The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-10-19
TITLE IN DISPUTE.
LIVELY TIME IN DRUG STORE
OVER PRESCRIPTION.
DELICATE POINT IS iNvoL WE'D
Druggist Claims the Paper, While Man
Who Brought It in Insists
That He Is the True
Owner.

ITS mine. I tell you, and I'm going to
have it," exclaimed an angry man in !,
Well-kncwn drug store of Butte last
evening. as he glared at the proprietor.
1t is not yours, sir, and you will not
have it," replied the druggist. who was
doing his best to preserve his temper
and look pleasant.
We'll. I'll see about it in IA mighty
short time"
And the angry customer went il,
search of policeman. whom he brought
TO the store n few minutes later.
Whats all this trouble?" asked the
officer as he nodded to the druggist.
whom he knew. This man says YOU
have Il paper that belongs to him. Char
ley, and refuse to give it up. How about
it,"
Nothing of r1e Sort. said the drug
gist. growing red i'll the face. Pm
pretty old to be taking what does not
belong to me. This trouble is simply the
old question of whether the druggist or
the patient owns the prescription the
doctor has given to him to have filed.
This man claims he owns it, While I
claim ! own it,
Good night hastily remarked the
officer as he slid for the door. I'm
willing to settle disputes over lost dogs,
stray cats and the like, but when it
comes to settling matters between drug
gists and patients l draw the line. Guess
you will have to run this affair without
me. unless the man who claims you are
keeping that paper from him wants to
make a complaint"
Delicate Question Argued.
After the officer had disappeared the
druggist and the customer argued long
and earnestly regarding the ownership
of the prescription, without coming to
any understanding.
The druggist kept the bit of paper in
the end, While the customer went away
swearing all sorts of things.
THAT is a fair specimen of the trouble
we druggists have regarding prescrip-
tions.' said the man of drugs, after the
customer had gone out. slamming the
screen door after him.
The question to whom does physi-
clans prescription belong-the patient
or the druggist-is a deep one, and has
attracted much attention. AS yet it has
not been taken into the courts, but some
day it will make its appearance there.
IF YOU We're to put the question to a
number OF druggists they will perhaps
disagreed in their answers. At any rate
some of. the Butte druggists are accus-
toned to make a copy of the prescrip-
ton in their books when It is first pre-
scented, and then surrender the original
to. the patient or the patients repre-
sentative. While others keep the original
on file and regard it as their persona
property.
''Ordinarily the patient, if he desires
to have the prescription re-tilled, will
go to the same druggist as at first, anf
the number Of the bottle he carries with
him will serve as sufficient guide in
identifying both the prescription and tht
person.
Druggist in a 6uandry.
"Once in a while, however, a druggist
declines to fill prescription a SECOND
time, without an order from the doctor
who gave it. This happens but rarely
yet 1 have known instances of this kind
Naturally the druggist wants to relieve
illness, retain THE good will of his
patrons. and make a sale that might
otherwise go TO one of his competitors.
Hence he is not likely to refuse to re
fill prescription unless he has reason &C
believe the doctor who wrote it might
object to a renewal of it, from reasons
financial or otherwise. When he has
reason to believe the doctor would OBJ
ject, he manages to put off the patron
on some pretext or other
"a physicians objection might result
from desire to change his line of treat.
ment after a certain limit had beer
passed. He might wish to keep his pa.
tient under observation while the drug
or the combination of drugs was in use
and then govern himself by circum-
stances He might fail to explain in ad-
vance his motives, either from forgetful-
ness or from a desire to keep his own
counsel.
'Now, certain physicians are quite
communicative, while others are quite
the reverse. Failure to mention the line
Of campaign would not necessarily re-
fleet in any way upon the patient.
ITO be sure, doctors are sometimes
afraid a patient may acquire taste for
a drug that is used in prescription
morphine, for instance-and" they would
rather not promote such a result.
Not to Be Refilled.
For these and other reasons unneces-
sary for me to give, doctors have been
known to write on a prescription specific
instructions that it is to be filled at
once. One doctor of Butte-and possibly