The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-08
And CalOmel Must Furnish Quicksilver for Fulminat- ing the Caps on Big Weapons
DOSTER POINTS OUT TROUBLES THE DRUG
 MEN ARE HAVING
Even Cod Liver Oil Is So High That It Is Almost Impossible to Buy It. Raw Materials Scarce

What are you going to do about cas- tor oil for the rejuvenation of youth as spring tonic?
 How about calomel and quinine and the other favorite drugs?
 These are the questions local drug gists are asking themselves Where castor oil could be purchased by the carload several months ago only a few hundred gallons can be contracted for at the present time at prohibitive prices Calomel can hardly be purchased, while quinine is abodt 100o per cent higher than it was at the outbreak or the war, and can only be purchased in minute quantities,
 What is the cause of this disturbance in the drug markets of the United Doster of the ster-Northlngton Drug company the largest wholesalers Tn the south. is that the European war IS dl- rectly responsible for the shortage and high prices in all classes of drugs.
 CALOMEL AND QUICKSILVER
 Ca1omel as is we'll known, contains some elements of quicksilver and this drug is being broken up at the pres ent time in order that the qulcksilVer may be extracted from the calomel. This quicksilver goes to belllgerent countries to be used as illuminate of mercury cap on cartridges.
 Added confusion in the American drug market is caused by the great number of war brokers These agents wire telegrams to all wholesale drug g,ists and manufacturing chemists throughout the country to make pur- chases of certain drugs at advanced cash prices. Therefore, all stocks or drugs at the present time are In much depleted condition as the result of these raids
 Aspirin is another drug that has at tracted attention, as it was thought at one time that the price would go sky high However, it was discovered that aspirin is manufactured in Brook- lvn. N Y, by the carload so that there is little trouble on that particular drug
 RAW MATERIALS SCARCE
 American manufacturers said MT. Doster. "of such articles as are made in this country in some instances are exneriencing a great deal of trouble to secure raw materials. or so-cailed lnter- mediates, for the manufacture or such chemical products as nave heretoIore been manufactured in this country. Then, too the manufacturers or thls country who formerly supplied only part of the goods used in the Unlted States. are now being called upon to not only supply the United States, but nracticallv the balance of the world. In most instances the American manu- fla ct,lrers are really trying to serve thls country first, offering ihelr surplus stock only to foreign countries. For example, we find ourselves constantly huving at price at which we can turn hack to New York and resell to hrokers and agents of foreign govern ments at about 100 per cent profit, showing conclusively that the manufac- tllrers are earnest in the1r statements that they want to first take care ol their home trade, for surely they nave been approached by these brokers oe- fore they went out and approacheo .he jobbers and retailers
 ..There-is hardly an item in the drug line that has not been affected and the retail druggist is really confronting some very serious problems in the conduct or his business.
 .Quinine has been more plentiful dur ing the last 50 days than lorHieris, oh account of cargo of bark reaching thls country late in 1915. but manufacturers who ought to know indicate that this price must again go very much higher
 .'Santomine is almost unobtainaple ana at prices heretofore unheard of This article comes from Russia.
 POTASH PRODUCTS
 "All articles which have for part of their component parts potash, have been materially advanced, but the potash has not in every instance been responsible for the greatest advances. For instance, permanganate potash has advanced more than 2O0O per cent and will likely go great deal higher, for the reason that it seems there was no plant manufactur- ing this article except in Germany.
 Bromide potash has advanced more than 1000 per cent, not entirely on ac- count of the potash, but on account of the high price of bfomine, which is produced largely in this country, but one Orr tu,o fp the