PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS

By George W. Hague, Ph. G., Freeport, N. Y.

Per

When It Comes to Personality, the small druggist can put it all over the big chain stores. sonality of the proprietor and clerks is a store's strongest asset. The little fellow knows most of his customers personally. Quick delivery and prompt attention are other things in which a small store can lead on.

The Proprietor Might Object to the boy wasting a little time, or a clerk wasting a little string, etc. But how about the money that is wasted in advertising by allowing the same old copy to run in the paper from year to year without changing; how about that bundle of circulars under the counter that was not wrapped into the packages that left the store? Of all waste, advertising is the greatest-if neglected. It is the best investment if properly followed.

The Fault of Most Help is tardiness. Notwith. standing the fact that clerks and boys might be honest, yet many of them are apt to be late getting to the store mornings. By a store being opened a few minutes late, or a boy reporting a few minutes late, might put things back so that it would take all the morning to catch up. A good start in the morning makes the day's work pleasant, saying nothing about the sales which might be made during that time.

The Want Book has been the cause of much annoyance in the drug stores-or rather, the lack of its use. There are many little things which will cause a salesman to forget to put down the last of a thing sold. The telephone bell might ring and require immediate attention; a customer might rush in and request immediate attention, etc. When these disadvantages are apt to arise often, each salesman should be provided with a small pocket pad, so that he can make some sort of a temporary note of it.

Powdering Camphor with Gasolene. While this method is inexpensive, it ought to be discouraged, because it produces a harsh smelling powder. Again, powdered camphor has many uses, both medicinal and commercial, when the presence of gasolene might prove objectionable and dangerous. A minute quantity of castor oil added to powdered camphor will help prevent crystallization, but this also might prove objectionable.

After all, the usual way with alcohol or chloroform, and extemporaneously is the most satisfactory.

Do Not Call or Telephone at the drug store when you wish to offer an employee a position or sell him a store; for it embarrasses him very much. It is a surprising thing how many proprietors and salesmen lack common sense on this one thing. When it comes to seeing a proprietor on business the

store is the proper place; because it is his headquarters for transacting such business. An employee's personal business can be best transacted at his home, when he can have time to talk freely. Another fool thing to do is to write either employer cr employee on a postal card about a store for sale, or a position. Employees should have their mail come to their homes.

A Strong Attraction for a Window. Take a small spring about six or eight inches long, one taken from an old sofa, gate or door will do, and hang it in the window with this sign: "This Spring is the Time to Take Our Compound Extract of Sarsaparilla," or "This Spring is the Time to Take Our Sulphur and Cream of Tartar Lozenges." The sign should be placed as near to the spring as possible. Likewise, one can make such an arrangement for the fall months by taking a lump of plaster and sitting it in the window. One would at first thought suppose that the plaster had fallen from the ceiling. This sign can be used: "This Fall is the Time to Take Our Emulsion of Cod Liver Oil."

Both methods of attraction can be used on the show cases as well as in the windows.

An Assay of Spirit of Camphor. This is a preparation in which many pharmacists have had trouble over with the State Boards. This test is very simple. Place into a burette ten c. c. of the sample; next put in ten c. c. of saturated solution of sodium chloride, and shake well. Wait several minutes to allow all of the camphor to became salted out. The next and last step is to add ten c. c. of petroleum benzine and shake well for several minutes. After being allowed to stand another several minutes, the benzine containing the camphor floats on the top, and should measure exactly eleven cubic centimeters. The alcohol from the spirit, and the water from the salt solution, mix and float the benzine layer. The sodium chloride fall to the bottom. Especially on small quantities, the meniscus must be carefully noted.

Good Colleges of Pharmacy Misjudged. Many judge a college or school of pharmacy by the success of their students on State Board examinations, which is a mistake. A first-class school or college, which has students from many different states, tries to fit students for life's work by giving them a solid education, which is lasting. It strives to prepare students for the higher branches of pharmaceutical and chemical work such as teachers, chemists, etc. The first-class school teaches its students thousands of things which will not be asked on a State Board examination, because it is part of their course. The second-class school makes the State Board examinations its sole object. It leaves out important things which would not be called for on a State Board examination. The second-class institution, or the short-course school, will frequently have more successful candidates before a State Board examination than some of our best colleges and schools, even though the latter class are better.

Calcium Creosote.-Without seeing the original order, we suggest that carbonate of creosote was intended.

