SALE  OF  POISONS  IN  VERMONT.  209 
quantity  than  it  ought  to  be  sold  in  a  small  community.  I  always 
mark  it  poison. 
2d.  In  dispensing  medicines  in  general,  no  article  is  allowed  to 
go  from  my  shop  without  its  appropriate  mark  or  label. 
I  opened  a  drug-shop  in  this  place  December  1st,  1843,  and  in 
the  effort  to  obtain  pure  drugs  and  medicines,  I  have  been  materi- 
ally assisted  and  encouraged  by  the  entire  medical  profession  of 
this  county.       *        *****        *  ,  * 
At  the  date  given  above,  the  distinguishing  feature  of  phy- 
sicians might  safely  be  said  to  have  consisted  in  their  capacious 
"  saddle-bags."  Each  member  of  the  profession  found  this  half- 
grown  apothecary  shop  just  as  essential  in  his  village  practice,  as 
for  out-of-town  business. 
Their  prejudices,  naturally  enough,  were  strongly  in  favor  of 
the  familiar  saddle-bag;  consequently, not  a  single  prescription 
was  sent  to  me  the  first  year,  (1844,)  and  less  than  fifty  the 
second,  (1845,)  notwithstanding  four  physicians  resided  within  a 
"  stone's  throw"  of  my  shop,  and  in  a  village  containing  some 
1500  souls. 
I  now  adopted  the  following  simple  method  to  relieve  the  phy- 
sician of  his  old  friend,  the  saddle-bag.  By  the  aid  of  the  printer, 
I  obtained  a  quantity  of  prescription  blanks,  had  them  bound 
in  books  of  fifty  each,  and  presented  them  to  the  physicians,  with 
the  request  that  they  would  use  them  freely,  and  to  direct  their 
patients  to  get  them  compounded  at  the  most  convenient  shops,  at 
the  same  time  assuring  them,  that  such  as  came  to  my  establish- 
ment would  be  carefully  compounded.  The  idea  pleased  them. 
The  saddle-bag  is  not  now  used.  The  pocket-case  has  taken  its 
place,  and  all  express  themselves  highly  pleased  with  the  idea.  I 
copy  all  prescriptions  in  a  book,  and  paste  the  original  in  another 
book,  and  all  are  numbered  to  correspond  with  the  package  leaving 
the  shop.  ********* 
Pardon  the  encroachment  on  your  time,  while  I  remain,  very 
truly,  Yours  &c. 
S.  P.  Peck. 
36 
