Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-03-16

Machias. Mr.. Mcdonald, March 18th
pending reconsideration.
On motion by Mr.. Mcdonald OF
Last Machias. it was voted to take
the veto from the table.
The SPEAKER: The Chair recog-
nizes the gentleman from East Ma
chias. Mr. Mcdonald.
Mr.. MCDONALD of East Machias:
Mr.. Speaker and members Of the
House: ! was approached by mem
Der of this House yesterday and ask
ed how l was getting along with my
little pharmacy resolve. In the first
place. gentlemen. this is not my bill.
1t is your bill. 1t is bill which
interests every man. woman and
child in the State Of Maine. Sec
ondly. gentlemen. it us not small
bill. l cannot see how a bill that
deals not only with the health but
with the very lives of the people can
in any way be considered small. In
my opinion it is one of the most i'm
portant bills yo Twill have before you
this session and the results of your
action will be very far reaching.
Now this veto message tells us that
we have no money to pay for this
board but that the pharmacy board
should be self sustaining.
Now. members of the House. is it
not worth something to you to know,
when you so into a drug store and
ask for quinine pills. that you are
not going to get strychnine or arsen-
ic pills, or if you send for paregoric
for your child or Grandchild that
you are not going to be given laud-
anunl, or if you ask for mild chloride
of mercury that you DO not get
bchloride-the former compare
lively inert substance while the lat
ter is deadly poison:
. 1t may be argued that we are not
likely to get any of those calamities
but what has happened in the past
may happen again. Only a few
years ago in this capitol city Of
Maine. a young soldier came here
with his company to attepd muster.
Meeting some oldtime friends they
sought to revive pleasant memories
of bygone days by having a social
drink. but the time of happiness
from imbibing split" having passed
with the passage of the Nolsted Act.
they decided to try the next best
substitute. checkerberry or winter
green. The clerk of the drug store
sold him four ounces of oil of win
tergreen instead of extract which is
ordinarily used for such purposes.
The young man. after taking a drink
of this stuff, mixed with gingerale
to dilute 1t. went back to his COM
pany. He was soon taken very sick
and rushed to the Augusta City Hos
pital. where the attending physicians
worked over him for hours and did
all they could for him. but after
great suffering he died. Now this is
only one of many cases where such
sad. but wholly avoidablc. affairs
occur.
remember some years ago of a
young drug clerk. in his hurry to
close his store. making a very grave
mistake in writing directions on a
prescription. He wrote the dose as
a teaspoonful instead of ten drops
as ordered by the prescribing ply
stefan. The result that the man
suffered for two years from the
ingestion of this overdose and then
died.
The work Of this board is to ex-
anime applicants to ascertain their
fitness for SUCH responsible posi-
tions. and l regret to say that a
large number Of them are not quail
fled on their first examinations. This
Is due to the fact that we have not
any place in Maine today where
these boys can be instructed. al
though only few years ago we had
very good course in pharmacy at
the University of Maine. but, like
the medical school and law school.
they are things of the past. And
you know the reasons why as well
as I do.
For their first examination these
boys pay a fee Of ten dollars, but
if in the judgment of the examining
board they are not qualified they are
allowed a second and a third eXami-
nation any time within a year. and
1t Is absolutely free. This is right,
but it is just as much a loss of time.
and expense to. the members Of this
board to give this second examina-
ton as 1t Mas the first one. but it
is done to protect the people.