49« 
Dispensing  Prescriptions. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Oct.,  1877. 
watchglass  on  a  white  sheet  of  paper  I  was  able  to  detect  minute 
quantities  of  said  body. 
Sulphuric  acid  and  potassic  bichromate  produce  a  similar  reaction  ; 
but  this  test  is  less  reliable,  on  account  of  the  reduction  of  chromic 
acid  to  chromic  oxide  by  means  of  organic  bodies,  which  also  yields  a 
green  solution  and  thus  may  give  rise  to  errors. 
According  to  Taylor,  nitrobenzole  is  a  narcotic  poison,  producing 
death  by  paralysis,  and  is  particularly  dangerous  if  its  vapor  be  inhaled  ; 
fainting  and  illness  for  some  time  has  been  observed  from  the  use  of 
soap  flavored  with  it  in  taking  a  warm  bath. 
The  modus  operandi  for  preparing  this  liquor  was  probably  as  follows : 
A  common  grade  of  alcohol  is  mixed  with  its  volume  of  water  and 
flavored  with  about  half  a  fluidounce  of  nitrobenzole  to  the  gallon  of 
liquor. 
Two  nitro-compounds  have  now  already  been  detected  as  adultera- 
tions in  alcoholic  beverages  :  picric  acid  or  trinitrophenol  in  beer,  and 
nitrobenzole  in  this  "  brandy."    What  next  ?    Nitro  glycerin  ? 
Pittsburgh,  > 
Black  Diamond  Steel  Works,  Aug.  14,  1877.  J 
DISPENSING  PRESCRIPTIONS. 
By  Andrew  Blair. 
Accuracy  in  receiving,  compounding  and  delivering  prescriptions  to 
customers  is  one  of  the  most  responsible  duties  of -the  apothecary,  and 
one  that  receives  less  attention  than  it  should,  and  consequently,  some- 
times occasions  errors  that  are  more  or  less  injurious  to  the  apothecary 
or  patient,  as  the  case  may  be. 
Every  apothecary  in  his  early  business  training  should  be  educated  to 
accuracy  in  compounding  prescriptions,  as  also  every  other  mixture  or 
preparations;  but  the  "receiving  and  delivering  "  of  a  prescription  to  a 
customer  at  the  counter  is  also  a  very  important  duty  which  usually 
does  not  receive  the  care  and  attention  it  deserves,  and  neglect  of 
which  often  brings  trouble  and  perhaps  injury  of  reputation  to  the 
apothecary,  and  sometimes  serious  or  injurious  results  to  the  patient. 
Any  suggestion,  therefore,  that  can  have  the  least  tendency  to  check 
errors  or  mistakes  in  this  department  of  our  business  should  be  received 
with  favor  by  those  interested. 
