A Short View of the Frauds and Abuses Committed by Apothecaries eBook

Christopher Merrett
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 69 pages of information about A Short View of the Frauds and Abuses Committed by Apothecaries.

A Short View of the Frauds and Abuses Committed by Apothecaries eBook

Christopher Merrett
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 69 pages of information about A Short View of the Frauds and Abuses Committed by Apothecaries.

Secondly, By giving and intermixing Medicines of their own Phancy, with the Physicians prescriptions, viz. some pleasing Medicine, whereby too often the Physicians intention is quite crost, and the effect made uncertain, and hazardous.

Thirdly, By giving Medicines themselves on small accounts, and such as require only a good ordering, and no more.

Fourthly, By repeating long courses of Physic unadvisedly, and needlesly, when either nothing, or very little is needful to be done.

Fifthly, By creating diseases in easie mens Phansies, and so decoying them into courses of Physic.

Sixthly, Some of them get private and worthless receipts, and sell them at what rate they please; Mr. Delaune by one Pill alone, though not a very safe one, got some thousands of pounds.

Seventhly, If one of them get a private receipt from a Physician called by the inventor his Nostrum, if another Apothecary have occasion to use it, he shall be sure to pay sawce for it.

Eighthly, Another trick is when the Patient is cured, and the Physician therefore hath given over his Visits, then comes the Apothecary and insinuates by his words and passions, either some danger of relapse, or some other present distemper, and repairs to the Physician for a Bill to cure the imaginary disease.

Ninthly, But their principal Art of all is, to cry up, and bring in to Patients such Physicians, who through design must comply with the Apothecaries Interest, and such Practisers they extol and cry up for good Physicians, which some of them call more expresly good Apothecaries Physicians, and such without doubt, the whole Company will endeavour to raise unto a fame and practice.  But such as write only for the good of the Patient, and not at all for the benefit of the Apothecary (as all honest men ought to do) they will endeavour to prevent their calling in, or to shuffle them out.

Now this good Apothecaries Physician, they describe by his frequent though needless visits, but especially by the multitude of his Bills, by his visiting twice a day, or oftner (a very careful and painful Doctor) and by still writing new Medicines, when half the former, or perhaps none of them have been taken, making an Apothecaries Shop in the Patients House, planting the Cupboards and Windows with Glasses and Gally-Pots, and not a quarter of the whole made use of.  He prescribes a Medicine for every slight complaint, and never goes away from the Patient or the Patient from him, without a Bill, for fear of the Apothecaries grumbling.

And from this burdening the sick with multiplicity of Medicines, too often contrary to, and destructive one of another, it proceeds that in the Small Pox, and Measles, many are afraid to use Physicians, and commit the care of the sick to Nurses, and Old Women, and perhaps sometimes not without cause, for by continual multiplication of Medicines, the humours of the body may be made, or kept in too great a state of fluidity,

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A Short View of the Frauds and Abuses Committed by Apothecaries from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.