A Standard Label Varnish Wanted. You are not the only one who has sought a similar varnish. C. B. Burnside, Iowa City, Ia., in The Apothecary, says that labels may be made water and acid proof by the application of a saturated solution of paraffine in petroleum ether of boiling point from 40 to 50 degrees Centigrade. The process consists in simply touching the label with a small piece of cotton saturated with the solution. The petroleum ether evaporates almost instantly, leaving an invisible coating of paraffine, which retains the new lustre of the label as well as making it water and acid proof.

Ink and Rust Remover.-We take the following from Cumming's Modern Formulary:

For removing ink from fabrics, there is nothing better than a concentrated solution of oxalic acid, followed by a solution of chloride of lime. Dip the spot in the acid solution, rubbing between the fingers until the ink is softened and as much as possible washed out, then wring dry and dip immediately into a concentrated solution of chloride of lime. Citric acid may be substituted for the oxalic acid, having the advantage of being non-poisonous, but it is somewhat more expensive. If put up for sale, the pow ders should be placed in separate bottles with closely fitting corks, the acid being marked No. 1 and the chloride of lime No. 2. Direct the user to make a solution by dissolving a teaspoonful of No. 1 in half a cup of warm water and a solution of No. 2 in the same manner in a separate vessel. No. 2 should be strained through muslin before using. Proceed as directed above, afterward washing the fabric in clear water to remove all traces of the chemicals.

As a rust spot remover use potassium bin-oxylate. This may be sold as a powder consisting of equal parts of this chemical and cream of tartar, with directions to moisten the spot, rub the powder into it until the rust disappears and then rinse in clear water. If a cream is wanted, make a solution of one ounce tragacanth in a pint of water by allowing to stand until the tragacanth is thoroughly softened and mixed with the water; then add four ounces of the powder made as directed above and about twenty grains of salicylic acid to act as a preservative.

Liquor Carbonis Detergens.-The reference about

which you inquire appears on page 157 of the A. Ph. A. Proceedings. It is taken from the Druggists' Circular, Volume XI, page 135, and reads as follows: "Liquid carbonis detergens, a new form of antiseptic for local application, is said to be an alcoholic solution of coal tar, containing probably carbolic acid and other acids, with dark, tarry matter. It forms a permanent emulsion with water."

Ground Color for Graining.-The Practical Decorator says that a difference of opinion exists among grainers as to the best method of obtaining their grounds, indeed the most experienced men are by no means agreed as to precisely what color a ground should be. The following mixtures will produce good grounds provided that really first-class colors are employed:

Maple. White lead tinted with a very little vermilion and about an equal quantity of lemon chrome. Some prefer yellow ochre only, others ochre and raw umber in the proportion of four ounces ochre to one ounce umber to thirty pounds of lead.

Medium Oak.-Add French ochre to white lead in the proportions of about 120 of lead to 5 of ochre. Add a little burnt umber.

Light Oak and Birch.-Eighty parts of white lead to one of yellow ochre produces a good ground, but sixty pounds of white lead, half a pound of French ochre, and one ounce of lemon chrome is sometimes preferred.

Dark Oak. Sixty parts of white lead and one part of golden ochre may be used, or the following mixture is preferred: Six pounds of white lead, one pound of French ochre, two ounces medium Venetian red and two ounces of burnt umber.

Satinwood.-Mix 6 ounces of lemon chrome to 15 pounds of pure white lead and add a little deep English vermilion.

Pollard Oak.-Tint 100 pounds of white lead with 27 pounds of French ochre, 4 pounds of burnt umber and 34 pounds of Venetian red.

Pitch Pine.-Tint 60 pounds of white lead with 1⁄2 pound medium Venetian red and 4 pound of French ochre.

Italian Walnut.-One pound of French ochre mixed with 10 pounds of pure white lead and 4 ounces of burnt umber and 4 ounces medium Venetian red give this ground.

Knotted Oak.-Sixty pounds of white lead, 9 pounds of French ochre, and 31⁄2 pounds burnt umber.

Rosewood and Dark Mahogany.-Four pounds medium Venetian red, 1 pound of orange chrome yellow, and 1 pound of burnt umber, or a little less burnt umber may be used, according to the strength.

Mahogany Dark.-Four pounds of medium Venetian red, 1 pound of orange chrome yellow, and 1 pound of burnt umber, or a little less burnt umber may be used, according to strength.

Mahogany Light.-Mix 6 pounds of pure white lead with 1 pound of medium Venetian red and 5 ounces of burnt umber.

