Evening star., 1956-12-24
Health Aides
Plan Tighter
Drug Controls
Moy Put Potassium
Permungunute on
List of Poisons
BY MIRIAM OTTENBERG

BY MIRIAM OTTENBERG
The District Health Depart
ment's acting chief today re-
vealed plans to explore the pos
sibility of including potassium
permanganate on the list of
poisonous drugs in the District
Pharmacy Act.
AS The Star reported yester-
day. the Health Department,
members of the District Medical
Society and the Federal Food
and Drug Administration are all
concerned about the increasing
use of potassium permanganate
in attempted abortions.
The chemical, in the form
used by women attempting to
end pregnancy. has been des-
cribed by physicians as so dam
gerouS that a woman risks her
life to use it. Physicians also re-
port that the chemical does not
result in abortions but does re-
suit in severe burns, hemor-
rhages shock and possible per-
manent damage.
Acting Health Director Frede-
rick c. Heath, who Joined yes
terday in. public warning tc
women against use of the drugs
in attempted abortions, said his
department would Immediately
look into the question of whether
potassium permanganate could
be controlled in the same way as
other chemicals with widespread
commercial use are controlled
under the Districts Pharmacy
Act.
Conferences Planned
He said the question already
had been explored during discus
sionS of dangerous drugs that
might be included in the Dis
trict's new narcotic laws. He
said at the time of these discus
sions. it was decided that the
chemical might be controlled
more properly under the phar-
macy act.
DR.. Heath said conferences
will be held with pharmacists
private physicians, the Corpora
ton Counsel and others to see
how they feel about it.
At present, tablets Of potas-
SUM permanganate are sold
across the drug counter without
the requirement of either a
prescription from the customer
or a warning from the druggist
Assistant Corporation Counsei
Robert F. Kneipp, who worked
on the narcotics legislation and
its dangerous drug regulations,
said acrosS-the-counter sales
could be controlled by changing
a single word in the Pharmacy
Act.
Warning Would Be Given
He said the act now lists
"caustic hydrates Of potassium. -
If "hydrates" were changed to
compounds" he went on. potas-
sium permanganate would come
under the Pharmacy Act.
Under this act, he explained,
pharmacists cannot sell the
listed chemicals without first ex-
planning the poisonous qualities
of the article to the purchaser
II the would-be purchaser is
less than 18 years of age, Mr..
Kneipp pointed out, the phar-
maciSt cannot sell one Of the
chemicals listed under the
Pharmacy Act without a written
order from a person whom he
knows or believes to be an adult.
Juveniles Involved
A survey of women who were
hospitalized after using potas-
SUM permanganate for at
tempted abortion showed some
Of the patients were juveniles,
including one l3-year-old girl,
Mr.. Kneipp said the Pharmacy
Act put other controls around
the listed poisons. including re-
quirements that the druggist
must determine If the purchased
chemical is to be used for a
lawful purchase.
The Assistant Corporation
Counsel said he would draw up
the amendment to the Phar-
macy Act II so requested by
the Health Department.