Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-09-29

quantity But there were still ways left for the phar-
acist to garner few stray bits of profit from the hand
ling of drugs themselves. In some inexperienced
doctors careless ones taking the trouble properly
to diagnose case, would, safe course prescribe
patent medicines. When such prescriptions came
used simply to pour the mixture from the regular patent
medicine bottle into another write label, double
or triple the price, and hand over to the patient.
But danger lurked even in this method | remember
where young doctor prescribed patent prep
aration containing opium This was given to baby,
which died from the effect The parents tried to hold
the druggist responsible, and only after great difficulty
did he clear himself You see dose that might be safe
for an adult would be fatal to a child. There
way by which the druggist could have safeguarded the
patient since age indicated in the prescription
The only hint to the years of the patient is usually
contained in the size of the dose to be given adult
taking teaspoonful, baby five or ten drops
that the relations between physician and
patient the the country With the latter
skepticsm and credulity go hand in hand The patient
coming directly from the doctor after having his
diagnosed and explained to him, will ask the dispenser
confdenally just what the prescription be used
for The young fellow just from college makes the mis-
take of telling the questoner and often gets himself into
hot water with the doctors.
Many doctors in handling patients who have
nothing the matter with them Let illustrate One
day got prescription that struck me as being quite
absurd, and took it to the boss He smiled told me to
fill it, and charge the patient sixty cents. 1t called for
aqua pura (pure water) and tincture cardamon
pound IA avoring), and cost about cent-botte,
cork, and all The pat ent paid sixty cents for this
mixture, and happy, repeating the prescription
further diluted the aqua pura by putting twenty drops
in goblet of water and taking it that way In short
time he was quite well again Other illus'on-hauned
victims get sugar granues Qttle round pills. which
quite Ineffective except that they help to dispel the
imaginary malady, whatever that may be.
\ funny yet typical was cited by the boss one
day. A customer of his got for fifteen years. every
week, prescription calling for ninety grains of starch
and grain of salo, divided into sixteen powders.
Now entire grain of salol would hardly have been
felt by baby, adults taking from ten to twenty
grains dose. Yet this taking sixteenth
of grain three times day, and paying fifty cents for
prescription that cost nothing but five minutes labor
most However, where prescription costs only two
three cents is both tactul and consderae for the
druggist, if he purposes charging half dollar for the
thing, to put it into bottle with nice label and paper
cap tied round with pink string, which might bring
the grand total up to four cents
Druggists have been charged with Intentionally
nursing along such decisions for their profit but
they urge that by doing they often the patient
from treatment that might prove really harmful. In
the circumstances the dough pill practice may not be
wholly ethical but it is not immoral.