The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1883-05-02

Tr0de which Interests All--Pront In
Prcsetiptions--DruEs that Have the
dArHest Saie--The Use OF Opium.
Every member of the human family
IS more or less interested in the drug
trade. The child in the cradle and the
venerable man or woman tottering on
the verge of the grave, are dependent
upon drugs for their physical happi-
ness or misery. The trade is one of
the most importapt carried on in tha
civilized or unGvilized globe. 1t en-
ploys manyelundreds of millions of
dollars ia capital, and affords thousands
upon thousands of storekeepers and
clerks an honest means of making a
livelihood. With the view of learning
something of the inside mysteries of a
trade of 80 much Importance to all
mankind, a reporter of the Chronicle
visited a popular drug store in this
eity, and had long talk with an ac-
somplished apothecary. The man of
drugs was engaged in filing a physi-
clans prescription, and when he had
completed the compound and was at
leisure he said
Nov there is a compound that is
composed of exactly four ingredients
One of the ingredients costs at
wholesale exactly two cents the
second, one cent the third, two cents,
the whole eight cents"
"How much will you charge youv
customer for the prescription
"Fifty-five cents"
"a handsome profit"
ooh. yes; but then, you see. our
customer pays forty of the fifty
five cents for the. use of our experience
as an apothecary. Men in other pro-
fessions do the same that we do in this
respect For instance, physician
viii look at your tongue and feel your
pulse for which he will demand fee
OF from two to five dollars, according
to the length of your purse and his
standing in society. If he is I" high
toned " or fashionable doctor, you may
think yourself fortunate if you escape
without being mulcted in more than
20. 1t is the same with lawyer. You
visit his office, obtain his advice in a
simple matter, and occupy his time for
about fifteen minutes. He wants you
to pay him $5 or $40. Now / have
performed as much real service as
either the lawyer or the doctor, and
all the compensation i ask is the mere
pittance of fifty-five cents, I'VE prefer
the prescription business TO selling
patent medicines because the former
is the most profitable of the two
branches of our trade"
N Nv hat IrY,o,y Io 10 ~ - 10 -. o3,
swell, sir, may include in the list
quinine, the various, preparations of
opium, calomel, arsenic, valerian, law
ender, and-well, / think you will
not wish to go through with the entire
catalogue"
us there a scarcity of quinine in
the market?"
"ies, but it is to great extent an
artificial scarcity, caused by the fact
that few dealers have bought up
nearly all the stock in existence. 1t
Is fortunate for the government that
the United States has no war on hand
at the present time, for if Uncle Sam
was compelled to purchase quinine for
an army of soldiers at the prevailing
high price of the drug, his treasury
would be bankruptel. During the
last war had it not been for the excel
lent antidote found in quinine half of
the army would, no doubt, have been
sent to the hospitals"
"By whom is opium mainly bought ?"
Well, sir, by people of all classes.
You would be greatly surprised if
should show you list of my customers
who are in the habit of purchasing
this drug. do not mean those for
whom it is prescribed by physicians,
but those who use it as regularly as
they would tobacco. These slaves of
the opium habit comprise LAWYERS.
artists, preachers, merchants and all
kinds of mechanics, tradesmen and
iaborers. Women as well as men are
slaves to the opium fiend l think
physicians are much to blame for peo-
pie acquiring the habit"
Glow sop
Because they are willing to pre-
scribe it to their patients who could
get along without it. An invalid is
sleepless or nervous and opium is given
In small doses. By-and-bye larger
doses are required under similar cir
cumstances, and finally the patient
finds that it is almost impossible to
get along without the drug. The
opium habit has made wealthy people
poor. In this respect it is as great an
enemy to the human race as strong
drink. A quarter of century ago
the physicians gave their patients a
great deal of ealOmel, now very little
If the drug is prescribed"