The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1892-06-22
SOME COSTLY DRUGS. 1
An Apothecary Initiates the Reporter I'm
to Secrets of the Business.

"There are drugs which are ten
times more costly than gold" said Mr..
Good, the apothecary. you look sur
prised. Let me give you couple of
samples. Cocaine is very common
drug to-day. What do you think it |
cost few years agoP"
The reporter could not give an an
swer, says the St. Louis Gtobe-Dena0-
crGt.
"When first put on the market its
price was $1.25 a grain. Just calcu-
late that. Gold is worth 500 an ounce.
Now there are 437 1-2 grains in a COM
mercial ounce; therefore the ounce of
cocaine cost about $545-or, to be ac-
curate, $546.S7 1-2. That is a big
price, is it notP"
The reporter acknowledged it was.
"The price of cocaine" Mr.. Good
continued, "has been reduced very
much since; now it is just cents
grain. We have other drugs which
are used in medicine and which are
exceedingly costly. | will give you
an example. There is eserine, or ply
sostigmine, which costs at the manu-
facturer's 80 cents a grain-that is,
| $131.25 an ounce. 1t is very rarely
used-generally by oculists for the
purpose of diating the pupil of the
eye, in opposition to atropia. 1t has
just the contrary effect to opium. You
know opium makes the eyes heavy
and dull. You see them encircled
with dark rings. Eserine causes the
eyes to shine and sparkle. In a word
it gives them that brightness which
we all like to see and which a good
many young ladies endeavor to cultl-
vate. -"
"Do they use such costly article as
eserine in their desire to cultivate itP"
mo, belladonna produces the same
effect, and belladonna is taken to a
very considerable extent for the pur-
pose. But, to return to the expensive
and rare medicines, and the conse-
quence of having to keep them in
stock. The very costly are, of course,
seldom called for. That is to say, they
are not used at all in the ordinary,
simple diseases. Generally speaking,
these drugs are used in intinitesimal
quantities the 1-100th part of a
grain. What does that mean? 1t
means that in an ounce you have a
supply for 437 possible patients. Think,
then, of the length of time an article
will remain on ones hands! Yet these
medicines must be kept, for the simple
reason that you must have them when
prescribed. Here is another example
Mr.. Good searched his pharmaceutical
, case and produced tiny bottle
, "This," he said, contains hyoscine
hydrobromate, probably quarter o,
, a gramme. 1t has been in stock for {
, considerable time. The price at the
, manufacturers store is 60 cents {
i grain-that is, $262.50 an ounce. The
) 1-1O0th part of that is usual dose
, Naturally it is medicine rarely used
To get the $262.5O and the profits OF
dispensing, we have to sell to 43,75(
persons Think of the number o
: druggists in the city, think of th'
3 comparatively small number of peopl'
} for whom this particular medicine i
, prescribed, and then you will agre
? that the druggist requires a fair inter
Y est to compensate him for the lengtl
: of time he must await for any return
Y for his invested capital Hyoscin
| hydrobromate is drug of great powe
: and is therefore seldom prescribed
= Doctors avoid it except in extrem
/ cases. 1t is administered for the pur
pose of quieting the nerves in cases @
1 great excitement, such as result fror
s epilepsy or overindulgence in alcohol.