The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-08-05
&" FATAL MISTAKES"
le Editor of the New Orleans Bulletin

| To the Editor of the New Orleans Bulletin:
| The New Orl. ans Times, :nder its new depar-
ture, has turned its attention to the drug bu.l-
| ness. In column and half OF its first page, In
| last Sundays edition, with large head lines, II
gives the readers Of that journal free lecture on
Fatal Mstakes-How they are Often Made by
Druggists Clerks" etc. The absurdity OF the
| article Is apparent to every druggist, but as the
great majority of the people are not druggists,
and more thai willing to elieve everything they
see In print, would like to ask tn" object OF the
| Times in publishing such libel on the druggist !!
| [ admit that mistakes Of fatal character are OF
| TOO frequent occurrence. and many OF them may
| De concealed by the PHYSICIANS certificate, but
these mistakes are the result OF Incompetence
md carelcssness Of the so-styled apothecary (and
some few may be to old ryel, and not to the
.'proIific source of tine beautiful gold and glass
bells for bottles and drawers With small paper
labels pasted at bottom, to be washed off and
Wrongtully repasted, etc
Druggists IN fitting up store, tunle5s they
happen to be newspaper drug lsts.) know pre-
cselv what labels to order. consequently do not
and themselves iii tie pfeocalncnt described:
therefore this shot at = glass labels " and Well
lifted drug STORES must ice the explosion OF
Mortar" druggist who has small store, With
Out the beautiful gold and glass; is bottles and
drawers being labeled with paper labels relics
Of the past-with bottles conteuts Of same age.
No, no. NJ. Times the immunity from mistakes
hes not in abUlisling the 1telr and adllernS to
the Oyd but in the education Of the apOthecary
that he may be able to distinguish "Ir. Iodine
from ''Ir. Guaac,' even Though neither bear
label of any kind. The Tunes man has been
wofnlly imposed on by some onc--ll hope not
pr, ftssor of chcmi-try)hs Toxicology is sadly
at fault and of a highly Munchausen character
That "a good, hearty smell of prllssic acid is
enough to finish person. (klll HIM, suppose
is something new IN chemistry. | have not only
smelled" of the otficinal acld, but have made
it many times never wore the tight glass
mask" and felt no deleterious effects thercfrom,
and sure still live
The ,,'t.9sd Of that dead burglar in the Bal
timore drug store, from the smelling bottle oi |
'Cyanunet Of Potash" Che meant Cyamlret of
Potassiam), must be in the BRAN Of the Times
" professor" only, as it is simply Ridiculous that
death should Issue from that The poison
oas property of 'anlrct pota ,siiln Is dependent
on tie prIissic acid it contains, and TO produce
death must be used otherwise than by simply |
smelling the bottle.
4 word concerning the 'enorinens profits on
drugs. which from the Times standpoint il clear
ont Of . per cent and away into petty larce-
ny The idea is but too prevail, ut that the |
druggist sales are all profit. All! one thinking !
80, by examining the leash and expense ac- |
count Of any etal druggist, viii be etfcctually |
cured Of that erroneous idea. The profits of the
retail dealer III rugs must of necessity be larger
per cent than that OF the grocer, dry goods mer-
chant etc. for the druggists sales are limited to
the necessities OF the community, and his sales III |
a year are less than many srHeers OF dry goods
nic SCH IN week. ana III some cases |
N single day therefore a druggist, |
with grocers profit his sales. would |
soon starye to death. The druggist Is a slave to
the public-at all hours, day or night. he must
serve them, he holds the most responsible posi-
ton i'll lite-no one stands between him and the
sick patient and therefore he is not half paid for
the labor. | beg of the Times to publish the
reeepta by Which his st idlitzp wlers, colognes,
halr oils, etc, are made, and the source from
which he obtains the crude material for their
manufacture. Many of us will bless him for the
Information. pound of seldlltz powders, full
weight, boxed, ready for sale, costs me to make
them about 81 40; one pound is boxes, which
'etal for soc. box. A quart Of good cologne,
made Of the finest ingredients" costs me about
y 80. (and could be asle to cost S25 as welD.
cologne OF the poorest cannot be made for 25c |
he alcohol WOnld cost more. to say nothing of the
essential oils. The black cosmetic used by ladies'
o color eyebrows of the cheapest kind cost the
etaicr 80 to 7)c. dozen and sell for Zoe. stick
Kinds that retail for p to soc cost from - 80 to
4 80 per dozen. So much for enormous profits
Hoping next sunday the Times Will favor us with
'noth.r lecture and tell us how he learned 50
nnch Of the secrets OF the trade, am YOURS
cry truly. in search Of those large profits.