Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1894-06-29
TNCLE SANS DRUG SHOPS
FREE MEDICINE FOR ARMY AMI
HAVY OFFICERS.
Tha- Also Receive Medical Attend.
Anrc Free Of Charge regulations
OF the Two Stores.

hfhE are Nv" "Ius shOi' "
this town, SAWS a Washington
letter To the New York Times,
which do not depend upon
the Washington public for patronage
or profit. There are no signs above
their dnurs, their windows do not con
tain the regulation glass vessels filled
with colored fluids, and soda-watet
fountains do not tempt persons with
nickels and cast iron stomachs 10
enter.
Uncle Sam is the proprietor OF these
queer shops. 1t may not he generally
known that this famous character has
been in the drug businessa great many
Years. He set up his Washington
shops long before the present genera
ton took up it's residence i'll the city,
and from present indications he will
be doing business lat the old stand,
or equally uninviting ones, when the
next generation comes upon the scene.
The officers of the army and navy
stationed i'll Washington and the
members of their families are the
sole patrons of these dispensaries.
Bv virtue of liberal regulations
officers of the army and navy are re-
ieved of that burden of doctors
bills which sometimes makes the life
of the private citizen one of vexatlon.
When member of al officers family
is taken i'll, telephone message will
summon an army or navy surgeon, II
prescription, which does not require
monetary accompaniment, Is made
out and sent to the army or navy dis
pensary, aud the process of killing or
curing goes on without any worriment
on the part Of the officer or his wife
concerning the financial aspect Of the
case SO long rs medical care Is re
quired, the paid medical servant of
Uncle Sam sees that it is not lacking.
Medicines for the naval establish,
ment are purchased at the United
States naval laboratory at New York,
under the direction Of the Bureau of
Medicine and Surgery. When the
director OF the laboratory desires II
supply of medicines, he calls the at
tention of the bureau to his needs,
and the bureau invites proposals from
first class dealers. The expenses of
the naval establishment for medicines
alone will not exceed $4,000 or $S300.
There are about 1000 in Washing
ton who come under the provisions
of the army medical regulations.
This large number is due To- the
fact that this Is the principal sta
ton III the country, requiring the ser
vices Of many officers, suI that IL
large proportion Of the officers have
! families. 1t should be stated here
| that the practice of furnishing medical
/ attendance to the families vi officers
grew ont of the conditions surround
ing army life at frontier posts, where
civilian physicians are unknown.
The method OF supplying medicines
Is simple, yet effective, and there does
not appear to be much opportunity for
any officer to accumulate II stock of
medicines "for household uses at
Uncle Sam expense When one OF
the physicians writes prescription IT
Is taken to the dlspensary. where the
attending pharmacist compounds 1t
with all the care which should attend
such All operation. The stock OF medl-
| zines on hand is considered to be am
pie, The apartment IN which the
medicines are stored Is not unlike an
ordinary drug store. The pharmacist
| has department III the rear, while
the steward presides at the counter
and keeps a careful eve on the stock,
for he is responsible for its condition
and must make acquisitions when 1t
shows signs OF depletion.
Every prescription is numbered, and
| the name Of the person for whom it is
intended is recorded. Suppose n pa
| tient has exhausted the contents Of a
bottle, AMI desires fresh supply OF
medicine. He or she takes it to the
dispenssry and hands 1t to the atten.
dsnt, who carries it to the pharmacist,
who looks up the number and the
name attached to it, and then sends II
memorandum to the physician who
happens to be pr, sent. Ii the latter
decides that the prescription may be
renewed, the bottle is retilled. If for
any reason the physician demurs, ex
plantations follow. 1t will be seen that
every prescription is carefully guard.
ed. The chances are that If this were
not the practice the stock of drugs at
the dispensary would soon be depleted.
II is II failing OF human nature to
IL
nothing, and officers of the army are
not supposed to have laid aside this
failing when they donned the blue.
The process of purveyiny medicines
to the defenders OF tue flag aud their
dependents, Just described, is similar
to that which prevails at the navy dis.
pensary. There are several hundre |
persons who patroniae this particular
drug shop. Naval officers are not 30
plentiful in Washington as those Of
the army. The naval regulations gov,
erning medical officers do not provide
that medicines shall be furnished to
the families OF officers, but usage ha ,
practically nulliied these, and the at.
tending surgeons exercise their dis
erection. 1t is safe to say that no
member of a naval officers family has
ever been denied medicine from the
navy dispensary III Washington on the
ground that the regulations forbid the
filling of prescriptions not inteude |
for officers.
A naval officer on detached service,
who is taken ill, and cannot command
the services OF naval rseon, is
given the privilege by the depart,
ment of presenting the bill of his