The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1899-09-22
DRUGGISTS oAND THEIR WAYS.
Why Some Pharmacists Refuse to ne
neat Certain Prescriptions.

peat Certain Prescriptions.
The question is often asked, says the
New York Tribune, To whom does
physicians prescription belong-tne pa.
tient or the druggist who fills III II
one puts this inquiry to number Oh
druggists their answers VIII Disagree
perhaps. At any rate, some pharma,
cists are accustomed to make copy OF
the prescription In their books when y
is first presented. aud surrender tue
original to the patient or the patent
representative, while others VIII keep
the original, and regard 1t as their own
property. But even in such eases they
will always furnish copy L II IS de-
manded. Ordinarily the patient II he
desires a renewal. will 90 to the same
druggist as at first, and the number Oh
the bottle which he carries along WIN
him win serve as a sufficient guide 10
identifying both prescription anu per
son.
Once in while, however, drugg's.
declines to fill a prescription secoha
time. This rarely happens, but IN
stances can be found. Naturally The
druggist wants to relieve illness, retain
the good viii of his patrons, ana make
sale that might otherwise so to 4
business rival. Hence he Is not hkei!
to refuse unless he has reason to be
lieve that the doctor who wrote the pre-
scrlptlon might object TO a renewal
A physicians objection might result
from a desire 70 change his line OF
treatment after a certain limit had been
passed. He might wish to keep his
patient under observation while the
drug or combination of drugs was ID
use, and then govern himself by cir
cumstances. He might fail to explain
in advance his motives. either from for
getfulness or from desire to keep MS
own counsel. Some physicians are very
, communicative and others are quite tht
| reverse. Failure to mention the plal
of campaign would not necessarily re
, feet in any way upon the patient. Tt
} be sure, doctors are sometimes AM
mated by fear that a patient may ac
qulre a taste for drug that Is used u
I a prescription--mor for instance
and they would rather not promote
\ such a result. But guarding agains
this contingency for the future woul'
not imply anything derogatory as t
the past.
For these and other reasons physi
/ clans have been known to write on
prescription specific instructions to III
it only once. One doctor. and posslDl
others, has printed blanks for prescriT
\ tions, and across the top is printed
\ line, mot to be filed again" Whe
| the prescription Is actually written, tn
| doctor will draw his pen through tn
| word mot" If he is wllling-as he usl
| ally is-to have the remedy used ono
] more. But II he wants to limit its us
he will leave the negative alone.
: careful inspection of the prescr'ptio
! by the patient would reveal this pr
!. hibition, or similar one, In writln
But patients rarely try to read prescrl'
| tlons, because the symbols and abbr
n viatlons are seldom intelligible TO Il
II uninitlated.
II Orders not to renew are given so rar
Il ly that they are almost unheard Of.
j is possible that, owing to the eXcepto
al character Of prescription and Il
length OF time that has elapsed since
was first filled1a conscientious druggl
will doubt whether doctor would Ill
to have 1t renewed, and yet be wltho
any clear information on that poll
He might then take the responsible
of declining to Gil 1t a second time. b
even then he would not refuse to fl
nish copy of the prescription.