Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-14
HEALTH AND HARD TIMES.
They Go Hand I'm Hand, in the Opinion
of New York Druggist.
From tine New York Sun

rom the New 1ork sun.
There is at least one druggist in town
who thinks that hard times are conducive
to health, provided, of course. they are not
too hard His shop is in a section Of the
west side populated chiefly by poor people.
He was bewailing the nard times to a Sun
reporter. ....-
Business has fallen off frishtfully," said
Re. Prescription business. in which is
about all the profit for druggist, provided
he doesn't retail liquors. has fallen off with
me more than 80 per cent. What's the cause
of IT? Why, the hard times. of course You
would naturally suppose that hard times
would increase the druggists business
wouldn't you? But they don't.
No; people don't so to the dispensaries
That doesn't account for the depression in
our trade. In fact, know that in some dis
pensaries the number OF patients has largely
decreased during the past year Two ply
sicians, my friends. who have clinics at the
German dispensary in "a avenue, tell me
that where they used to have twenty-five or
thirty patients an hour they now have as
few five six.
The only way l can account for this
state of things is that there is less need for
drugs because there is less sickness than
usual. and the reason there is less sickness
is uet hard times are conducive to health.
When money came easy to people they lived
too hlSn, tney ate TOO mucn ana spent more
money for drink and tobacco than they
ought. The result was arrangements con-
sequent on such excuses and a lively de-
mand for drugs TO remedy them Now
workin gmen are on short commons. They
eat plain food and not too much The diet
is as good medicine and conducive TO
health OF course. ii the times were SO hand
as TO cause actual privation the inevitable
result would be poorly nurtured bodies dis
ease and a bigger demand for drugs | have
studied the present condition very carefully
and | am satisfied that We are very healthy
just now and are SO because We have not
the ready money to waste in excuses"
Other druggists, whose trade comes from
poor people. acknowledged the falling OFF in
prescription trade, but had not taken the
trouble to philosophize regarding the cause
They were inclined to think that there was
much in the proposition that health and
moderately hard times go hand in hand
At the big downtown drug stores where
the greater part OF the trade comes from
merchants and men whose salaries have not
been materially affected by the general bust
ness depression. there was no complaint of
a falling of in prescription business
"Our customers seem to be as well fed as
usual and we sell the usual amount of
bromo settler every morning" said the
manager OF one Of the biggest OF them.
At the dispensaries II was said that the
number of patients had been about normal
this year-possibly little smaller than
notwithstanding an Improvement I'm the
general health Of the city. There has been
a big falling off in the number of lung ana
heart cases treated. This is always expected
in the summer months 1t was asserted thar
the improved condition of the health of the
city is due I'm part to the work of St Johns
Guild and other charities, which proyide
sanitariums for the children of the noor
during the hot months.