prescription writing - digital collectionsprescription writing. designed for theuse of medical...

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Prescription Writing.

DESIGNED FOR THE USE OF

MEDICAL STUDENTS WHO HAVE NEVERSTUDIED LATIN.

BY\

FREDERIC HENRY GERRISH, A.M., M.D.,PROFESSOR OP ANATOMY AND FORMERLY PROFESSOR OP MATERIA MEDICA AND

THERAPEUTICS IN BOWDOIN COLLEGE, CONSULTING SURGEON TO THE

MAINE GENERAL HOSPITAL, SOMETIME PRESIDENT OP THE

MAINE STATE BOARD OP HEALTH, AND OP THE

AMERICAN ACADEMY OP MEDICINE, ETC.

sEfg|ft|r -onV ihft&ri) iSlriti'oty

ME.:LORING, SHORT, AND HARMON.

PHILADELPHIA; J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO

1895.

Copyright, 1877,Frederic Henry Gerrish.

Copyright, 1880,Loring, Short, and Harmon.

Copyright, 1888,Loring, Short, and Harmon.

Copyright, 1895,Lo»nrapSH«iiT, and Harmon

University Press:John Wilson & Son, Cambridge.

CONTENTS.

PagePreface 5

FIRST PART.

Rules for Writing Prescriptions..... 7

SECOND PART.

Words used in Writing Prescriptions... 39

APPENDIX.

The Metric System in Prescriptions.... 53

PREFATORY NOTE

TO THE EIGHTH EDITION.

Although the only system of weights and meas-ures employed in the Pharmacopoeia of 1890 is themetric, it has seemed unwise to ignore the oldmethod in these pages. This attitude cannot beascribed to any fondness for the complicated andtime-consuming system, or to any hostility to thesimple and facile modern substitute, if one willobserve the appendix, which was written fifteen yearsago. Inasmuch, however, as but a small minorityof our physicians and medical students are practi-cally familiar with the metric system, its exclusiveemployment in this book would be almost certain torepel many of those for whose sake the little volumewas written, and thus seriously impair its influence.The purpose in view is to teach a little Latin, not topromote the universal adoption of the decimalmethod, although that is a commendable applicationof effort.

PEEFACE.

Every teacher of medicine in this country musthave been impressed with the fact that a large pro-portion of the students in our schools have noknowledge of the Latin language. This is demon-strated daily by the difficulty with which they learnthe technical names of the various structures, dis-eases, processes, and agents with which the}* have todeal, each being committed to memory arbitrarily,and affording no clue to an}- other term. In noother class of cases, however, is this deficiency ofeducation so apparent as with regard to the termi-nology of the pharmacopoeia, especially when it be-comes necessary to make the grammatical changesrequired in giving directions for compounding medi-cines. Students are often deterred from under-taking the labor needed to make them expert inthis respect, from a mistaken idea of its magnitude.It is to help them in this very important but muchneglected part of their medical work that this littlebook has been written. It is not designed to giveinstruction in the art of prescribing, but simply toteach those who know nothing whatever of the lan-guage the little Latin which is essential to correctprescription writing, and to inculcate such lessons onthis subject as a considerable experience in teachinghas shown to be desirable. The first part contains

6 PREFACE.

the rules to be observed in writing prescriptions;the second part presents all the words that are neces-sary for (though not all that may be used in) this exer-cise, so arranged as best to facilitate reference andthe easy acquirement of a sufficient familiarity withtheir various forms.

I am aware that it may be objected to this planthat it gives the student little more than a parrot-like command of a few words and expressions, anddoes not teach him the principles of the language.But I respectfully submit that it is far better for aman to write a prescription correctly, even in themost automatic way, than to blunder through it dis-gracefully, as so many habitually do, and thus exposehimself to the ridicule of apothecaries’ shop-boys.Besides, I cherish the not unreasonable hope thatthe aid in prescription writing derived from thelittle knowledge of Latin which this book may im-part will so convince some students of the value ofthe language, that they will systematically undertakethe mastery of its elements, and acquire a consider-able vocabulary. The time is not very far off, Itrust, when no one will be allowed to matriculate ina medical school who has not a good reading knowl-edge of easy Latin. Until then, it seems to me thatsuch books as this is designed to be may perform animportant service.

F. H. G.Portland, Mainr,

31s« of August, 1877.

PRESCRIPTION WRITING.

FIRST PART.

RULES FOR WRITING PRESCRIPTIONS.

The word Prescription is derived from the Latinprce, meaning “ before,” and scriptum (the perfectparticiple of scribo,

“ I write”), meaning *■ written.”It, therefore, etymologically signifies “somethingwritten beforehand,” and thus preserves the memoryof the custom which formerly obtained among phy-sicians of writing down their advice for the guidanceof their patients. Soon, however, the word came tobe applied to any recommendation, whether writtenor spoken, which the medical attendant made. Thus,verbal directions about the food of the sick man, theventilation or lighting of his room, the preservationof quiet, the change of linen, in short, all thingswhich will in any way contribute to the restoration ofhis health, are prescriptions.

