Am.  Jeur.  Pharm.  ) 
June,  1877.  J 
Editorial. 
3*7 
that  in  a  short  time  there  may  be  scarcely  a  State  in  which  the  pharmacists  and 
druggists  have  not  effected  an  organization  for  their  mutual  intercourse  and 
improvement. 
Expensive  Medicines  in  Prescriptions  are  often  a  source  of  trouble  to  the  phar- 
macist, inasmuch  as  customers  are  apt  to  complain  if  the  price  of  a  m  uicine 
exceeds  what  they  consider  a  reasonable  sum.  The  thoughtful  physician  will 
usually  prepare  the  attendants  of  his  patients  for  such  a  contingency;  but  sudden 
fluctuations  in  the  commercial  value  of  some  articles  may  take  place  which  the 
physician  may  not  become  acquainted  with  until  he  learns  of  supposed  excessive 
charges  on  the  part  of  pharmacists.  In  Germany  and  some  other  countries  the 
prices  of  the  various  medicines  are  authoritatively  fixed  beforehand  for  one  year, 
and  the  pharmacist  is  not  permitted  to  charge  more  than  regulation  prices.  Serious 
inconveniences  must  result,  when  from  causes  entirely  beyond  his  control,  advances 
are  occasioned  which  may  even  go  beyond  the  price  he  is  entitled  to  charge.  In 
this  country,  such  matters  regulate  themselves,  as  is  the  case  with  all  commodities; 
the  seller  naturally  charges  a  fair  advance  on  the  cost  price,  and  the  consumer  bears 
the  burden  of  a  rise  as  he  derives  the  benefit  from  a  decline  in  the  commercial  value 
of  the  article.  At  the  present  time  the  prices  of  quinia,  morphia  and  some  other 
drugs  are  seriously  affected  by  the  war  in  western  Asia  and  southeastern  Europe, 
and  this  would  seem  a  good  occasion  to  direct  the  attention  of  physicians  to  the 
cheaper  alkaloids  of  cinchona,  which  have  been  again  recommended  recently  by 
men  like  J.  Eliot  Howard,  Dr.  Weddell  and  others. 
With  these  remarks  we  desire  to  call  the  attention  of  physicians  and  pharmacists 
to  the  following  communication  : 
Editor  American  jfonmal  0/  Pharmacy  :  I  presume  there  is  not  a  pharmacist  in  the  city  whose 
experience  has  not  been  similar  to  mine  in  this  respect,  viz.:  The  surprise  and  dissatisfaction  manifested 
by  customers  when  the  price  of  a  prescription  containing  a  large  quantity  (say  5i  or  5ii)  of  quinia,  mor- 
phia, iodoform  or  other  expensive  article  is  told  them.  I  have  thought  for  some  time  of  mentioning  it  to 
the  profession,  and  asking,  through  the  "Journal,"  the  co-operation  of  our  medical  brethren  in  this  wise 
to  overcome  the  trouble. 
I  would  snggest  that  whenever  physicians  find  it  necessary  to  prescribe  any  of  the  expensive  alkaloids 
or  other  expensive  medicines  in  any  quantity  to  make  it  an  object  that  they  would  say  to  the  patient 
something  like  this:  "  Now  this  medicine  will  be  quite  expensive,  but  it  is  the  only  thing  that  will  suit 
your  case,  and  I  would  like  you  to  get  it."  Then,  when  the  price  is  told  them,  they  are  not  surprised, 
and  are  prepared  to  pay  a  reasonable  price  ;  but  on  the  contrary,  when  they  expect  to  pay  not  more  than 
30  or  40  cents  for  a  prescription,  and  you  have  to  charge  75  cents,  $1.00  or  more,  they  are  astonished, 
think  the  pharmacist  is  exorbitant  in  his  charges  and  taking  advantage  of  them,  and  go  away  dissatis- 
fied, (in  fact  I  have  many  times  had  persons  refuse  to  have  prescriptions  compounded  when  they  have 
asked  the  price  beforehand),  and  they  and  the  physician  hive  both  been  disappointed  because  the  medi- 
cine was  not  taken,  whereas,  if  they  had  been  prepared  (by  a  word  from  the  physician)  to  pay  a  fair  price 
everything  would  have  been  satisfactory  to  all  parties.  The  way  I  look  at  it  in  carrying  out  this  arrange- 
ment, it  is  a  mutual  benefit  to  all  pirties.  The  physician,  because  he  will  know  whether  the  party  will 
get  and  take  the  medicine -the  patient,  because  he  will  not  think  he  is  being  imposed  upon,  and  will 
know  before  he  leaves  home  whether  he  can  get  it  or  not — and  the  pharmacist  be  able  to  get  a  fair  price 
for  his  goods  without  lying  under  the  suspicion  of  doing  injustice  by  overcharging  his  customers. 
And  now  as  quinia  and  morphia  have  advanced  to  such  a  high  figure,  and  money  so  scarce  with  a 
great  many,  some  arrangement  of  this  kind  would  seem  more  imperative  than  ever  before. 
I  respectfully  submit  the  above  to  the  attention  of  the  professions,  and  hope  they  will  give  it  a  careful 
consideration.  JAMES  KEMBLE. 
Philadelphia,  May  rftht  1877. 
