Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-06-23
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AAAoS0 AAOAAA AAAes 80
again on Friday, trying to pass
another one. He told police he
had Just come from q doctors
ONCE. He said he had asked the
nurse for an appointment and
picked up the prescription pad
from her desk while she went
to the next room to ask II the
doctor had time to see him.
When the doctor said he was too
busy, the addict walked OUT
with the prescription pad.
1. Post-dated prescriptions. A
doctor gives q patient several
prescriptions at the same time
as Q matter of convenience. dat
ing them some days apart. IT'S
against the law to date the
prescription for q different day
from that on which it is written.
It's also against the law either
to Ill 9 prescription in advance
of the date on it or to Ill Q
prescription on which the date
has been altered.
IL Prescriptions
Police checking on q patient
who had q large number Of
prescriptions filled for dolophine
hydrochloride found II prescrip-
lions filed on dates earlier than
that shown on the prescription.
S. Pharmacists refilling bar
biturate prescriptions without
checking with the doctor who
wrote the original prescription.
Narcotics prescriptions cannot
be refilled but barbiturate ones
can II the physician authorizes
It.
In Q recent case, police inves-
tigated after q man was found
dead from an overdose Of q bar
biturate. The doctor whose name
showed on the prescription said
he had run into Q former patient
in q restaurant. that the former
patient complained Of nervous
ness and without further ex-I
animation he wrote q prescrip-
ton. He said he had not autho-
rized Q refill.
The pharmacist at first denied
he had refilled the prescription.
He said police found two walls
because he had run short and
given the man only IS instead Of
the prescribed 80 the first time
and, when his supply was re-
plenished. he had given the Gus
toner the other Is. When q
check Of his records showed no
purchase Of that drug during the |
period. he broke down and adj
mitted that the customer-an
old acuuaintance-had told him
he lost the first bottle so the
druggist gave him q second with
out calling the doctor for au-
thoriEation.
Some Are Forged
8. Failure Of some druggists
to discover obviously forged.
post-dated or otherwise question:
able prescriptions. Capt. Nc
Cormick said most pharmacists
are alert and quickly call police
when Q dubious prescription is
presented but in Q number Of
cases. police have come across
phony prescriptions in checking
drugstores months after the pre-
scriptions have been filled.
Probationary Detective John
Panetta Immediately spotted as
q forgery q prescription written
on q Walter Reed Hospital pres
cription blank. What first at
tracted his attention was the
fact that it came from q hospital
with its own pharmacy where
soldiers and their dependents
can buy drugs at reduced rates.
The prescription was also writ
ten too neatly-much more
legibly than the average doc
tors scrawl. A check Of the doc
tors name showed 1t was fic-
titious.
The prescriptions started
showing up all over the city-al-
ways for 100 amphetamine tab
lets. Detective Panetta himself
recovered 20 Of them In q fast
check. An alert druggist spotted
the forger four days after police
issued q lookout but less alert
druggists had been filling her
forged prescriptions at the rate
Of one o day for months.
Z. Doctors maintaining the adj
diction Of patients. A doctor may
treat an addict but it's against
the law to supply him enough
TO maintain his habit.
In one case, Q doctor was
found to be prescribing 240 &C.
Of Demerol every six days to an