives endangered by poisons Intentionally sold
by druggists; by posons sold by them acci-
dentally, when something else ia intended; /;
and by posOns or their equivalent by mel
ficiency in cases of disease, sold in adulterated
drugs,-we have not yet considered
all the perils which the apothecary
may prcpare for us. DR.. Fordyce Barker,
in letter to The Medical Record, which calls
forth strong editorial comment from that
journal, relates some instances of systematic
perversion of prescriptions on the part OF
druggists, which, stated under less authorl-
tatiye name, we should have deemed incredl-
BILE. II appears that it is to great extent
the custom with certain druggists, when, by
prescription, a drug is called for that is ex-
pensive, to reduce in the, preparation the
amount named in the prescription. For IN
stance; if in a fOur-ounce mixture, one
drachm of quinine is ordered, but hall
a drachm is given. IF, however the
drug ordered happens to be one which
is not at hand in the shop, substitution is
effected. The substitute is usually in itself
something Of no particular effect. The dan
ger, of course, is most frequently in the
absence of the effect intended. DR.. Barker
gives, however, three notable instances where
A. lto haua m
case, the absence of the drug ordered delayed
prompt remedy where Group was indicated,
and, had it supervened, would have greatly
endangered the patients life; in the second,
the substituted drug brought severe diarrhea
to lady already much enfeebled, in the third
case there was a poison thus administered,
which occasioned great distress. Fortunately
in each of these cases the close attendance of
the physician enabled him to interrupt the
unfavorable train of consequences. He veri-
fled his suspicious, in each case, by inquiry
and investigation at the drug store
We do not doubt that the measures taken
last year for the examination of druggists pro-
duced, on theawhole, an excellent effect. Since
the examination was enforced we have heard
of none, or at most of not more than one in
stance of accidental poisoning" by prescrip-
ton, before so frequent. 1t may, however, be
as necessary to guard against the knowledge
of druggists as against their ignorance. We
put ourselves in the hands of physi-
clans with fear and trembling. We recol-
lect the sneer of the French cynic-that
a doctor is one who gives drugs of whose
properties he is Ignorant to cure disease of
which he knows nothing, in a human body
which he can never understand. But if all
the science of the healing art is to be set at
naught for the sake of a few dimes to be
saved by dishonest druggist then are the
chances of sick humanity small indeed. We
are curious-not to say anxiOus-tO see what
reply will be made by the druggists to the
structures of the doctor. The worst substitu-
tion we have ever personally witnessed in
drugstore consisted in filling the bottle OF
aqua Distiltato" from the Croton pipe.