The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1882-09-21
Tricks. Of Druggists.


slcian's prescription doesn't take ef-
iect. They protest that the bottle has
been well shaken before using; that the
three-times-aday injunction had been
religiously followed, and that every eau
ton about diet and sleep has been OBJ
served to the letter, and yet their con-
dltlons is not, one whit improved They
begin to suspect that their ailment has
not been properly diagnosed, and sone-
tunes throw out q hint to that effect. 1t
never occurs to them that the druggist
IS at fault; that their prescriptions have
been juggledE and either weakened be-
yond any possibility Of doing any good,
or transformed into something entirely
different ~
A prominent Philadelphia physician
made use of the above language yester-
day IN casual conversation upon topics
relating to his professional experience.
!, "One OF the most common frauds I
have already mentioned substitu-
ton OF cinchonidia and cinchona for
qainine. Authorizations of the mos:
familiar drugs are almost universal
Citrate OF magnesia is made with cnly
Ioneehalf Or three-fotlrths its wonted
strength; tincture of iodine, one-fourth
to three fourths; laudanum, half to three
fourths. Tie laudanum of the stores is
exceedingly unreliable, the cheaper
preparations being weak in proportion
to the price. There may be some con-
Inection between this fact and the lack of
success OF so. many would-be suicides.
Paregoric is very commonly diluted one
half, and often contains no benzoic acid
and but one-fourth the standard proper
tion OF opium. Aqua ammonia, sweet
spirits of nitre and long catalogue of
others are similarly manipulated. The
various oils-rose, lemon, bergamont,
orange, rose geranium. etc. are nearly
one-half alcohol.
''But to come down to the actual al
teration of prescriptions. l have here a
number of documents which tell their
own Stories" and the physician took a
package of duplicate prescriptions from
a, pigeon-hole. .'...These bits of paper
expose the delinquencics fmore than
dozen of Philadelphia drug stores, and
represent similar Irregularities in scores
OF others. Here is the copy of the pre-
scription as written by the physicians.
On the same slip is the pharmacist re-
vision OF it. [ need not explain how
this information came into my possess
sion, but it is strictly accurate, and the
druggists, whose names | have in each
case. are all registered and graduates
from schools Of pharmacy. Here is ono
that calls for fifteen grains of iodoform,
one dram balsam or Peru, and one ounce
OF cosmoline- The compounding drug.
gist followed Instructions accurateIy,
with the triiing exception of substitute,
ing two grains of iodine for the fifteen
grains Of iodoform. Iodine acts as an
lrrltant while the effect of iodoform is
quite different. The physician was not
slow in discovering the irregularity and
promptly returned the prescription An
other reads, Malto peptine, II grains;
lacto peptine, IL grains; citrate caffeine,
8 grains 1t was filled athus: Sacehar-
ated pepsin, % grains; citrate caffeine, 2
enthusiastically adheres to the weight,
yoll will notice, but is somewhat ilreg.l-
lar as to ingredients. This one calls for
two drari1s of potassic permaI1ganate To-
two ounces Of water, The pharmacist
wasn't miserly with the water, but evil
IDENTITY concluded that half dram of the
permanganate would SUFFICE. ""Cincho-
MIA sulphate, so grains; strychnia sll-
phate, three-fourths of a grain; arsenio.s
acid, three-fourths of a GRANT, under
the wizard hand of the prescription clerk
loses two of its ingredients, and comes
out plain cinchona sulphate, and the
druggist from whose file this was taken
universally fills it in the same simple
way. ts9less 9ssgs#sss,, issyr ay.fs
Bread crumbs play conspicuous
part in this next one. The physician
wrote Citrate caffeine, 20 grains; bro
mide lithium, II grains The inscruta-
Bile wisdom of the druggist substituted
one grain for the twenty, two grains for
the twelve, and made up for all deficien.
cies with twenty-nine grains of bread
crumbs. Seidltz powders made toscost
just half what they should by using
equal parts of Rochelle salts and bicar-
Donate Of soda in the blue paper. when
the Rochelle salts should constitute.
three7foruths of the mixture. .-Pailaael-
pAis Press. @e ' tH s't" w i'Ff3
An Eastern Romance.