The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-01-17
DRUGGISTS AS DOCTORS
THE BUSINESS TRANSFORMED SINCE
THE CIVIL WAR.
ola Professional Tells How They Had TO
Prescribe - Leeches. Cupping, vacci-
nation. and Spring Medicines--Ancien
Annthpcarv Reuufred to Draw Teeth.

nation, and spring Medtcines--Anclent
Apothccary Required to Draw Teeth.
Before the war" began the drug
gist, whose memory and business date
back to pre-Civil War days, speaking
of the drug business as 1t was com
pared TO what it is at present, "a drug
gist was expected to do a great deal IN
the way of prescribing. In 1858 the
College of Pharmacy graduated some
six men where now hundreds are grad
uated. Very few druggists had any
thing hut practical experience. 1t Is
probable that at that time the English
were the most scientifically educated
in that line. Here the druggist was
expected to do practical work. to un-
derstand minor surgery, leeching,
blood letting and cupplng. He could
take quart or so Of blood when n
patient came in and required it, and
he could draw tooth.
sometimes he would go out and
make a call, and he was supposed to
be thoroughly posted IA to what con-
stituted a dose of medicine. and to
know the proper medicines to be given
in different diseases. Nowadays
druggist Is not supposed to know any
thing about n dose: his business Is to
understand the scientific preparation
of medicines, and he is better qualified
for analysis than for practical work.
Chemistry enters more into the
work of the druggist now than it did
then. The whole science of medicine
has changed, and it is enough to make
the hair of an old-time druggist stand
on end TO see the doses of strychnine,
arsenic and nuX vomica that are given.
Forty years ago an ounce of strych.
nine would last druggist ten years,
and now he will use 1t in a month.
The old-time druggist would not have
put up such prescriptions as are sent
TO him now If the physician had stood
over him and told him every ingre-
dient. A druggist is not supposed now
to know anything about the prescrip-
ton. If Il prescription seems to call
for something that he does not think
right it makes no difference, he must
put it up or he is held responsible.
There was an interesting case of
this kind number of years ago in
England. y physician gave prescrip-
tion in which there was an extra large
amount of digitalls which is used to
stimulate the heart. The prescription
was taken to seven druggists before il
r1,A e,fx- ,...ff 10
put up the drug, as the prescription
called for 1t. The seventh did, but the
patient died. The case was taken to
court, and it was decided that If the
prescription had been filed in time
the patient would have lived, and the
six druggists We're fined. Similar
cases have been tried in the Supreme
Court here. The physician is protected
by law, but no one can understand the
anxiety these excessive doses give the
druggist. 1t is always possible that Il
mistake has been made.
Now that we have telephones we
can telephone to a physician to verify
the prescription, but before we would
hunt all day sometimes to find man.
They do not always like It, and some
think that the question reflects upon
their judgment, but many physicians
are very thankful.
USED TO vAcCINATE.
I'VE used to vacclnate occasionally,
but there was not so much of it done
then. We used the human virus al
ways, and when we had good healthy
back when the sore came to n head so
that we could get few points or we
would take the whole scab. Then we
would mix 1t up with little water on
a glass plate with knlfe-we didn't
/ think anything about germs Mt that
! time-tell people we had virus from Il
( healthy person, and vacclnate perhaps
! a dozen people.
"There is no doubt, though, that n
| good many diseases Were disseminated
/ in this way, and there are many peo-
pie to-day who date ailments of their
own and the deaths of their children
to vaccination, and undoubtedly with
reason People don't really under
stand that only COW virus is used now
| If they did | think there would be less
/ opposition to vaccination, though, for
my part, | don't see why tuberculosis
should not be disseminated in that
/ way.
I'VE used 10 use great many
d lrcchcs. We would use frolA fifty 10
: ION in n month, ard n blood-lettiug Of
ten rake one or two quarts oi blood
/ from q person. don'' think II did amy
{ harm 10 Al full-bloOdcd person poo-
pie ale coarser foods in those days.
more pork ana oatmeal. II a man go:
{ into row and had a black eye the
first thing he would do would be TO go
/ the druggist and have two or three
leeches put on to take away the blood.
Or leeches We're put on for a headache.
or for tine carache or toothache. A
woman would come in with terrible
headache, sit down in Il chair in the
store. and have two or three leeches
put on each temple. and she would be
relieved in short time. Or they
would be put behind the ear for the
earache, or on The gums foe a tooth
acne.