But, though this is a not infrequent use of thewoid, it has a restricted meaning which is muchmore common. It is employed to designate a for-mula consisting of directions to an apothecary con-

[Part

cerning the compounding of a medicine, and in thissense only will it be used in this book.

It should be understood, to start with, that theobject of this work is to give instruction in the artof writing prescriptions, and not in that of prescrib-ing. The one may be learned in a very short timeand with comparatively little labor ; the other can beacquired only by prolonged study and experiencewith diseases and medicines. I take it for grantedthat the student has spent some time at his MateriaMedina, and knows something of the principles ofmedicinal combination, of the incompatibilities ofdrugs, and of dosage. It may be well, however, tomention that the true type of a prescription is basedupon a maxim of Asclepiades, Curare cito, tuto etjacunde, which proclaims the duty of the therapeu-tist to be to Cure quickly, safely, and pleasantly.This saving it is always well to bear in mind in pre-scribing, inasmuch as attention to its suggestions willguide the physician to the most advantageous admin-istration of medicines. According to this rule, thetypical prescription contains, first, an ingredientwhich is expected to do the chief work in the case,whose office it is to cure or relieve the patient, andwhich is hence called the Basis ; second, an elementdesigned to assist or accelerate the action of thebasis, to make it do its work more quickly than ifleft to itself, and therefore known as the Adjuvant ;

third, a substance calculated to correct or modifysome undesirable or injurious effect of the basis orthe adjuvant, to cause it to act more safely than itwould alone, and for this reason named the Couui-gent ; and, fourth and last, a material which willgive such form and consistence to the preparation asto make it pleasant, or, at all events, not disagree-able, for the patient to take, a carrier of the active


I.] RULES FOR WRITINO PRESCRIPTIONS. 9

parts of the compound, and consequently designatedthe Excipient. This will be understood at once bya glance at the following table :

Curare (Cure) with the Basis (the Essential).Cite (Quickly) ~ ~ Adjuvant (the Assistant).Tuto (Safely) ~ ~ Corrigent (the Corrective),

etJucunde (Pleasantly) ~ ~ Excipient (the Vehicle).

As an illustration, let us suppose that we desireto prescribe for a case of constipation in which theCompound Extract of Colocynth would be an appro-priate remedy. Employing this as the Basis, we mayassist its laxative action by associating with it aproper quantity of Blue Pill, which would be theAdjuvant. But Colocynth is liable to produce grip-ing, and this tendency we can correct by employingthe Extract of Henbane as a Corrigent. Finally,the addition of a little Syrup as Excipient will renderit easy to make the whole into a pill-mass of properconsistency.

It must not be supposed that ever}’ correct pre-scription contains all these elements. Sometimesthe Basis is all that is needed; for it may alone besufficiently powerful for the purpose required, mayhave no tendency to produce any unpleasant symp-toms, and, at the same time, be naturally in a con-dition which renders it agreeable to take. In anothercase, the Basis may need an Adjuvant or a Corrigentor a Vehicle, or some two of these. The Basis isalways present, it is essential; the others may ormay not be needed.

In prescribing, simplicity should be aimed at; butone must guard against the extreme which, for thesake of simplicity, would violate the least importantof the charges in the old precept which we have ana-lyzed, “ Never give a particle of medicine which

10 PRESCRIPTION WRITING. [Part

is not required,” is a rule which should have alwaysas its companion, “ Give whatever drugs are neededto cure quickly, safely, and pleasantly.”

It is a good plan for a physician to keep about hima sufiicient quantity of paper, cut into pieces of con-venient size and shape, for writing prescriptions.One should never, when he can possibly avoid it,rely upon a chance supply, such as may be had at thehouses of his patients. To say nothing of the in-convenience which such a practice may entail uponall concerned, it often obliges one to send out a slov-enly-looking prescription, and it betrays a lack ofthat thoughtfulness about little things which is prop-erly expected of a medical attendant. Pen and inkare preferable to pencil, as producing writing whichis less liable to blurring and erasures, and thereforesafer.

The writing should be so distinct that no word orsymbol can possibly be mistaken for any other.Every letter even ought to be well defined. Some-times it is a matter of literally vital moment thatjust what the physician intends by his prescriptionshould be given to the patient; therefore it is a dutyto cultivate the habit of legibility, that clearness maynot be wanting when the greatest necessity for itarises. The chirograph}' of some physicians is sim-ply homicidal.

