The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-19
THE DRUGGISTS PROFITS.
4 Veteran Pharmacist Tells How They Have
Been Reduced in Recent Years.

The "old tiner"s who kept drug store In this
city, some forty-fve or fifty years ago, and who
retired lately full Of honors, and we'll stricken
with greenbacks and real estate stu retains his
steady habits acquired through long years of
pestle practice. He is up every morning at day
break never retires till after IL o'clock P. NJ,
don't 60 home till 10 o'clock, wakes up in the
night at every slight sound, and before he Is
fully awake steps out of bed, thinking he hears
ring at the might bell" He is one of the pleas
Entest old gentlemen in tie community. Full of
good humor, quaint stories and fund of knowl-
edge on most every subject-iust the kind OF
man the young fellows like to listen to. One
evening last week he was waiting in prominent
drug store for shutting up time-10 oclock-that
ne might have the company of the proprietor on
his way home. Some one remarked that he
retained his old habit of not going home till 10
o'clock, and asked him if he would not like to
again engage in active business pursuits
swell, mol" said he, ito be honest with you
would not. You see the drug business is not
Aow what it was forty, or thirty, or even twenty
I've years ago. Now in those days there was
money to be made in the business. TWAS about
ike this: Alcohol cost then from twenty-five to
thirty FIVE cents gallon; tinctures were made
about as they are now, that is it took two ounces
of crude drug to make pint Of tincture, and
the cost of the drug was, say two cents, cost of
alcohol five cents, total cost of sixteen ounces of
finished tincture, seven cents not quite half
cent an ounce, and is always sold for ten cents
an ounce. Nowadays the government tax on
alcohol is ST. 80 gallon, and it sells for 81 3d. so
you see the first cost of any tncture now is
eight times greater than it was thirty years ago,
while it only sells for five cents an ounce. Sim
.gular how the tradition Of big profits still lin
gers" ''Ah yes,' said an outsider, "but the big
profits in the biz are made on prescriptions" -
well" said the old timer, chats another de-
lusion that has inveigled many young man into
the business and kept him grinding his life away
IN anticipation OF the fortune IL store-drug store
for MIN. You see the prescription business used
TO be a good thing years ago, but these college
bred druggists have ruined it. Why, thirty
years ago, if a man felt slightly under the
weather and consulted my friend, DR.. Oliver,
here" the doctor had just come in, che would
examine his tongue, feel his pulse and look wise,
wag his head sagaciously and write prescrip-
ton for an ounce each of May apple root, Gin
chona bark, gentian root and rhubarb to be put
in quart of whisky, and wineglassful to be
taken three times a day. In those days whisky
could be bought for II! to 25 cents gallon, and
we always used the cheapest for bitters, so You
see that prescription did not cost to exceed %
cents bottle included, and we used to charge
81. 80 for it. That left us a reasonable profit of
q "a" Here small boy came in and asked for
q pOor-nOuSo DNSter Tor dad"
what does he want it for?" asked the clerk
ITO put on the lumbagy in his back" guess
you mean porous plaster" 'Yessir, thems
gn"
''As was saying" said the old-timer, ''we
made reasonably decent profit on that pre-
ecription. But now that same man, under like
circumstances, calls on the same doctor, and the
doctor writes a prescription for grain or so of
Podophyllin, ten grains of quinine half ounce
each of fluid extract of gentian and rhubarb
ten drops to be taken in a wineglass of water
three times day. You see, it only makes an
ounce mixture, you charge your customer a
quarter for it. and he thinks he is being robbed.
The idea of paying twenty-five cents for bottle
no bigger than his thumb paralyzes him. Now,
If it was all profit it would be only quarter
where's your big proftsP The price of pre-
scriptions will average about thirty five cents,
and a real smart prescription clerk will be able
to take in, read, put up, date. number and write
directions on not to exceed thirty in a day.
That number would amount to $l0 If it was all
profit it would be only $10 but out of that amount
must come clerk hire. containers, medicines
labels and wrappers Big profitsr Young man.
tut, tut" Here girl came in with fiat quart
flask and paper on which was written pleas
Civ these CURL Gems wors perogork for babe"
1t was carefully measured out for her and a
'dose" label pasted on the bottle.
"Was there much competition here when you
first started in the drug business, Doctors"
Competition" said the oldtimer, ''wel let me
see, there was drug store at Madison, and
wont be too sure, but think there was one at
Lafayette; that was about all. What! Ninety
drug stores in Indianapolis How in the name
of drastic purgatives do they ali live9" 1'Ten
O'clock" said the proprietor, ''close up" Each
one took fresh cigar and slowly they ali filed
cat, the tired clerk turned off the gas locked
the door and sought his downv couch in rear
room. the air of which was lighted with odors
waited from anywhere but Arabia.