The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-03-30
DRUG PRICES Jump
TO 1000 PER CENT
ANTE-WAR LISTING
Capital Pharmacists Expect
Costs viii Continue to Rise
Until Peace Comes.

Retail druggists in washington have
bean Informed. By circulars and through
trade papers, that, II the war In Europe
continues until July the price, OF drugs
Will advance from 200 to 300 per cent
over the present scale.
This months listing OF wholesale
prices, Capital pharmacists state shows
an increase Of from 200 to 1000 per cent
over prices before the war. Even at the
enormous prices quoted some drugs
commonly used are unobtainable.
in short though the cost OF living
may DO RS best, It's ascension does not
equsi the high cost OF illness. And the
iatter item IL going up. up. steadily up.
The prices now are from 10 to 70 per
cent higher than they were In January
Of this year.
Some Common Drugs.
Naice n few Of the common drugs.
known to every one who has taken
medicine. and used widely. either alone,
or ~ the base of many compounds and
prescriptions. Here IL q comparison OF
the present wholesale prices per pound
and those quoted before the war:
Anttpyrine. go to te6. was $226.
Potassium bromide. $3.50. was &c.
Potassium ammonium. $3.50. was 4oc.
Caffeine. s13 to t1s.5o. was $500.
Calomel. ts.43, was soc.
Cod Liver OIL Cbbi.) Sl25 to $50. was SIS.
These are only a few samples. There's
castor oil. Cor example, bane of the
small boy, but he should worry now.
For castor oil Is being extensively used
for luhncating machinery OF aeroplanes
f&tibns arc stili given. this is prac-
ticafiy unobtainable. and New York
druggists are reported as paying as
high as t12 q pound for this oil. Be
fors the war It sold for rs cents a
pound.
Moth Balls Go Up.
Not only in actual sickness. but in
many other ways that the housewife
can testify to. does the war affect the
druggist bills. When she comes to put
away clothing that needs moth balls
she win pay 20 cents or more a pound
for these moth balls that used to
oast her . cents.
Creosote has jumped from IS cents
wholesale to 31150 and 313 And It is
hard to set ut that figure. EPSON
salts sold for I cent q pound whole
sale: now Il IN not TO be had under
4 csnta Glycertne has jumped from 10
cents to IS and 80 cents. Pota ssium per-
manganate has risen from 10 cents to
S.10: quicksilver from 338 to $500 per
flask: Rochelle salts from II cents to 80
cents: thymol from 81 to s12 and s14.
One druggigt sums up the reason for
all this in this fashion:
drug using and the smallest drug pro-
dncing country IN the world"
Practically every drug used here came
tfcm Europe. Now some chemicals ~
beinE converted to ammunition or gun
making. while demands on all drugs are
heavy among the armies In the field.
OF l26 drugs listed. liz have advanced
In price since the war began. Only
twelve showed a decrease since Feb
rusry prices. and the February prices
baIore the war started.
Coal tar preparations, practically all
OF which came from Germany. are at
tSn.Sis All prspa aaa m Sonta GnGS
bromide OF potash. Rochelle salts, for
example. are high and hard to buy
In the wholesale market. For the am
muniion makers are paying $500 a ton
used % buy il Tor so It is used in
making explosives. The farmer gets
q blow there. too. because potash Is a
haSts Of fertilizer.
Wholesale Prices Vary.
Wholesale prices vary largely on the
drugs that have reached n top notch
prica. becaus in those sections where
the drugs are hard to get druggists
are paying fabulous prices. But from
the New York reports Washington
druEEtsts havc compiled this list or
increases on some commonly used drugs
over the prices Just before the war
started:
'Acetaniiid. 100 per cent.
Beliadonna, 100 per cent.
Bromide OF potassium. 1,5Oo per cent,
Carbotc acid (phenoD. 1000 per cent.
Phenacetine. 800 per cent
8alcyiic acid, 900 per cent.
Some OF the biggest rises have been
comparatively recent Since December
phenacetine rose from 50 cents a pound
20 e9.E0 a pound: aspirin from ~ cents
To MS a pound; santonin from "a to
SO a pound. and sAlol from 30 cents to
Is q pound, within the same period.