Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-28
DRUG CLERKS OETEN SAVE LIEE
How Compounders OF Prescriptions
Help ont and Keep Grape
orr the Door.

How Compoundera OF Prescription
Help Ont and Keep Grape
OFF the Door.
"rhe illegibte writing Of physicians is as
proverbial as that Of the celebrated Phila-
delphia lawyer observed the old druggist.
but IL is not generally known that a great
many physicians are exceedingly careless
IN other ways In preparing their prescrlp-
tons. We druggists frequently find mis-
takes in prescriptions which would be fatal
to the patient u the medicine we're com
pounded as the physicians directed. Almost
every state has most stringent laws for
bidding a druggist to change a physicians
prescription in any way, but as a rule drug
gists do make corrections and send out the
medicine in its proper form Most ply
%sicians, knowing their liability to error,
rely on the dispensing clerk to detect the.t
mistakes and are very grateful to them
for doing Il. Others. however the 'exsg-
gerated ego kind. object seriously to hav-
ing their Prescriptions altered and resent
having their attention called to their mis-
takes.
so, YOU see, the druggist has to use con-
siderable diplomacy to avoid offending the
physician, and at the same time save the
life Of the patient.
Sometimes. when you take a prescrip-
ton to a drug store, the clerk, after read
ing 1t, says, This prescription will take a
long time to iii. You'd better not wait
Tor IL; come back for it i'm an hour or so,
That frequently means that he has dis
covered a grave error i'm the prescription
and that he intends to consult the physl-
clan before filling it.
MANY wears apn vyhan / fret .tarfa1
IN the business and was to a great extent
dependent upon the good will Of the ply
sicians for my success, a prescription was
brought in one morning which. as soon as
l read it. ! knew meant sure death to
the patient if he took the medicine. l
told the boy who brought it that he had
better come back in an hour, as 1t would
take that long to put it up. In the mean
/ intended to consult the physician
over the telephone, as / was not willing
to take chances on killing the patient or
offending the physician.
Il found that the physician had gone
several miles out Of town and was not
expected to return before afternoon. That
was tough, as l knew from the nature OF
the prescription that the patient was in
a serious condition and needed the medi-
at once. So 1 took the risk, altered
the prescription and sent it out.
Toward night the physician came in.
Taking him aside, I showed him the pre-
scription and asked:
rs that all right?'
Not by a jug fun he gasped. You
didn't send 1t out, did your
Yes, sir, about II o'clock this morning,
1 answered.
The physician gave me a Mortified look,
and hurried out to his buggy; as he was
about to drive off he hesitated, got out,
hitched the horse again and came slowly
back into the store.
" There is no use in my going now he
said, for If Jackson took that medicine he's
been dead since 4 o'clock
Il gave him a drink to brace him up
and then told him that l had corrected his
error. He gave a long sigh of relief as
he said:
You're all right Tom. I'll do you al
good turn some day. It's a lucky thing
me YOU caught that mlstake-if you
hadn't I'd have lost the case and he
added as he took another drink. I'm
thinking it was a damned lucky thing for
the patient, too st. Louis Globe Demo-