Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-04-23

/
! With q view of learning something
about the drug business a reporter visited
one OF the popular druggists of Denver
whom he found busily engaged in prepar-
/ ing prescription. After waiting sever
al moments the gentleman gave the fol-
/ lowing answers to the reporters inquir-
/ les:
| Now, there is a compound that is COM
| posed of just four ingredients. One of
these ingredients costs at wholesale ex-
| actly cents; the second ] cent, the third
cents, and the fourth , cents, making
| IN all a cost of cents for that COM
! pound
How much viii you charge for that pre-
scription?"
| ''Seventy-five cents"
a handsome profit-exactly ZOO per
cent"
'Oh, yes; but then you see the custom
er pays O. cents of the IS for my expert
ence as an apothecary. Men in other
| professions do the same, and can show
/ you fair comparison. For instance, Il
] physician will look at your tongue. feel
your pulse, and demand a fee from 81 to
/ 50. 1t Is the same with a lawyer. You
visit his Office. obtain his advice in a sim
gle matter, and occupy his time about
fifteen minutes. and he Will charge you
$40 or SIS. Now, | think we druggists
have performed as much service as any
body, and all | ask is the small pittance
of 70 cents. We prefer the prescription
| business to selling patent medicines, be-
| cause the former is the more profitable of
/ the two branches of our trade"
rs the sale of patent medicines declin-
| ing or increaSing!"
Il can reply to that question both in
the affirmative and negative Patent
medicines are like the craze in garments.
| They become fashionable and grow out of
fashion. 1t is not always the best medi-
cines that have the largest sale. A great
deal depends upon how they are adver-
tlsed and brought before the public. A
few years ago man prepared a patent
pain annihilator. 1t was sort of stuff
that deadened pain temporarily but it
| was not permanent cure. 1t was in
fact IN furious, for it tended to produce
paralysis. The proprietor made a for
tune in very short time advertising his
medicine thoroughly. His pain annihil-
ator was used III almost every family
But 1t had its raise and fall like the Ro-
man empire. and now l don't think there
Is any of 1t manufactured, in fact | know
1t Is not TO be found in the market
what drugs have the largest sale!"
well. L may include in the list quinine
the various preparations of opium, Gallo
mel, arsenic. valerian, and-weu. l don't
think you wish me to go through the en-
tire catalogue of drugs
Tell me something about quinine.'
pills containing two grains of quinine
sell for $3.50 and 81 per bottle of one
hundred pills. The prevalence of ma
laria in almost all sections of the country
I q, l,A s., 1.
immense consumption of the drug. In
! Kansas and Arkansas. especially, quinine
is freely used. and people consider it their
only salvation from chills and fever 1t
has afforded spectators chance to make
a great deal of money by forcing prices
up. and they have not been slow in taking
advantage of the opportunity"
rs there scarcity of quinine in the
MARKET"
Yes: but not so bad now as it has
been. 1t Is fortunate for the government
that the United States is not engaged in
war at the present time, for if Uncle Sam
were compelled to purchase quinine for
an army of soldiers at the prevailing
high prices of the drug. his treasury
would show a weakness from the start
! The quantity of quinine that was CON
sumed by the troops during the rebellion
was simply enormous. Men who had been
accustomed to live i'll the north, being sud
denly transferred to the malarial distIicts
of the south, were exposed to chills and
| fevers. Had 1t not been for the excellent
antidote found in quinine, half the army,
no doubt would have been sent to the hos
pitfalls. | think gunpowder and quinine
did great deal toward bringing the war
to successful termination. Another
very successful feature in the drug bust
ness is opium"
by whom is opium mainly bought
by people of all classes. Why, You
would be surprised if | would show you a
list of my customers who are in the habit
of purchasing this drug. The drug is
used as freely as tobacco by certain
class, aside from those who use it i'll phys
clans prescriptions. These slaves of the
opium habit comprise lawyers, preachers,
artists, merchants, and all kinds of me-
chanics, tradesmen and laborers. Women
as we'll as men are slaves to the opium
tiend certain lawyer in neighbor-
ing town, who was connected with a GER
tain famous case not many years ago, is a
confirmed slave to the opium pill. At the
close of this trial the lawyer made the
closing speech. occupying several hours,
and many wondered how he could stand
him take an opium pill at the end of
every hour they would have known the
secret of his wonderful endurance. There
are hundreds of people in this city who
are such slaves to the drug that they are
never without pill i'll their pockets to
take when necessary. None but those
who have fallen into the habit can ex-
press the feeling of an opium eater with
out 1t. L imagine that it must be an
awful feeling, more severe than the lack
of Intoxicating drink to the confirmed
drunkard"
Il think physicians are much to blame
for people acquiring the opium habit,
because they are so willing to prescribe
it for people who could get along without
it just as well as not. An invalid is sleep
less or nervous, and opium is given in
small doses. By and by larger doses are
required, under similar circumstances,
and finally the patient finds that it is al
most impossible to get along without the
drug. The opium habit is an expensive
one, and makes wealthy people poor. In
this respect 1t Is great deal more of an
enemy to the human race than strong
drink, and has more of tendency to in
jure a mans business capacity than in
| temperance.
There have been great many chang
es in the drug business during the past
% years. When was boy the Thomp-
sOnian system of treating diseases took
the people of this country by storm.
Packages of preparations of roots and
herbs prepared according to the Thomp
sonian formula were to be found upon the
shelves of every drug store. The name
of this medicine was known in every
household. Now, we seldom near it men
toned. The changes in the drug business
during period of 25 years is simply
wonderful"
COmcernining Names.