Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1907-09-05
PRESCRIPTIONS IN LATIN.
The Public Should Have Them Trans.
lated by the Druggists.

What virtue is there in the secrecy
with which the doctor hedges about
his profession?
Professional etiquette" occupies a
every medical school, and when strict
ly analysed professional etiquette"
seems to mean doing what is best for
the doctor, individually and col
lectively"
Among the things that "is best for
the doctor" is the writing of his pre-
scriptions in Latin, and thus keeping
the public in ignorance not only of
what it is taking for its ills. but fore
ing a call upon the doctor each time
a prescription is needed
In plain and unmistakable English
the writing of prescriptions in Latin
makes business for the doctors.
Let us say that you have the ague
You had it last year and the year be-:
fore. Each time you have visited the
doctor and he has prescribed for you
in Latin. You have never known
what he has given you for the disease,
and so each time you are forced to go
to him again and give him an oppor-
tunity to repeat his prescription-in
Latin, and his fee-in dollars.
If you ask the doctor why he uses
Latin in writing his prescriptions. why
he writes aqua" when he means wa
ter he will give you technical dis
sertation> on the purity of the Latin
nd oil
are derived from it, etc 1t will be a
dissertation that you may not be able
to answer, but it will hardly convince
you.
1t would be good thing for the pub
lie to devise a little code of ethics of
its own; ethics that will be "a good
thing for the public individually and
collectively"
Let us apply one of the rules of this
code of ethics to you. the individual
You call in the physician when you
have the ague, the grippe. or any of
the other ills to which human flesh is
heir. and which you may have again
some day. The CJctor prescribes-in
Latin. and you take this to you. mean
ingless scribble to the druggist to
have it compounded. Right here is
where you come in, if you are wise.
Say to the druggist that you want
translation of that prescription. 1t is
your privilege to know what you are
taking. While the doctors code of
ethics may not recognize this right it
is yours Just the same.
With the translated prescription in
Your possession you have two distinct
advantages. You know what you are
taking and should you wish to call
some other doctor at some time you
will be able to tell him what drugs you
have been putting into your system.
and also if you should have the same
disease again you can save yourself
a visit to the doctor, and his fee, by
taking this translated prescription to
the druggist once more and having ii
refilled.
Not Entire.
The aeronaut. after painfully ex-
Treating himself from the wrecked
balloon, limped to the nearest farm
house
Madam" he said to the woman
who answered his knock, can you ac-
'commodate with a nights lodging a
balloonist who has come to grief?"
I'D be glad to- she hesitated, but
you are an entire stranger to"
Not an entire one" he interrupted,
with some acerbity. For l have left
my left ear, three teeth, and certain
portions of my nose back there with
the ruined car
A Knock.
Jimmy" said the father, there's a
rip in your bathing suit. Go and sew
it up
But papa" growled the boy, moth
er will sew it for me-"
Never mind. l want you to learn
to sew yourself For" said the father,
some day you will get married, and
then you won't have any mother-you
will only have wife"
Pointed Conversation