42 Botanic Drugs 



Taking as a guide the experience of the profes- 

 sion at large, there are few alkaloids and proximates 

 of greater importance than the parent drugs from 

 which they are derived. It is fair to say that qui- 

 nine is more important than is cinchona, cocaine 

 than coca, and the resin of podophyllum than podo- 

 phyllum itself. Perhaps aloin, atropine, caffeine, 

 hyoscine, hyoscyamine, morphine, pilocarpine, sco- 

 polamine, strophanthin, and strychnine may be 

 classed as approximating in value the plants from 

 which they are derived, and even this is largely a 

 matter of opinion. At all events, when we start in 

 to argue for the importance of the proximates as 

 against their parent plants, we are limited to a 

 rather short list of proximates. There are many 

 relatively valuable proximates. Apomorphine hy- 

 drochloride is certainly in this class, as are others; 

 but it all comes down to practical questions of 

 usage. Certainly certain emergencies demand the 

 prompt hypodermatic use of apomorphine, atropine, 

 morphine, and strychnine on occasion; but it is 

 equally true that, in the ordinary routine of prac- 

 tice, the use of the proximates may be readily over- 

 done. 



PHARMACY IN THE PHYSICIAN'S OFFICE 



No thoroughly modernized physician will limit 

 his prescribing to one class of drugs; but he may 

 unwisely so limit his dispensing. The man who 

 falls into such a double standard in therapeutics 

 should either abandon dispensing or should change 

 his methods. If he is modernized in theory he should 

 also be in practice. I refer to the man who will 



