686  The  Microscope  in  the  Drug  Store.  {  A%Jc°t^8 arm^ 
THE  VALUE  OF  THE  MICROSCOPE  IN  THE  DRUG 
STORE.1 
By  Heber  W.  Youngken,  Ph.G.,  Ph.D. 
The  object  of  this  paper  is  to  point  out  the  advantages  of  the 
microscope  as  applied  to  the  needs  of  the  average  retail  pharmacist. 
The  writer  in  his  frequent  visits  to  various  drug  stores,  has  been 
astonished  at  the  comparatively  small  number  possessing  micro- 
scopes, especially  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  pharmacognostic 
standards  for  many  U.  S.  P.  and  N.  F.  drugs  are  very  exacting. 
This  condition  is  not  without  a  reason.  He  has  therefore  inquired 
of  students  and  pharmacists  why  the  microscope  is  not  made  use  of 
in  determining  the  purity  of  the  various  crude,  granulated  and  pow- 
dered drugs  and  spices  handled.  Several  have  essayed  it  to  be  some- 
thing non-essential  because  they  deal  with  reputable  houses.  Others 
have  admitted  it  to  be  of  value  but  claim  the  time  required  to  ex- 
amine drugs  microscopically  would  be  out  of  proportion  to  the 
profits  accrued. 
I  am  well  aware  that  all  thinking  business  men  measure  their 
time  in  terms  of  dollars  and  cents  and  so,  if  they  can  be  shown  a 
way  to  make  the  dollars,  they  will  surely  grasp  it. 
Two  of  the  telling  points  in  business  are  confidence  and  service. 
There  must  be  confidence  on  the  part  of  the  purchaser  that  the 
article  for  sale  is  worth  what  is  asked  for  it  and,  moreover,  that  it 
is  exactly  what  is  asked  for.  A  dissatisfied  customer  will  seldom 
return.  To  secure  the  confidence  of  one's  customers  is  more  essen- 
tial in  the  pursuit  of  pharmacy  than  practically  any  other  line  of 
business  enterprise.  The  very  fact  that  the  public  is  aware  .of  the 
poisonous  nature  of  a  number  of  drugs  makes  it  alert  to  view  any 
mistake  made  by  the  pharmacist  as  an  act  of  gross  incompetence. 
Quite  frequently,  minor  errors  on  the  part  of  pharmacists  have 
been  seized  upon  and  magnified  to  others  with  a  resultant  dimuni- 
tion  of  their  confidence  and  a  consequent  loss  of  considerable  trade. 
Just  recently  I  was  shown  a  sample  of  sweet  marjoram  pur- 
chased in  a  one-ounce  carton  from  a  local  druggist  by  one  of  my 
neighbors.    The  neighbor  contended  that  it  was  "  rubbish."  When 
1  Read  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Pennsylvania  Pharmaceutical  Asso- 
ciation, Wilkesharre,  Pa.,  June,  1918. 
