Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1885-08-22
FOUNDER OF MANY PILLS.
Glimpse Of the Drug Clerk Mixing Up Poi.
sons In Little Willie Pellets.

mind of Theophilus, John or Dicky is
often fired when reaching up after a
glass of sOda-watcr, with wild desire
TO become drug clerk. The aspect
OF the gorgeous person who stands be-
hind the handicapped counter and
ever beams on the army of the heated
who beslege him tor draft OF the tizzy
fluid minds the boy to imagine that q
whole summer long with free soda
water constantly within reach would
be quite an ideal state of existence.
Yet the urchin would find the reality
which turks behind this romantic
vision quite a different sort of thing.
1t may be that some persons can see,
as it is claimed, a certain distinction
of bearing IN the manner of the clerk
according to whether he Is sell ng a
toothbrush or wrapping up a chest
protector. But such fancilul halo
transeendent spirituality invests hun
only in the eyes OF few herO-wor-
shippers. To ordinary people he is only
Il hard-workcd mortal particularly
interesting when he Is recommending
some new patent nOStrum, or pounding
pills himself in the little shop back of
the store. For him, to be sure, quart
measure, yard-stick and rough scales
became graduated glasses. horn spoons
and spatulas and finely adjusted scales
on which hair is "a large quantity.
His hours are long, for he appears
among his perfumes and his poisons
at clock, nor does he crawl away
from them much before 10 at night.
When he does retire to dreams of mix
ing EPSON salts with castor oil to re-
move the CHAMBERS he has bell within
an inch Of his elbow and a speaking
is often summoned at the dead of
night to dole out medicines.
He is proficient at washing bottles.
for when he entered the store as
small boy he was set to doing that,
with many warning not to leave any
straw in them. But he rememberes
his David CopperIield," and with the
knowledge that Charles Dickens was
his partner in the trade, cheerfully
learns long Latin names for herbs and
drugs with their common English
equivalents. He is rather an interest
ing figure when he takes up one of DIR.
III
that barbarous hand in which the
physician always INDUCES. The pa
tient or the patients relative who
comes in with the important bit of
paper usually Is very curious to know
''what that medicine is for" But the
Young druggist is an adept at talking
good deal without saying anything
aud tells his inquisitor something that
satisfies the mind without disclosing
the doctor g secret. For the physician
often docs not want the patient to
know for what the treatment is being
administered, and your keen druggist
always keeps on the sunny side of as
many doctors as he knows how. But
it is especially when he retires into the
seclusion of his pill-pounding den to
polish up the knob of his pestle against
drugs of all sorts that the young man
really holds Our interest. Here it Is
that he most nearly approaches the
old alchemist with which ne is inevita-
bly, more or less associated, and with
hundreds of poisons, aromatic or
malodorOus herbs all about him with a
potion of some sort in pot at his side
he becomes almost uncanny. Tidied
up for visitors to inspect, the pharma-
cist's den is neat and business like
room in appearance, but take it when
tinctures, pills, face-wash.- bltters or
powders are IN preparation and the
very confusion pleases one as much as
"a sweet disorder in the dress" did
old Robert Herrick.
Behind his table, with glass tunnels,
graduated glasses, spaiulas, scales,
jars. hand-press and grinding-ma-
chine. whose very array promises the
brewing OF some sanatives, stands the
apothecary. POisons in such quality
and number that Medea's eyes would
have fairly glistened are about. But
the scene is hardly a peaceful one.
The modern combination of a witch.
herb doctor, and seekers for the
philosophers stone putters brskly
about. Now he cuts up these herbs
and pressing them in a solution, strains
off his desired fluid. lie grinds chunks
OF solids in his coffee mill to powder.
Near by hangs his metric weight tables.
There is a little mortar for plasters.
another for pills and third for emul-
sions. He rubs the ingredients rapid
ly together and then runs in gum
arabic to make the mass plastic. Get
ting it of the required consistency. he
places 1t on a wooden board, on one
end OF which is srooved brass plate.
tlattening the compound out on this,
he takes another board made to fit
down on this and with alternate
grooves. Pressing this down and rub
bing it along on the other, the mass is
cut into long, slender pencil-like
bodies. The pills are picked off from
this and rolled to spherical form be-
tween the palm and the smooth board
in the rear. The young druggist is
often patronized by several physicians.
and inasmuch as they are accustomed
to prescribe the same pill for certain
diseases, he can make up 800 or more
OF these at one time. He makes all
The syrups for the saltwater fountain.
He makes standard ha'r-oil. bottle
OF 6ltters, common or rare pill regu-
larry and has TO keep his stock of bot
ties filled. Like all men dealing in
the dangerous things OF life he meets
many cranky customer. He learns
that 1t is we'll often TO INQUIRE into the
antecedents of a eat to whom arsenic
must re given. He becomes acquaint-
ed too with the pecul arities OF that
trightful habit, morphine eating, and
though no words pass between them
ne comes to learn the secret of victims
perhaps that come to him for the druo
only too well. When ne makes mis-
take he receives the universal curse.