San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-09
Betty Broadway
Goes A-visiting
Fischer's Drug Store Shows
Betty Just How a Mod
ern Pharmacy Is Run.

day for early spring that she eagerly
accepted A. NJ. Fischer's offer of an
ice cream soda. And while she was
drinking it. and reflecting on what
an exceptionally good soda it was.
Mr.. Fischer told her all about
Fischer's Drug Store, saying that it
was established in 1895. and had
been actively engaged in business
ever since. Mr.. Fischer explained to
Betty that there have been many
striking changes in the drug store
business since 1895. Formerly,
stated Mr.. Fischer, business for the
day was over at Z o'clock. and il we
kept the drug store open at night. it
was only so that mothers could get
Group medicine for their sick babies
o. something Of such character.
But times have changed, said Mr..
Fischer, with smile, for when they
first began putting bright lights on
the downtown streets, people began
getting in the habit of going to town
after supper. and any drug store
which was not open missed many a
chance to sell cold drinks, and other
sundries to the downtown crowd. A
few years after the first bright lights
were put up. Mr.. Fischer said that
some enterprising capitalists opened
up several open-air playhouses in the
downtown district These theaters
proved very popular, and attracted
even larger crowds of people to town
at hight. Later the Kinetoscope.
the forerunner of the present NOV
ing pictures. became popular, and
eager crowds of people gathered
around the large, black, kaleidoscope
boxes, anxious to pay for the priv
ilege of looking through the cubby-
hole and seeing the moving pictures
within. And finally the actual NOV.
ing picture houses were started, I'M
ill now. there are crowds of people
IN town every night.
A drug stores busiest hours now.
Mr.. Fischer told Betty, are from
eleven to one in the morning, and
from four to seven in the afternoon.
Mr.. Fischer told Betty that he had
established the first drug store soda
fountain in San Antonio. Mr..
Fischer said that in 1892, the only
soda fountain in San Antonio was in
Dullnig's grocery store. Mr.. Fischer
says that he also remembers that Mt
that time there were no trained
nurses in San Antonio. In about
1898, nurse wrote to someone in
San Antonio stating that she de-
sired to move to the city, but that
she first wanted to know il there
were enough people in San Antonio
10 support a graduate nurse. Mr..
Fischer says that the San Antonio
Nurses Registry has its headquarters
at Fischer's Drug Store. Mr.. Fischer
stated that he was very glad to rive
this service to the city and that he
has always been interested in civic
affairs, and that he was director
ON the Y. NJ. c. A. board for twelve
years. was president of the Highway
League during its early activities.
was at one time president of the
local drug association, and at one
time president of the Texas Phar-
maceutical Association. Mr.. Fischer
told Betty that he was graduate
of the Philadelphia College of Phar-
macy, and he explained to Betty that
this fact meant a great deal in these
days when probably not over % OF
the local pharmacists are graduates.
Most of them, explained Mr. Fischer,
are merely registered pharmacists.
Betty asked Mr.. Fischer to take
her back to the prescription depart
ment. and she got there in time to
witness the preparation of large
batch of zinc oxide ointment which
was to be sent to a local hospital.
The ointment was made just like
biscuits, and Betty thought it was
very interesting TO watch the zinc
oxide powder being stirred, and the
benzoinated lard being carefully
blended into the powder. Next Betty
was shown how pills are measured
and rolled. and how capsules and
powders are measured and weighed.
Mr.. Fischer told Betty that in the
L old days 80 per cent of the prescrip-
tions used to be pills, but that now
practlcally all OF them are capsules.
Mr.. Fischer also explained that drug
gists used to make most of their
own elixirs, tinctures, and fluid ex-
tracts, but that now these things
were manufactured on such a large
and standardized scale that it was
cheaper and just as safe to buy them
direct from the large manufacturers.
Mr.. Fischer showed Betty the three
telephones in the prescription depart
ment which were reserved solely for
the taking Of prescriptions, so that
there might be no annoying delay for
anyone desiring to phone in pre-
scription.
Before Betty left Mr. Fischer told
| her his favorite story about the col
i ored girl who once came into
Fischer's Drug Store. and said, 81
have headache. and a stomach
ache, and a dime. please do the
II host rou eon for mo -