New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-01-05

many OF the clerks use stimusnts such as NOR
phine and cocaine. Any druggist VINO maoe ."o
assertion that he had never made an error III inc
compromising OF n prescription told denperate
falsehood. II common thing TOT hn's'"Nes "
occur in putting up prescriptions
Thu rneeting was called TO order by John r. Nubel
who said that the drug clerks would present Dill
to the present Legislature regulating tho hours Oh
clerks. The bill would provide for ten houfs u"s'
except on Saturdays and Sundays. IL would pro-
vide that on Sundays they must Work SIX hours ana
on Saturdays twelve hours. Prisoners were rea'en
hotter than were some OF these clerks at present,
Mr. Nube declared.
Mr.. Thmme said he divided tho PRISONERS o'
New-York into three classes. THE hrst' lie con-
tinues ARE the real criminals who poison lot u
purpose. OF lato there have been NUMBER OF
poisoning cases. The second class IL composed oil
the involuntary poisoners who are the drug clerks
They may make mistake that may cause n oea'"'
The third class is composed or the voluntary
posoners who practise under the guise OF one VINO
has made p mistake. The public In general 'hihN'
a drug clerk Is n machine. After working hhru
all day he may be called out OF bed for hve cents
worth Of castor oil a two-cent stamp or packag"
Of cigarettes. Some OF these drug stores nave De
come small department stores where tneS '
hardware and bicycles to say nothing Oh ois'''
and papers and soda. Then. to make man s'.cp
among the drugs. cannot help p"' De u''', ,,As =,
The clerks become tired out and are compeT,ru 10
take some drug Last September. III jersey ny ia
clerk who had been n doctor. sixty YEAR, arr, U'
caused a fatal poisoning He was Ernest Jh'i.ner r
and he grieved over the affair until ne ,ooH hvc the
dose Of morphine that caused his deatn. nave '
box from which he used to take the drug .ho mia
"Druggists have a way OF hushihg Up w ~, a,
.akes Of their clerks but many cases OF accl1eItai
death have been due TO the mistakes OF drug cIerhI
have here ten samples rye Oh , ..ed rses hat
sons while the other five are harness i ~. and
resemble them. The first pair are aco .t IA
carboI,c acid They look nearly alike. the h ac,a
being a shade yellow while ne othr rho Is o~e -
The next are quinine and morphine; i ey are 80,
most Identical in appearance The third IRE So IL
salts and oxalic acid. In this case the uheItno. ho
only in the crystals One IL little hner lntn ,n
other The fourth samples are Rochens S
chlorate Of potash: Is frequently sups. sd
for the other The other specimens are pow Maeeu
sugar and arsenic. It is often necessary 10 sWve 80,
medicines and sugar is used, but the arsehic oSN
exactly like the sugar. with the e~cepNo' "a
During the year 1897 from report at the ror
oner's office there thirteen cases repor,teu
from mistakes by clerks Many times these "' sIo
takes are hushed up by the payment or -, e.
or son bill Then. too. many suits are pr1ufSm'
against druggists for the mistakes OF tner ITm
Some Of them run up high as sSep we CIaLn.
that these mistakes are made because .' "a are
are forced TO work unreasonable houie anu "'o
nhvsicaily Incapable of doing their work