Mix all in a bottle, shake well and repeat agitation occasionally during a period of twenty-four hours and filter.

If desirable, this preparation can be made red by adding 30 c.c. of the N. F. Tincture of Cudbear.

We would furthermore invite the enquirer's attention to a valuable paper on this subject by W. A. Pearson and published in the proceedings of the American Pharmaceutical Association for 1909, page 905. Also to another by Henry C. Blair in the 1910 proceedings, page 1266.

Prescription Difficulty.--How are the following to be compounded:

forming an emulsion from the above ingredients would be:

Rub the copaiba and acacia thoroughly together in a large and perfectly dry mortar.

Then pour in all at once 15 ounces of water. Rub briskly until emulsified.

Dilute the potassium hydroxide solution with one pint of water and incorporate with the emulsion. Dilute the spirit of nitrous ether with 2 pints of water and after adding the remainder of the water first to the emulsion, add the diluted spirit of nitrous ether and mix well.

TIMELY TOPICS

Kill Every November Fly.-Late flies hibernate through the winter and every fly killed now means destruction of that much of the supply to start the coming summer.

Frost on the Windows.-The keeping of frost off the store windows is usually a very difficult problem for storekeepers in the smaller country towns and villages, where they have not the same facilities as the city fraternity for preventing the annoyance. The plan that seems to have met with the greatest success in cold countries is to have the department between the inner and outer windows of the same temperature as the outside atmosphere. Where this does not prove successful, the warm air of the interior of the store must be leaking through somewhere. -[Playthings.

Practical Suggestions for Holiday Trade.-Now that the holidays are drawing near, the druggist is asking himself what will he display that will bring the trade, or how will he display that which is most salable.

We should be governed somewhat by our experience of years gone by, and also the locality in which we are doing business. But the year rolls by and another holiday is here. Some of us bought heavily last year, and we did not find as ready a sale for most of the articles as we anticipated. Not that the gift-giving spirit is less prevalent than in years gone by; but the people prefer to give useful gifts, such as good box paper, pocket books, hand bags, cigars and copyright books by popular authors.

Some druggists make a specialty of fountain pens, toilet sets, hair brushes, manicure sets and greeting cards, all of which are a good side line and good allthe-year-round sellers. It is a good plan to place a card of fair size in your window, and to tell the people to watch your window for holiday suggestions. It is also a good plan to have some little slips printed and to place one or more in each package for at least a month before the holidays come round and let the people know what you are going to carry. Let them know that your prices will be right, and that this is the place for them to buy their gifts. Strange and unsuitable things do not appeal to the people and soon become dead stock. So to make the best of the Christmas season one should buy what one's trade is known to want.-[Exchange.

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

The Meyer Brothers Druggist was established as the St. Louis Drug Market Reporter in April, 1880. An extended sketch of the important events in the early history of the publication was given in our Silver Anniversary issue for April, 1905. Volumes I. to IX. have been reviewed in subsequent issues of the Meyer Brothers Druggist.

Advertising Pays if Judiciously Conducted. In the list of present advertisers of the MEYER BROTHERS DRUGGIST, we find the following firms who were represented in our pages twenty-five years ago:

Hamm Brewing Co....

The Esterbrook Steel Pen Co.

Reed & Carnrick.

H. Planten & Son.

Armstrong Cork Co..

A. Robbins & Co.

Standard Varnish Works.

Paris Medicine Co..

National Licorice Co..

.St. Paul, Minn. Camden, New Jersey Jersey City, New Jersey Brooklyn, New York Pittsburgh, Pa. .Saint Louis Chicago, Ill. .St. Louis, Mo. Brooklyn, New York The prob

No. 9, Volume IX., September 1888. lems of the day were pretty much as they are now. These are reflected by a paper which Professor Francis Hemm read at the Mo. Ph. A. convention, under the title, "Rudimental Training of Apprentices in Practical Pharmacy Preparatory to a College Course." An idea of the manner in which the subject is handled can be gained from the following sub-topics:

"Missouri Pharmaceutical Association, Worker and Not the Drone, Practical Experience of at Least Four Years, Daily Business Routine of the Drug Store, A Youth of Intelligence and Good Elementary Schooling, Time is Valuable to a Young Man, Constant Reading and Study is Absolutely Necessary, Discourage Apprentices from Coming Too Young, Notoriously Ignorant, A Knowledge of Microscopy, the Moral Duty of Every Preceptor, The Best Text as Well as Reference Books, Studied from the Very Foundation Up, Pride in Becoming Dexterous and. Reliable, In the Laboratory, Course of Practical Pharmacy, Home Manufacture Becomes Profitable, A Regular College Course."

