The log cabin Democrat., 1915-11-11
DRUG PRICES SOAR
 AS RESULT Of WAR QUININE S2 PER OUNCE
MANY DRUGS MADE IN GER. MANY ARE NOW ENTIRELY
 OFF THE MARKET.

are 4dclHS d SlIudIlOn Tn the QfuS ana chemical market unparalleled since the closing years of the Civil war. The enormous demand for med ical supplied by European nations, the British blockade against Germany and the great demand for chemicals for explosives has caused the prices of many drugs and chemicals to soar to 10 times above normal.
 Tn the soutn Tn the closing years of the Civil war, drug prices were higher than now, but not so many articles were affected. Local dealers say they have been told that quinine sold for as high as S5 an ounce at the close of the Civil war.
 "Quinine was quoted in Little Rock yesterday at $2 an ounce wholesale, and it can be purchased only in limit ed quantities. A few years ago it sold for IA cents an ounce and year ago could be purchased for less than 30 cents an ounce. Today New York wholesale houses and drug brokers are seeking quinine in any quantity and offering better than the market price. This is due to the exceedingly heavy sales during September when malaria is most prevalent, to Ger many's embargo on drug exports and Great Britain's blockade against ship ments of chincona bark into Ger many.
 Bromide of potash is also much wanted chemical and yesterday Snod- grass X Bracy of Little Rock ship ped to New York firm 50 pounds for export, which cost 3S cents pound and for which $4.50 pound is being paid The local drug company also has shipped to the New York market since the price of drugs be- gan to soar, more than $1,0O0 worth of drugs and medicines on which it was overStOcked.
 'Carbolic acid, which a year ago, sold at 20 cents pound wholesale, was quoted at $40 a pound yester day. Glycerin, which sold at whole sale from "A to 30 cents a pound year ago, was quoted yesterday at 57 to 70 cents pound, according to the size of the shipments The increase in the price of both is the result of the extensive demand for use im mak- Ing explosives. So great is the de- mand for glycerin that explosive man. ufacturers are experimenting with cotton seed oil from 10 gallons of which about one gallon of glycerin can be obtained.
 "Two years ago Epson salts was shipped to this country in great quan- titles, and could be purchased for two or three cents pound. Often it was used for ballast. Today job bers are paying and 10 cents. Alum and cream of tartar have advanced materially. Peroxide of hydrogen has doubled in price and only limit ed quantities can be bought. A year ago jobbers purchased peroxide in shipments containing 25 gross bottles Now two gross are as many as man ufacturers or big. jobbers will ship at one time.
 Local wholesale druggists say that two prices exist in New York for practically all drugs and medicinal chemicals. The lower price Is made to regular customers on small ship ments and the higher to brokers who intend to export the drugs. When retail druggists order in large quan- titles they are notified that only lim- tied quantities will be sold. In New York no retail druggist can purchase more than an ounce of qulnlne day from one jobber and not more than three ounces a week This system has been adopted to prevent specula- tion or purchase in large quantities for export. A Little Rock wholesale druggist said that without these re- strictions brokers would buy all the drugs in the United States and ship them to Europe in a few weeks.
 Many synthetic or compounded drugs manufactured in Germany are practically off the market. AS hlgh as $50 a dose for neosalvarsan has been offered in New York and offers from physicians of from Sl5 to S2o are daily occurrences.
 "Aniline dyes, from the by-products of which are secured many of the n- gredients for the synthetic medicines, are practically unobtainable in this country. Cotton manufacturers are making efforts to purchase dyes in the small packages prepared for household use because of the scarcity. It is said that if the United States possessed the process for the manu- facture of aniline dyes, the high price of many drugs could be avoid ed. d."-Arkansas Gazette.