The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-02
IN FAVOR OF A DIsPENsARY.
The Present Method of Supplying
Medicine TO the Poor. Unsatisfac-

The Present Method of Supplying
Medicine 10 the Poor. Unsatfsfac-
tory.
There has been considerable talk for
the last year Of the city abandoning the
contract system for supplying medicines
for the city poor, and returning 70 the
dispensaTy system Health officer Brun-
ner is in favor OF re-establishing the dis
pensary.
The matter was discussed at some length
az a recent meeting Of the sanitary board
Alderman Falligant, chairman Of the
health ana cemetery committee Of the
city council, has in view a plan for the
establishment Of one or more dispensaries
which he believes Will be TO the advantage
OF the city and Will furnish the poor with
medicines more satisfactorily than they
are now supplied.
"A little circumstance happened to me
a few. days ago." said the alderman,
which started me thinking on a new
line. gave poor sewing woman pre-
scription for ten or twelve fve-grain tab
lets of antikamnia, which We're intrinsi-
cally worth but few cents, and which
told her would probably cost her % or %
cents at the outside. When / called the
next day she told me that the druggist
made her pay So cents for them. 1 could
hardly believe that there was a druggist
in Savannah merciless enough to soak il
70 any one; particularly a poor needle
woman, as heavily as that. Here. ] said
10 myself, Is the line for improvement in
the matter of furnishing medicines for
the poor. Re-establish the dispensary,
and, If necessary, create a new one also
in the southern section, and instead of
furnishing medicines free, as extensively
as they are now furnished, supply the
medicines free only TO those in actual pow
erty and who are in distress, because of
unemployment, and let all other poor
persons buy their medicines from these
dlspensaries at a small profit on the ORR
ginal cost of the drug or medicine. Under
q pian OF this kind the ten tablets Of anti
kamnla which / prescribed for the poor
sewing woman would have cost her, per-
maps, 10 cents, instead of 90 cents, and
cost the city nothing.
Il think it probable said Alderman
Falligant, that of the $1,000 to 40OGO pre-
scrip ions now charged to the city an
nually at - cents a piece, one-half to
three-quarters of them would be paid for
by private parties, instead of being paid
for out of the public treasury as now
Ihirty thousand prescriptions at 20 cents
piece would bring 5000 back into the
city treasury where it now receives moth
ing. At 10 cents a piece they would bring
back 5000, and there are many people
OF very limited means to whom opportuni-
ties OF this kind for obtaining medicines
would prove a most commendable and
well merited kindness
'Of course, a radical change of this
kihd contemplates safeguards against it's
abuse. Druggists, who pay licenses to
DO business, would very naturally oppose
system that trenched too heavily tipon
their means of support, through what is
called the legitimate public PATRONAGE to
which they consider themselves entitled
And, on the other hand, there are very
many industrious. but poor people, who
can III AFFORD TO pay the heavy profits of
Ordinary druggists charges for COM
pounding prescriptions, and the condition
or these people, who are in no sense pau
pers or beggars, might be so certified to by
attendlHs physicians as 10 enable them
70 BUY at these cheap rates from a city
dispensary."