Am.  Jonr.  Pharixi. 
April,  1907. 
Renewal  of  Prescriptions. 
175 
The  pharmacist  can  and  should  refuse  to  repeatedly  renew  a  pre- 
scription  containing  potent  or  habit-forming  drugs,  and  he  should 
also  refuse  to  renew  prescriptions  that  are  designed  for  the  treat- 
ment of  genito-urinary  disorders  or  for  the  producing  of  abortion. 
In  doing  so,  however,  the  pharmacist  should  and  must  use  tact, 
always  remembering  that  his  vocation  in  life  should  be  to  protect 
the  patient,  please  the  physician  and  make  an  honest  living. 
To  me  the  most  rational  method  for  controlling  the  indiscriminate 
renewal  of  prescriptions  is  that  described  by  Mr.  Burke,  of  Detroit, 
at  the  Golden  Jubilee  meeting  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  As- 
sociation in  Philadelphia,  in  1902.  Mr.  Burke  attaches  to  all  con- 
tainers of  medicines  prescribed  by  physicians  a  sticker  with  the  fol- 
lowing notice  : 
"Much  harm  often  results  from  refilling  prescriptions.  It  is 
always  best  to  obtain  the  advice  of  your  physician." 
The  general  use  of  a  sticker  like  this  on  all  prescriptions  that 
should  not  be  renewed  without  positive  orders  from  the  physician, 
would  be  a  practical  step  in  the  right  direction.  A  warning  of  this 
kind  would  make  people  solicitous  for  their  welfare.  They  would 
probably  consult  their  physician  and  be  guided  accordingly. 
The  argument  that,  is  sometimes  advanced  that  the  physician  is 
not  receiving  adequate  compensation  when  his  prescriptions  are 
renewed  without  his  order  is  a  wrong  one,  and  is  repudiated  by  all 
physicians  of  standing.  The  question  obviously  should  not  be  allowed 
to  resolve  itself  into  what  is  best  Jor  the  physician  or  the  pharma- 
cist, but,  rather,  what  is  good  for  the  public  at  large  ?  The  public 
have  rights  which  we  must  take  into  account.  Any  method  that 
will  contribute  the  greatest  good  to  the  greatest  number  is  always 
the  one  to  be  sought  for. 
AN  EFFICIENT  PLAN  FOR  CONTROLLING  THE 
RENEWAL  OF  PRESCRIPTIONS.1 
By  Frankwn  M.  Apple,  Ph.G. 
Any  one  conversant  with  various  complaints  that  have  been  and 
are  being  made,  by  members  of  the  medical  profession,  against 
J  Abstract  of  a  paper  read  before  the  Philadelphia  Branch  of  the  American 
Pharmaceutical  Association,  March  5,  1907. 
