The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-06-05
DANGEROUS DRUGS.
HOW THEY ARE SOMETIMES HANDLED
BY PRESCRIPTION CLERKS.

Notes From y Chemists Experience.
Fortunately for the patients the practice
Of pharmacy is regulated in the majority
of the states composing the Union. Ir
Missouri, for instance, the law, If properly
observed, could be considered almost per.
feet and if prescription is not properly
filed, the public seldom hears of 1t. The
physicians themselves, who should be the
first ones to complain in case of error, are
very reluctant in the matter, as they are
apt to make mistakes themselves. When a
prescription calls for toxic dose of any
kind of medicine the rule is for the phar.
maciSt 60 tell the patient to return i'm an
hour or so, rs it requires some time to pre-.
pare the s'c,ients This is an excuse to
call up the physician and ask him II he
has not committed an error. Many pa.
tient has been saved in this innocent way
from an untimcly grave although the
easiest thing to do would be for the physi.
clan to write the weight of the drug in
full letters. Another thing which deserves
the attention Of the rcformer is the de.
plorablC habit of writing prescriptions in
deg Latin instead of using the plain
English language without Authorizations
Some druggists, and physicians, too, for
that matter, possess hardly an ordinary
knowledge of Latin, and the results are
not only ridiculous, but also full of danger.
But, says the smart drug clerk, 1--WE
can always make it out.
Certainly there are druggists who will
make out anything, even deliver to the
customer n II ounce bottle with the ap.
propriatc direction in exchange for Chi.
nese wash bill accompanied by the noccs.
sary cash. This is somewhat exaggerated,
bIt there is some truth in it, To give an
idea Of the foolish things apt to happen in
case Latin is understood" by ignoram.
uses, the writer called at certain drug
store for one ounce of "iodi chloridum,"
which is common salt. The druggist, who
is an old timer, never heard of this pomp.
Gus Latin name and sent to New York for
the stuff. He must have his chloride OF
sodium in stock waiting for customer.
Mica pants is a favorite preparation tc
make bread pills for imaginary patients,
and "a prescription calling for it went
through the hands of half dozen drug.
gists before the joke was discovered
AS a matter of course the dispenser OF
medicine is not always to blame. He GOV.
ers many sins, as the perusal of his file of
prescriptions can demonstrate. Young
medical students are particularly dreadful
in that line AS soon as a country boy
has been in school six weeks his greatest
ambition is to learn few formulas to try
on the first patient who will be unsophis.
ticated enough to intrust himself to his
care One of these students had book in
which he recorded prescriptions he could
learn from physicians willing to accommo.
date him. He wanted once n cure for can.
Ger. A joker-thero are some in the med.
ical profcssion-gaVch him u splendid recipe
in Latin to prepare chicken salad. The
pharmacist, an educated German, sent the
patient to the st. Nicholas hotel. But
these are mere bagatellcs and would prove
amusing occasionally We're it not that some
serious accidents are apt to happen not
only 90 the patients, bat to the pharma.
cists as well. In prescribing, the physician,
If he is not very careful is liable to write
an explosive compound which can blow uE
whole block in jiffy.
1t is customary to write the three in.
itials NJ. ;. A. below the name of the last
drug mentioned in prescription. These
letters are the Authorization of the sen
tence, "Alisce secundum artem," which
means "AIix according to art" Certain
explosives can be manipulated without
danger, if the rules of chemistry are strict.
ly adhered TO, and it is the druggist bust
ness to remember that he is responsible for
any accident which may result from his
Ignorance. But the public is not prepared
to believe that n single pharmacist would
be found in st. Louis who would be sufli
GENTLY Ignorant or careless to run the risk
OF blowing his own place up. To gain in
formation the writer visited 40 drug stores
Each one was handed II prescription call
ing for "A preparation which would have
blown to atoms half dozen houses.
Two druggists returned the prescription
with thanks, and u third wanted to con.
suit chemist about it, The balance raiscG
no objection, and had it not been for the
interference of the customer, who explained
the joke CD, there would have been several
explosions in St Louis.
In the majority of cases the prescription
was written in presence of the druggist
The formula either called for chronic acid
dissolved in glycerin or II preparation OF
tartaric acid, sugar and chlorate of potas.
stun.
The prescription filters, when apprised
OF the great danger they had escaped, at
tempted to explain that they would have
either changed the ingredients or discov.
cred the true nature of the compounds in
time This is doubtful, however. A young
drug clerk particularly was very emphatic,
as he said no one could teach him anything
in chemistry. The writer has had great
deal of experience in the laboratory, and,
for that matter, has published some i'm
portant chsIical works. Therefore he
knew that somCs ling could be taught to
the young gentleman referred to. Within
half an hour he sent by a friend the fol
lowing formula:
Iodine, one dram.
Turpcntine, one ounce.
As soon as the two ingredients came in
contact in the mortar they took fire, to the
great establishment of the smart jack chem
list, who discovered that there was some
thing which he did not know, after all
To conclude, there is little story which
will illustrate that IA pharmacist should
never DO too careful In handling his drugs |
An old prescription compounder was in
the habit of spending Is minutes in the |
tedious task OF tying an ordinary package. /
Being asked why he lost so much time by |
customer who had called for 10 cents !
worth of bicarbouate of soda, he answered .
that in doing so he had saved many lives. |
hn bn ri Cd 10,