New-York tribune., 1919-07-25
Health Department Charges
Doctors With Refusing to
Fill Out Prescriptions
to Cause Embarrassment
so More Are Registered
DIR. Copeland Denies He
Went Ahead Without
Consulting Medical Men

Officials Of the Health Department
said yesterday they were INCLINED to
suspect that q few physicians and
pharmacists Of New York have been
putting their heads together and plan
ming "frame-up" to defeat the regis
traton of drug addicts. The depart
ment has begun an investigation to
discover the extent of the alleged col
lusion. Written testimony has been re-
ceived that certain physicians and
pharmacists agreed to refuse abso-
lutely to fill out prescriptions, so that
addicts would be cut off from their
ordinary sources of supply, would be-
come temporarily desperate, embarrass
the Health Department and put The
registration scheme out of business.
The local situation is easing up to
some extent. officials said. There is
distress in some quarters where ad-
diets are still baking over the neces-
sity for registra ton. But, generally
speaking, physicians are showing an in
crcasing inclination to prescribe for
addicts, with the result that there is
corresponding decline in the number
swarming down to the supply bureau
on Worth Street. Registration is NOV
ing along slowly. Yesterday it dropped
to fifty, the lowest figure yet reached
The total number registered to date is
3,7OO
Addicts Will Come In
Asked what he intended to do if
registration did not pick up, DR.. Cope
land said:
owe will 60 right ahead as we have
been doing. Registration may be slow
now, but in course Of time, as it be-
comes harder and harder to obtain mar
cotics without registration card, the
addicts will come in increasing num-
bers. We are not disturbed that they
are not rushing us yet.
physicians in good standing are not
refusing to fill prescriptions since the
situation has been explained to them.
1t has been argued that registration
was put into effect without proper con-
sultation with medical authorities. AS
a matter of fact, before taking these
measures, we received the unanimous
consent Of a public health committee
representing every county society in
greater New York We had a meeting
of thirty or forty men, so that it is
ridiculous to say we went ahead with
out consulting we'll known medical au-
thorities. DR.. E. Eliot Harris was ap-
pointed chairman Of the committee that
approved our projected action, and he
has since been elected chairman of the
drug addiction committee of the Ameri-
can Medical Society,""
Stories of Profitcering
The extent to which profiteering in
drugs has been carried on by certain
physicians was pointed out by DR..
Copeland, who argued that one of the
best effects of the registration system
was the curb it placed on activities of
this kind. The Health Commissioner
cited the case of one physician who
had been found, upon Federal investi-
cation, to have written lS5,497 pre-
scriptions in year, representing s.
100000 grains of narcotics. He had
taken from the druggist rebate of
a cent on each grain, a profit Of 500 ,O0O
Another doctor netted $4,000 year
merely in rebates. In order to swell
his profits, this physician was found
grains a day to addicts, which meant
overdosing them heavily. The maxi
mum daily dose administered by the
Health Department is Is grains.
1T was said further that some physi-
clans had advised their drug patients
not to register. Proof that there Is
now more inclination in the medical
profession to write legitimate prescrip-
tions for addicts is found in cards
sent from physicians to their addict
patients, with wording to this effect
~. Il. Come for your prescriptions
now"
1t is understood that Corporation
Counsel Burr has prepared a volumi-
nous report for the Board of Health on
its challenged right to handle the drug
problem, which probably will reach the
cftice Of the Health Commissioner to-
day.