New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-10
.SELF- DOCTORING.
THE PRACTICE HAS GROWN WITH THE
HARD TIMES.

HARD TIMES.
PROPRIETARY REMEDIES ~ pEMAND-pANGER-
ors DRUGS EASILY OBTAINED THE
DRUG HAET.
,,..,,,i, 10 class Of professional felt the
.,', ,lr,os' with which the country has been
n,,.,od more severely than the physicians. Not
- 5id tbcv find 4 difficult and In many cases
,,ssiti. 10 collect their fees. but they learned
win disgust that many Of their patients han 'aheH
., .doctor.ng' themselves in order To econonze'
.pr,si,ians are a good deal 10 blame for that
.-.,,s ,bou,h - said a prominent dispensing
,,,is,. .tney have got in the habit OF prescribing
80 many uroprletary medcines-not patent medi-
clr.s Won understand. bat so-called standard pre-
ssn,lons prepared by the big manufacturing chefh-
les that many people have decided 10 oHy 'ne''
1881, ,r.,t themselves instead Of sending ior te
,,,,uv doctor You see. when the average man mas
,id from, g. to g. for physician can ana ms pre-
'l,.,r T.. likes 10 hold on TO the latter ara use
=, .,,i, when the same. or what he thin"s are
,ba same symptoms recur. More tnah mat " ~
Ga generous hearted man he HKes 10 'e'' MS ie'
io,,-sufferers how to get reiet from '"'' p'''''
tir.. and Won hardly ever knew II man. "'u So"'
,., O.. so mean that he wasn't glad to ten MS
,t.., or even his enemies how TO cure their
-, =, ne sends them TO the druggist with the
-.s-rln,i,n or more likely. the name OF 'he pro
-..t,ry tonic or Other ready -to-,akc preparation
80 ,.t lin 4o much good. ana will surely hep
t,,.. oven though no expert has decided that 'he''
cases arc IDENTICAL 800. ,...
.or th. drug clerk az the store where you o"y
,....- .,,u.rs B, Kind enough to tell you what 10
..l , ,,,.r,ration put W hy the firm. perhaps lie
,,,. ,.u Won that DE- S1-and-So has p""h ptes'''"-
ina, lott. OF ihIs OF thdt ne" drus "''h sc''n''"'
,,,n4lr, name that catches the customers fancy
y..i bus Z. and start out on your career AZ S'''
shaF he
,...u-.rg chemists want. thcy Ike that sort OF
trar-0lcrk
..,..,,,t Won may call sugar-coat!ng has probably
,, siblc :or more OF this self-doctoT.hg IMAM
..,. other one thing Before he tablet fi'"ra''s'
. .,., t,,r,oootathlr d0scs 81 drugs more or less
t,n,.,aas and deadly. w"r" put on t"e ha'N'' '''
connections veg, not TO any d'sre" SO alarming a.
:, - 49,. nv. They arr pleasant 20 take, ana III
.,.,..,,,. harmless enough. but they lead TO the
,nsili,5s drug habit
..t,or here is a drug habit. don't mean the
o,.ir, or morphine habit and that sort OF 'h'ng,
either W. nav" customers VINO run "'"h '''
., 40 regularly az they do their Grocers or their
,..h,... RAN The doses they TAX" on theIr own
,,.uous,blty may no. be- very dangerous or par
,i,,l,rlv harmful but they are taken In Obedience 10
HABIT and - nothing else
.iut ~ course. people who are victims OF th'
onlufn. morphine and cocaine habits FOR example
come a. Your notice;
from, MS or any really reputable druEg.s;S' tha'
tbev got their supplies. We ar" careful TO ho'e
,,. ,orsons 10 whom We sell poisonous drugs ana
the law requires us 20 enter In our poison oooN
inc names and addresses OF those VINO Apply '"'
,bcu together with the date OF the application
and the purpose for which they are desired bu'
,, may, go 10 almost any jobbcr In drugs ana get
,,,,ev.r poson Won choose to ask for-at retail
mean-wi,hout question The jobb"rs are required
70 keep no poison book 50 the la" is largely mum
ned. ,,
.tbcrs is hardly a deadly drug you can't purchase
E, this store not under our label. but under that
-, Co.. ro,pufacturer without recording your name
T., tho .poison book That's the law; the manufact-
urer's label absoves US from all responsibility ot
course I may ask the purchaser II he is physician
and refuse to sell 10 him unless ma ms name IN
slant ana b. give M any distant address that
suits him in case. It rests win my discretion
to s.ll these preparations 10 any body.
"rHa,'s what is making the morphine habit so
common Formerly YOU had 70 ct Mascndie So =,
milan # Won wanted T. prepared for hyrodermic IN
iectlons. Now you can buy tubt win inc power
ready for use a. soon as a leM ",I h ho, T,,,oI
/ he choral habit from her physician prescribing
"rion,l purpose. but n never has countermanded
the prescription. and we can't refuse 10 sell her 'e
p"tyhat are some OF the Preparations which have
! become vel known to the class OF people VINO ac'
! - thr,r own phys.ciaus%
o." Hn,oet ali OF them are much better known than
| ,,I would imagine. and soon after they come out
/ too such people must watch Tire medical Journals
} ION rrrplrttiuns OF the Kind ! am talking about
are not advertised except for the benefit OF the pro
! fassion aud the trade; Ph"n"cetinc was recently
: yer. much used for the grip. oS an anu-pyretlr
vou know. bu' people are getting to realize IL
/ g4uoer. An;i-pyriuc, Of course. preparations con
J ,aluing strtchniuc: atrOpla, brom!dia treot tr
oual suiphonab- som" OF the most inn0gGnt.ip
nearing of them contain enough poison 10 Kill II Al
oyar!oye d. taken. Physicians themselves are otter
In me dark a. to their chemical constituents; fol
! thoueh the formula appears the label. you maS
b. reasonably sure that 1t does not contain one OF
/ more Of tho most important parts OF the com
| mound else any one could manufacture it,
! What you suggest as a remedy for thes'
! abuses
Well think the law should make the retail
druggist absolutely responsible for all tho drugs HI
| sells and should insist the johbers selling only
to the trade and not TO drygoods houses and gro
ccrics as H. frequently done nov. Further none o
! tho preparations Of which 7 have been speakinl
I should be sold except physicians written pre-
! scriyt!On.