Milford chronicle., 1931-05-22
The Oldest Profession
Mr.. Harry PettyjOhn Tells His
Experiences

One of the oldest professions in
the world is pharmacy. When Moses
was tending his flocks he knew a
great number of drugs we use today.
Four thousand years ago the Chi
nese knew how to use drugs. and
earlier than 200 years A. d. the
Creeks were also proficient. There is
a story told of the Ancient Chinese.
Ii Foos wife had lump in her
throat that kept her from happiness.
She did not know what it was or
what to do. Finally her husband
went and asked the priests of the
temple to help him. They told him
the magic of the sea sponge" I'M
mediately he went down to the sea
shore and found a sponge washed UP
on land. He burned it and dissolved
| the ashes in wine which he gave
his young wife to drink. Slowly the
lump in her throat went away and
she was well again. But that was
not magic, it was merely making use
of the iodine which is found in all
sea plants. 1t was not until 1872
that a French pharmacist, Courtois,
discovered it as an individual sub
stance. He saw its violet vapor"
rising from some seaweed he was
burning. 1t was later named Iodine
which means "violet-like" by Sir
Humphrey Davy. Numberless other
interesting stories might be told
about that profession. OF all things,
it is one of the most interesting and
one of the hardest to learn. The
pharmacist must have a thorough
understanding of all the most mod
ern medicines and drugs which the
physician prescribes. The modern
drug store of today often carries as
many as 5000 items on its inventory
and usually soda fountain. Every
pharmacist must be a graduate of
high school or take a two-year col
lege course before he studies medi-
cines. In some states there is no
difference between a pharmacist and
a druggist, both must be the same.
They must have four years expert
ence in a drug store; before gradu-
ating from a College of Pharmacy
they must study analytical chemis-
try, materia-medica or the effect Of
drugs on the body, pharmaconacy,
and everything else about drugs;
then they must graduate from a
pharmaceutical college with a de-
gree of Doctor of Pharmacy (P. ID.
Mr.. Harry Pettyjohn, Milford's
only graduate pharmacist, attended
the Philadelphia College of Phar-
macy. He says that men in that
profession are as close to the COM
munity life as the physician or min
lister, and are probably in more
constant contact with people than
either of these. After graduating at
Philadelphia Mr.. Pettyjohn entered
the General Hospital in that city.
There he stayed for three years and
liked it very much. In that hospital
were seventy-five doctors, one hum
dred seventy-five nurses and seven
thousand patients. The Drug De-
partment filled about 400 prescrip-
tions every day and still he liked It.
Then, after three years, he came to
Milford and opened his own store.
He Is president of the State Socie-
ty of Pharmacists. He enjoys the
work and is glad he took 1t UP. He
gave the interviewer a clipping, a
quotation from which makes good
finish to the article: pharmacists
the world over have made many val
liable contributions to medical sci
ence. In the Colleges of Pharmacy
and in numerous laboratories, pre-
sided over by pharmacists, research
work is still being carried on pa
tiently and quietly"
Alice Breme