The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-05-02
ANEsTHETics.
some Costly Drugs-What the Average
Man or Woman Seeks at Drug Shops.

asked Daily Neps reporter of local
druggist.
Five hundred dollars" he replied,
''and it is not likely to be any cheaper
for some time to come. However, so
small quantity of the solution is re-
quired for each operation that the cost
to the patient need not be very great"
why is it so expensive?"
Because the salts of cocaine had, be-
fore this new demand arose, but very
limited sale in this country and whole
sale dealers carried but small stocks.
At last accounts the supply Of the al
kaloid in New York had been ex-
hausted, while orders have accumulated
in hundreds. The demand in Europe,
likewise, has been so great as to deplete
the stock of the German manufacturers,
The stocks of coca leaves both in Europe
and America are reported to be small
and of inferior quality. so that the pros
pect of supplying large amounts of the
alkaloid in the near future seems not
very good. You know, of course, that
the value of this anesthetic, so far as
demonstrated at present, is confined to
operations upon the eye. 1t has been
proved in the majority of cases that an
application to the eye of few drops of
two or four per cent solution will pro-
duce more or less complete, transient
insensibility to pain. Operations ordi-
narily requiring the use of chloro-
form or ether have been performed
upon patients conscious of every
thing being done, but saved from pain
by weak aqueous solution of this salt.
Outside of opthalmic practice this SUBJ
stance has OF been universally so sue
cessful, although it has been used for a
month or six weeks by some Chicago
dentists. 1t acts only on the mucous
membrane, and appears to have no eff
feet on the bone. Dentists use it on
teeth requiring treatment and the re-
moval of the nerves. One told me the
other day that he had placed a cotton
saturated with few drops of four
per cent. solution ON the exposed nerve
of patients tooth and removed the
nerve without her experiencing any Sc
verer pain than what would be occa-
stoned by the prick of pin. Another
claim set up for it is that it will cure
drunkenness and morphine taking
completely paralyzing the craving for
either alcohol or opium. An individ
ua} cured of either propensity by its use
is said to have no relapses, and the dis
use of the cocoa is easily eradicated. 1t
is more difficult to cure alcoholism
with it than morphine-eating for there
is direct antagonism between CO.
caine and morphine
ssApofbor J,.,rr for xxyb;ab Tho low, =, Il
is greater than the supply at present is
antipyrin. 1t has been used with great
success in New York hospital practice.
1t possesses a remarkable power of low
ering the temperature in cases of fever.
1t is an article manufactured aud sent
out by German firm. The compost
ton of it has not been disclosed.
"a great many curious substances
and many expensive ones are used as
drugs. Hyoscyamin, for instance, a
narcotic used in conjunction and in
place of opium and its alkaloids. is
worth 500 per ounce. Erseni. a prep
aration made from the Calabar bean
and used in epilepsy, fevers, rheuma-
tism, and for local applications, is
valued at 1925 per ounce. The Calabar
bean has something the same properties
as strychnine, and serves as a nerve
tonic. Morphine is expensive, ranging
i'll price from 81 to So per ounce. OF
its various salts bimeconate is the most
costly and brings $40 per ounce. Chic
ride of gold is worth $15 per ounce. II
is used for scrofula and various chro mic
diseases of the blood. Musk is worth
$40 an ounce. 1t is used most largely,
of course, as perfume, but occasion
ally to relieve spasms. 1t is obtained
from the musk OK. 1t is used for burns
by the Chinese 1t is believed the
Chinese have knowledge of many valu-
able remedies which would be of great
benefit to science, but they jealousy
guard their secrets. Ergotin is curl
GUS but inexpensive drug, being worth
but "a cents an ounce at wholesale. 1t
is used in apoplexy. 1t is fungus
growth found on rye in Normandy.
A similar growth on the rye in
this country contains very little
ergotin, even less than that found
ginseng root was used few years ago
extensively as tonic, many persons
smoking it. The demand is less now.
Some people in the Wisconsin woods
really made living searching out the
wild ginseng. Its roots are very fine
and light and it requires considerable
quantity to make pound. 1t seems to
necessitate the possession of peculiar
instinct to discover where it grows
something like that which leads Wild
bee crackers to the haunts where the
bees have stored their honey. The
most successful ginseng gatherer ever
knew was an old woman nearly seventy.
There are many valuable metals
used in pharmacy. Vanadlum, white
metal discovered in 1880, is worth $10,-
600 per avoirdupos pound. An aka
line metal called rubidium is worth &c.
070 per pound. Zirconium, a metal OBJ
tanned from zircon and hyacinth in the
form of black powder, is worth 81, 200
per pound. Terbium, Swedish metal,
is worth 1850 per pound. There are
many Others of great value used as
medicines. Magnesium, the metal base
OF common magnesia' is valued at $64
per pound
What are the most commonly called
for drugsP'
20, arnica, alum, rhubarb, sulphur,
castor oil, ipecac, EPSON and Rochelle
salts, quinine, and cream of tartar. A
weak solution of cream of tartar and
water is excellent for watery eyes and
redness of the lids. The majority of
the people do not know that, however,
and buy to take inwardly. Nearly
every one buys ammonia and glycerine.
Borax is something else for which there
is continued demand. There are few
persons who have knowledge of any but
the simplest drugs. They neither know
the names of medicines, nor their prop
critics when they do. 1t is this igno-
rance of remedies for ordinary com