The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-08-07

per cent OF ethyl alcohol or which
contains choral hydrate, ergot, NOR
phine, opium or any of their COM
pounds or derivatives, cocaine or any
of its salts, bromine, iodine or any Of
their salts, to be labeled. Laws of
this kind cannot help but work hard
ship to those engaged In the drug
business in localities where such laws
exist and an advantage to those out
side such localities, when the manu.
facturers of proprietary medicines do
not comply with our law.
Our national drug law, while It does
not apply except to interstate COM
merce, the District of Columbia and
the territories, will tend to make it
much easier for the druggist in our
state after January 1, 1907, for all pro-
prietary preparations must then be
labeled before coming into our state,
and the national drug law covers our
state law.
The public, who have used some of
these proprietary medicines for years
with excellent success, care very little
whether they contain morphine, opium
or alcohol and, If you cannot supply
the same, will purchase them outside
Of the state.
In some matters it seems that we
would strain at gnat and swallow q
:amel when Petitt's Eye Salve must t >
labeled as containing 1-7OOths of a
sgrain of morphine, Halls Catarrh
Cure as containing iodine or salts
thereof (the amount not being given),
and hair tonics and Florida waters
must show the per cent of ethyl alco-
hOl present. To some of the laity, not
understanding its necessity as an ex-
tractive or preservative, the amount
of alcohol contained in a preparation
is much more bugbear than are any
of the other poisons.
We prohibit the use of boric acid
as a preservative and permit sodium
henzoate being used. 1t is a we'll
known fact that there is less stomach
trouble in England than in America
and to our English friends 1t must
be enlightening to note that DR.. Wiley
has found dire results on his poison
squad by borax diet in thirty days
that England has failed to discover in
twenty-five years, where, by an act
Of parliament after careful research,
the use of per cent of borax in meats,
and Y per cent in cream is per-
mitted.
While not condoning the fake, fraud
ulent or vicious patent medicines on
the market, l must say that much ia
justice has been done the good ones
by such sensational articles as have
appeared in Golfers Weekly and the
Ladies' Home Journal.
Nevertheless much good has been
done along pure food, pure drug and
similar lines. The Law prohibiting the
use OF wood spirits for the use -of meu
either internally or externally is a
good one, as are also those regarding
paris green and formaldehyde, and
have resulted in giving us more uni
form product of high grade.
There seems to have been an over
sight in our cocaine law in ignoring
the dentist and veterinarian entirely.
This law requires prescription from
a physician and is simply taking the
sale and distribution from the phar-
macist and placing it in the hands of
another set of men, practically saying
pharmacists have not the moral cour-
age to properly conduct their business.
with the cocaine fiend and am sure
that 1t is not the wish of any to fur
nish cocaine to such people, but it
really is not especially consoling to
tell man whom you know we'll, with
a toothache at a. M. that be must
get a prescription from a physician.
note that in some parts of Min
nesota they have an ordinance pro-
hibiting the sale of phenol in greater
strength than 5 per cent except on a
physicians prescription, and this
question comes to my mind: "Why
throw so great restrictions around the
druggist? Does a man who buys
revolver from the hardware merchant
not have the same chance to take his
life II he choose, and no questions are
asked?"
The pharmacist should be the dis
penser of all poisons and products
containing poison to the laity. This
carries considerable breadth in the
statement and may be construed to
be very radical. but when we go back
to the inception of why a poison law
was ever framed we find It was not
meant to favor a few men ina chosen
business or profession, but was in.
tended to safeguard the general COM
munity from doing itself harm or caus-
ing others harm. We also find that
instead Of poisons and allied products
passing through qualified and ex-
perienced hands they are in some in
stances being dispensed indiscrimin-
ately by photo supply houses. grocers.
department stores. hardware stores
and others to the ietriment of that
class Of men who have qualified them
selves to handle these articles intelli-
gently. What we need is not an in
crease of profits SO much as we need
recollection of business back into
its proper channel. 1t might be we'll
to recite an instance where a farmer
sent to seed house for some seeds
and some pills. They were not
labeled and he ate the seeds and
planted the pills.
At this time wish to call the asso-
ciation's attention to the sale of paris
green and formaldehyde by the whole
sale houses to any old cross-road
store. also the formaldehyde handed
out by our implement dealers as
premium with a smut machine to the
end that the same may go through the
proper channels. Much injustice has
been done the pharmacist by way of
advertising patent medicines. quack
nostrums. etc.. in newspapers, PAM
phlets and the like by the phrase,
Beware Of Substitution" and similar
phrases, which tend to poison the
mind of the public and should be re-
sented by all right thinking pharna-
cists; for none but perverted mind
would imagine such things.
Under the provisions of an act of
congress approved June z. 1906.