EDITORIAL. 
187 
of  early  training.  Yet  such  imperfect  members  of  the  profession,  however 
much  they  may  have  mistaken  their  calling,  must  live  by  the  pestle  and 
mortar,  and  from  time  to  time  they  break  in  on  the  monotony  of  their 
existence  by  an  error  of  ignorance  or  negligence  that  wakes  up  the  public 
mind  to  a  state  of  nervous  timidity  and  renders  every  disciple  of  Galen 
an  object  of  undefined  suspicion.  The  public  sentiment,  however,  soon  re- 
lapses again  into  indifference  and  forgetfulness,  without  resorting  to  any  wise 
precautionary  legislation,  calculated  to  give  a  proper  status  to  the  pharma- 
ceutist, based  on  an  adequate  legal  protection  of  the  practice  of  pharmacy 
from  unprincipled  competition,  and  requiring  that  all  who  dispense  medi- 
cines shall  be  properly  prepared  for  it  by  a  special  practical  and  theoretical 
education. 
These  remarks  have  been  called  forth  by  recent  occurences  in  this  city 
and  Baltimore,  which  resulted  in  the  death  of  three  individuals,  and  in  refer- 
ence to  which  some  comment  seems  called  for  in  this  journal,  to  point  a 
caution  to  its  readers. 
About  the  beginning  of  Januarv,  1857,  an  English  lady  called  at  the 
counter  of  a  prominent  pharmaceutist  in  Philadelphia,  and  asked  the  pro- 
prietor if  he  could  furnish  some  "  black  draught/'  a  solution  of  senna,  salts, 
etc.,  better  known  in  England  than  the  U.  States.  She  was  told  that  it 
could  be  prepared  for  her  and  sent,  which  was  accordingly  done.  A  few 
days  afterwards,  needing  more  of  the  medicine,  she  sent  her  son  to  get  a 
blue  pill,  some  tamarinds,  and  to  have  the  "  draught 11  renewed,  presenting 
the  labelled  vial  in  which  the  first  draught  had  been  contained.  A  female 
assistant  in  the  store  received  the  order,  put  into  the  vial  an  ounce  of  Black 
Drop,  and,  without  changing  the  label,  or  signifying  to  the  messenger  its 
poisonous  nature,  sent  it  away.  The  vial  was  subseqently  placed  by  the 
bedside  of  the  lady,  for  whom  it  was  procured,  that  she  might  take  it  early 
in  the  morning. 
Some  time  after  the  family  had  arisen,  attention  was  attracted  to  the  lady 
by  her  stertorous  breathing.  The  vial  was  examined  and  found  emp- 
tied, it  was  returned  to  the  apothecary,  to  query  if  it  was  correct,  and 
was  pronounced  all  right.  The  physician  of  the  family  being  sent  for  diag- 
nosed cerebral  congestion  from  apoplexy,  or  a  narcotic  poison.  The  mes- 
sage from  the  apothecary  contradicted  the  latter  idea,  and  before  any  efficient 
measures  were  taken,  the  patient  succumbed.  On  subsequently  again 
applying  to  the  apothecary  he  found  that  an  error  had  been  made.* 
The  immediate  cause  of  error  in  this  instance  was  either  carelessness 
from  want  of  proper  training,  or  it  was  gross  ignorance.  If  it  be  admited  that 
the  assistant  understood  the  messenger  to  say  "Black  Drop,"  which  is  very 
probable,  especially  as  the  price  charged  indicated  it,  then  why  did  she 
*  Since  the  above  was  in  print,  we  learn  from  the  "  Public  Ledger"  of  Feb. 
24th,  1857,  that  the  Coroner's  jnry  has  rendered  a  verdict  in  accordance  with 
the  above  facts. 
