The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1907-08-23
ARE PHYSICIANS PRESCRIPTIONS
NoSTRUMS7

may seem llttIe snort OF u Cllme 10
hint even that physicians prescrip-
lions are In any manner related to
nostrums; nevertheless, an impartial
examination of all tho facts in the
case leads irresistlbly to the conclu'
sion that every medicinal preparation
compounded and dispensed by physi.
clan Is. in the strict sense of the word,
q nostrum, and that the average,
ready.prcpared proprietary remedy is
superior to the average spcCially.pro.
pared physicians prescription.
What is n nostrum? According TO
the Standard Dictionary n nostrum is
"a medicine the composition OF which
is kept secret" Now, when n physi.
clan compounds and dispenses with
his own hands a remedy for the treat
ment Of disoasc-and It is authOrlta-
lively stated that probably 60 per
cent. of all physicians prescriptions
in this country are so dispensed-the
names and quantities Of the ingrc.
dents which constitute the remedy
are not made known to the patient.
Hence, since its composition Is kept a
secret by the physician. the remedy Or
prescription Is unQuestionably in the
true meaning OF the word. a Simon.
pure nostrum. Furthermore the pre-
scriptiOn compounded by the AVERAGE
physician Is more than likely To be- a
perfect iumble-repletc with thcra.
pcutlc. physiologic and chemical in
compatibihiIcs and bearing all the ear
marks of pharmaceutical incompo.
tency; for It Is now generally admitted
that unless a physician has made
special study Of pharmacy and passed
some time in drug store for the pur-
pose Of gaining a practical knowledge
Of modern pharmaceutical methods,
he is not fitted TO compound remedies
for his patients Moreover. 4 physi-
clan who compounds his own prescrip.
lions not only dcpriycs the pharmacist
Of his just cmolumCnts but he Cndau-
gers tn" lives of patients; for II Is
only by the detection and elimination
Of errors In prescriptions by clever,
competent prosCriptontsts that the
safety OF the public can be cffecWllly
shielded from the criminal blunders
Of ignorant physicians.
Nor can It be said that the average
physician IS any more competent TO
formulate a prescription than he is to
compound It. When mcmorized or NJ
rcCtly copied from n book OF "iav1rite
prescriptions by famous physicians"
or from some tcNtbook or medical
journnl, the prescription may De- all
that il should be. II is only when the
physician Is required to originate a
formula on the spur Of the moment
that his incOmpctcuCy Is distinctly evil
dent ScemInGly however, the physi-
clans OF the United States are little
worse than the average British physi-
clan; for we find DR.. James Burnett,
lecturer on Practical Materia MpiICa
and Pharmacy, Edinburgh, lamcuting
in the Medical Magazine the passing
Of the prescription and bcmoaning the
fact that seldom does he find final
man" able to devise prescription
even In good contracted Latin
And what It may be asked, Is the
status Of the written prescriptiun-the
prescription that is compounded and
dispensed by the Pharmacists T.,
too. nOstrum? 1t may be cOntendcd
that the patient, with the written
formula in his possession, may learn
h4 fshu ~ ~
scribcd So, possibly, he might il he
understood Latin and were physician
or a pharmacist, but as he usually pos
scsscs no professional training and
cannot read Latin, the prescription is
practically a dead secret to him.
Furthermore, the average prescription
Is so badly written and so greatly
abbreviated that even the pharmacist,
skilled as he usually is in duciphoring
medical hicroglyphs, Is constantly
obliged to interview prcscrihcrs to
find out what actually has been pro
scrib"d 1t may also be- cuntcndcd,
that nasmuCh as the formula is known
to both physician and pharmacist the
prescription cannot therefore be Sc.
crct. Hut with equal truth 1t might be
commended that the formula of any so.
called nostrum is not secret since 1t
is known to both pr1prirto, and manu-.
faCtUrcr, for It must not Dee forgotten
that, according to reliable authority,
IS per cent. Of the pruprictors OF So
called patent medicines prepared in
this country have their remedies made
fer them by large, reputable manulac-
turing pharmacists. But even should
a Iaticat be able to recognize the
names Cf the ingredients mentioned in
a formula he would only know half
the stCry. 1t is seldom, for instance
that alcohol IS specifically mentioned
In u prescription. for It is usually
masked in the form Of tlncturcs and
fuid extracts. as are a great many
other substances. 1t Is evident, there
fore that the ordinary formulated pre-.
scriptiGn is, to the ayerag" patient lit
tie less than secret remedy or ncs.
trum.
On the other hand, the formulate OF