The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1884-07-16
They Make Mistakes.

"Yes, druggists sometimes make mrs
takes" said prominent member OF
that craft TO y reporter. That they
don't make more is proof that, rs y
rule. they are careful and skilled in
their business.
"Did you ever see the place where
the druggist does the incest part of his
work? MOP Well, step this way and
I'll show you. Here is what is called
the prescription case Behind this he
stands and compounds the medicines
On the shelves. within easy reach of his
hand, are hundreds of little walls, filled
with drugs. Some Of them are harmless,
taken in any quantity, while others are
so powerful that in every drop there is
death for strong man
"Arc they all used in filling prcscrip-
tons?"
'All of them; some rarely. A few OF
them we have occasion to use constant
ly but you see they are all here to he
chosen from by the clerk who fills pre-
scrptions. The most deadly of these
drugs looks no more harmful than the
most innocent Suppose he is careless.
or is in a fit of absent mindcdness?
Serious results follow and perhaps some
| pcISou y llie pays lhc ioi iVit'
Have you known many such mis-
takes in your experience?
''ln an experience OF over twenty
years, | have known none of Il serious
nature, but of course have heard of Il
number. / came very near having one
to account for myself when | was II
clerk. A man came in with a pre-
scrption and filled it. but instead of
the comparatively harmless drug which
was the basis of the prescription | put
in a drug which was most powerful
poison, and which in the dose which the
doctor prescribed would produce death
in very short time. | wrote the direc-
tons on the bottle, gave it to the Gus
toner, received the money and the man
left. He had been gone but few min
utes when it flashed across my mind
that | had made mistake. could no
more tell you how happened to make
the mistake than could explain why
the knowledge flashed upon me that
had given the man the wrong medicine.
Selling my hat and calling to the junior
clerk to watch the store. started after
the man, for it happened fortunately
that knew where the man lived.
had tEe blocks to 20 to reach him.
Never before or since did get over the
ground so fast Without any ceremony
| rushed into the house, and found that
my customer had just laid the bottle Oh
the table, and was taking of his over
coat. While he stared at me in NUT,
J establishment reached for the bottle
e which was still wrapped up. | made
e clean breast of the whole thing; told hin
: would go back and rectify the mis-
take and bring the medicine to him
$ He promised not too tell on me, and h
r kept his word. You may think it queer
but l filled many prescription for tina
a man after that"
"Do the doctors ever make mistake
in writing prescri ptionsP
: Often. and that is another thing tina
= druggist has to look out for. Tn
a doctor might make mistake either be
a cause he is ignorant or absent-minded
n The druggist must discover it, have i
: rectitied, or perhaps kill the patient
< In training young prescription clerks
b and have done good deal of tina
4 work often write prescriptions TO
!. them to fill. In some of them | pre-
# scribe deadly doses of different drugs, t
$ see if the tyros detect the errors, DC
$ casionly prescribe two or three drug.
It in themselves harmless, but which il
combination make a deadly poison,
e is good way to teach the boys the st
d crets of the trade. " Chicago Mail.