"The Microscopy of the U. S. P.," was the title of a paper by H. M. Whelpley, read at the same meeting. It details the descriptions of official drugs which require a microscope in order to verify.

The Illinois Pharmaceutical Association met at Peoria and reorganized. Under the new constitution every registered pharmacist of the state was made a member. Henry Smith, of Decatur, was made president. L. C. Hogan, of Englewood, served as secretary and C. A. Strathman, of El Paso, looked after the money.

From the advertising pages, we learn that help was wanted by:

Fulton M. McRae, of Vicksburg, Miss.; Geo. E. Gregge, Ft. Davis, Tex.; G. R. Gersdorf, Austin, Tex.; H. M. Garlichs, St. Joseph, Mo.; King, Harness & Co., Corydon, Ky.; Francis Hemm, 3907 South Broadway, St. Louis, Mo.; Mammoth Spring Drug Store, Mammoth Spring, Ark.

A few stores were for sale at that time. Among them we note those of: Dr. D. M. Foster, Bloomington, Ill.; A. J. Schwepker, Cape Girardeau.

No. 10, Volume IX. A proposed pharmacy law for Arkansas was given in detail, also an article copied from the Globe-Democrat describing many of the resources of that state.

The A. Ph. A. meeting at Detroit was reported. The membership counted 1,257, about half the present number. M. W. Alexander, of St. Louis, was elected president.

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

Chemical Abstracts Published by the American Chemical Society.

Hedonal Chloroform Anesthesia.-E. M. Senkevitch. Russki Vratch, 11, 1660-3.-Hedonal acts favorably on CHCl, narcosis in all its stages. Asphyxia is eliminated, narcosis is quickened, excitement is either diminished or removed, and the required quantity of CHC1, reduced. Alcohool (from 10 to 30%) in the soln. accelerates the action of hedonal. [Max Kahn.

The Acidity of Tincture of lcdine.-P. Carles. J. pharm. chim., 8, 75-6.-Fifty g. cf the tincture are diluted with 400 cc. of H2O, the mixt. allowed to stand for 1 hr., and filtered. A slight excess of BaCO is added to the filtrate and the mixt. allowed to stand for 1 hr. It is then filtered to remove excess of BaCO3. The HI is converted into sol. Bal. Ba is then detd. in the filtrate. BaSO,X1.42=HI.[L. E. Warren.

Diabetic Foods Offered for Sale in the U. S.-J. P. Street. J. Am. Med Assoc., 60, 2037-9.-S. gives a summary of analyses of flours, meals, bread, cake and confectionery, also a list of brands sold as diabetic foods which contain less than 35% of carbohydrates. Much of the so-called diabetic food contains over 50% and some over 70% carbohydrate. Prices are given showing these foods cost the consumer from 50 cents to several dollars per lb.-[L. W. Riggs.

Pepsin.-L. Derlin. Apoth. Ztg., 28, 547-9.-As the result of numerous expts., D. concludes that milk sugar only should be used as a diluent or vehicle in prepg. the com. product, which can then be tested with alc., preferably 70%. In applying the acidity test 1 cc. 0.1 N NaOH at the most should be required to neutralize the free acid; furthermore, a 1% soln. in HO is best described as "clear to opalescent," not "slightly turbid," as given in the Ger. Pharm. Since pepsin is generally regarded as a nitrogenous organic compd. or material, the Kjeldahl method was employed to ascertain the N present, and indirectly by use of the factor 6.25 the amt. of protein. Thus, in 8 different brands exmd. in 1909, the protein percentages were 5.04, 5, 6.75, 6.06, 5.14, 4.7, 2.71 and 3.5, while 3 years later the same samples yielded the values 6.10, 5.8, 6.10, 6.09. 5.95, 4.5, 4.33, and 3.0%, resp., from which D. concludes that 4% protein would be a reasonable requirement for pepsin. In regard to the time required for digestion tests, it is suggested that 2 hrs. should be ample for the max. effect, instead of 3 hrs., as specified in the Ger. Pharm. V. Alc. prep. of pepsin, as pepsin wine, were found to retain their activity after a period of years, thus controverting the findings of certain investigators, as A. Fischer (Dissert. Dorpat, Referat. Zeitsch. zur Untersuch, von Nahrungs- und Genussm., 1901) and Thibault (J. pharm. chim.).-[W. O. E.