Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1886-07-09
PROFIT IN DRUGS.
Some Facts About the
Apothecary's Business.
The Extensive Use of Patent Medicines,
Quinine, and Opium.


more or less interested in the drug trade,
which iE one Of the most important car
ried on in the world. 1t employees hun-
1reds Of millions OF dollars in capital,
and affords thousands upon thousands of
people means Of making IN honest live
lihood. With tho view of learning some
thing of the inside mysteries OF trado
Of such Importance, reporter for the
New York Mail and Express visited
large drug store. Tho man of drugs WAS
busily engaged in filling prescription.
When no was Mt leisure he said in an
wer to the reporters query;
"Now there is compound that is
composed of exactly four ingredients.
Ono of these ingredients costs at whole
sale exactly two cents, the second one
, cent, the third two cents and the fourth
three cents, making total OF eight
cents"
GLOW much will you charge your GUS
tomAF forsthnt prcscriptonr
Y & sifiss Ave Cents"
! 4 !, ssss ssene q prOlit-just GOO per
ooh, ycs;sbat then you scr, the Gus
toner pays forty-scvcn cents of the fifty
five for my experience rs nm apothccary.
Men in other professions do the same as
we in this respect. For instance, ply
sician will look Mt your tongue and feel
your pulse, demand fec of from So to
IS, according TO the length of your purse
and his standing in society. II he is n
high-toned OF fashionable doctor you
may think yourself fortunate if you cs-
cape without being charged more than $5.
It is the same with u lawyer. You visit
his office, obtain his advcc in n simple
matter, and occupy his time for about
fifteen minutes. lie wants you to pay
S95 or $50. Now have performed rs
much real service us either the doctor or
the lawyer, and all the compensation l
ask is the small pittanco Of fifty-iivc
cents. We prefer the prescription bust
ness to selling patent medicines, because
the former is the most profitable of the
two branches of our trade"
''Is the sale of patent medicines in
creasing or declining2"
~ can reply to that question both in
the affirmative and the negative. Patent
medicines are like garments, they become
fashionable and may go out of fashion.
! 10 nj In nj 1,
have the largest sale. A great deal de-
pcnds upon the manner in which they arc
advertised and placed before the public.
few years ago man prepared n pain
annihilator. 1t was sort of wash that
dcadclcd pain temporarily, but it was
not n permanent cure. 1t was, in fact,
injurious for it re2'lcd to produce paraly-
sis. The proprietor advertised it fur and
wide. Tho name of tho so-ca.":Sd rene
dy appeared in the advertising column
of oil the newspapers. 1t was seen upon
buildings, fences, and bill-boards, in the
city and in the country. Turn which.
ever way you would it stared you in tho
face. Tho proprietor made fortune in +
very short time. His pain nnnihilatol
was known and used in almost every
family. Like the Roman Empire it had
its rise and fall. Now nobody thinks oi
using it. In fact it is not even manu-
factured or to be found in the market.
"What drugs have the largest sale1"
"Wcll, 1 may include in the list quin
inc, the various preparations of opium
calomcl, arsenic, valcrian, lavender ant
well I don't think you wish me 10 e
J through the entire catalogue"
"Tcll me something about quininc7"
"Pills containing two grains Of quinin
sell Mt $3.50 to $500 per bottle of on
hundred pills. The prevalence of mala
ria in almost all sections of the countr
during the past few years has caused NJ
immense consumption of this drug.
!, has also afforded spectators 3 chance t.
make money by forcing the price up, ant
they have not been slow in availing them
selves of the opportunity"
, "By whom is opium mainly bought
"By people of all classes. You woult
be greatly surprised if should show yo
q list Of my customers who are in til
; habit of purchasing this drug. do nc
. mean those for whom it is prescribed b
physicians, but those who use it Us rcgu
larly rs they would tobacco. Thcs
slaves of the opium habit comprise law
yers, artists, preachers, merchants, an
: all kinds of mechanics, tradesmcn IN
laborers. Women rs well as men III
slaves to opium"
"Do druggists as rule bccon
wealthy"
mo. There are too many in the bus
ness. If the number of drug stores coul
he reduced onc-half those who RENAME
in tho trade would stand chance
making fortunes. As it is, the most {
,, us have hard task to keep our hcat