Page 6 - Pharmacy History 29 Nov 2006

What’s in a name?
Have you ever wondered how the proprietary names of certain drugs have evolved?
Here’s a short list of some of the new and the not so new.
ASPIRIN
CIBA (Ciba-Geigy) DOLOBID
EGO
EUSOL
HEROIN LARGACTIL LASIX
M&B 693 MORPHINE NYAL NYSTATIN PREMARIN SM-33 WARFARIN
A ( acetylation) + SPIRaea ulmaria (Meadowsweet plant) + IN (commonly used in medicinal nomenclature)
Chemical Industries of Basle.
Pain ( Latin Dolor), twice a day. (bid)
Erwin and his son Gerald, Oppenhiemer
Edinburgh University Solution of Lime
Made you feel ‘heroic’
Large number of actions
Lasts six hours
Success after 692 failures!
Morpheus, the God of sleep.
New York and London Drug Company
First discovered at the New York State University Pregnant Mare’s Urine
Sore Mouth, and the 33 seemed like a good number (partly derived from) – Wisconsin Alumni Research Fund
Faith works wonders
A paragraph on the Charming
of Warts in a recent copy of a
medical journal reminded me of the experiences of an older colleague
who was employed in a well-known pharmacy at the turn of the century.
It appears that a number of customers, chiefly ladies of fashion, were in the habit of calling to have their warts charmed away.
The procedure was to enter names and addresses in a book kept especially for the purpose.
The suffered had to be quite accurate as to the number of warts, and this was also noted. The customer was then simply and confidently told that the warts would be gone in three weeks. My informant assured me that a very high rate of cure was obtained, and for all I know the business may still give this free service to
afflicted customers.
The Alchemist, AlP March 1953
Military rewards
Recruiting Officer: ‘What were you in civvy street?.’
Recruit: ‘A Pharmacist.’
Recruiting Officer: ‘Oh, I suppose you’ll be like the rest of them and expect a commission.’
Recruit: ‘Well no sir, if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather work on a straight salary.’
The Alchemist, AlP March 1953
6 ■ Pharmacy History Australia
volume 3 ■ no 25 ■ March 2005