In prescribing unusually large doses of powerfulmedicines, which might alarm the druggist and causehim to hesitate about compounding the prescription,unless he were absolutely certain of the intent of thephysician, it is well to write the quantities of thedrugs in both Roman and Arabic characters. Theapothecary will then have evidence that the dose wasdeliberately and carefully determined upon, and willwithout fear supply the patient immediately, and thus

I.] RULES FOR WRITING PRESCRIPTIONS. 11

avoid a delay which, in an exigent case, might bedisastrous.

Before it is parted with, a prescription should becarefully revised. Every item of it should be studi-ously scrutinized, to make sure of its correctness.He is a rare man who never makes a mistake ; andit is very curious to see how strangely astray physi-cians will sometimes go in theirprescriptions, writingfor articles which are furthest from their thoughts,ordering ounces for drachms, and vice versa, leavingout the directions for quantities altogether, omittingto state the size and time of the dose, and otherwisegiving evidence of wandering attention and deficientcare. It is well, therefore, if time permits, to laythe prescription aside for a minute or two, until it hascooled, as it were, and then examine it critically, asif it were the work of some one else.

It is always desirable for the physician to sign hisname to the prescription, in order that, if there isany question about its propriety, the apothecary mayknow that a responsible part}’ has written it, and thata compliance with its directions will not result to thecompounder’s detriment. Some physicians sign onlytheir initials; and this, doubtless, is generally suffi-cient in a small place, or in a large one if the doctoris a distinguished practitioner. But, even in thesecases, it is far better to write the full name ; for pre-scriptions are often carried out of the town in whichthey are made, and beyond the boundaries of mostmen’s fame ; and a failure to show a practical recog-nition of these facts, though perhaps really due tothe proverbial modesty of medical men, may be con-strued by the evil-minded as an evidence of conceit.If the place be a sizable city, it is advisable to givethe residence as well as the name, so that the druggistmay, if he desires, readily consult the physician about

[Part

the medicine intended. This is more frequentlynecessary than would be supposed by cue unfamiliarwith the subject. Occasionally it is helpful to knowwhen a prescription was written ; the date, therefore,should be inserted.

The exact quantity of the dose, the periods for itsrepetition, the method oftaking, and all other neces-sary directions, should be written out at full length,and in the plainest possible language, for the apothe-cary to copy on the label. This is not only of greatassistance to the patient and his attendants, who,with all their anxiety and the extraordinary careswhich illness in the family always brings, are veryliable to forget the small but important details ofadministration; but it is also an aid to the apothe-cary, iu enabling him to detect errors in dose whichhe otherwise could not, and thus, perhaps, to savethe physician from, a mortifying predicament, andthe patient from an aggravation of his sufferings.There are exceptional cases, however, in which it isbetter to rely on the memory of the patient than tolabel his medicine so distinctly as to arouse in theminds of others suspicions as to the character of hismalady. In some cases, for example, we write“Wash” rather than “Injection,” although thelatter word is more closely descriptive of the char-acter of the medicament, and the method of using it.The shorter word is sufficient for the purposes of thepatient, and others are left in ignorance as to whetherit is scalp, eyes, urethra, or some other part forwhich the lotion is designed.

Remedies to be employed topically should alwaysbe so marked, to distinguish them from those whichare to be taken internally. Lack of attention to thispoint has sometimes resulted fatally to the patient.When a very powerful and concentrated medicine is



ordered, it is a good idea to have it labelled “ Poi-son,” as a warning to careless persons. The direc-tion, “ To be used as ordered,” though very common,is to be avoided ; it is entirely valueless, since it doesnot serve to recall to mind any thing except the factthat some directions have been given, which waswell enough known before.

Some apothecaries have a space on their labelsfor the patient’s name, and it would be well if thepractice of writing the name on the prescription weremore common. There would be less liability to mis-takes in delivering packages to customers, referenceto the apothecary’s files would be somewhat facili-tated, and, when there were two or more sick in thesame household, the chance of the wrong medicine’sbeing given to any one of them would be greatlydiminished.

Unfortunately, on many accounts, it is the customfor apothecaries to refill prescriptions as often asthey are requested to. Physicians sometimes com-plain of this practice, which, evidently, is frequentlyinjurious to them and to their patients ; but, for themost part, the}' have only themselves to blame,because they have so long permitted the wrong with-out a protest. Apothecaries consider the transactionin a commercial light almost altogether, and gener-ally have no idea of doing any one an injury. But,if the physician were to write across the face of hisprescription “Not to be repeated,” or “To be re-peated only so many times,” or some other wordswhich would establish a limit to the legitimaterenewals, it is hardly supposable that a pharmaceu-tist of respectabilit}' and honor, or even of moderateshrewdness, would disregard the reasonable requestof one who alone is fully competent to judge of thetherapeutic requirements of the case, and whose

| Part

favor and esteem he can poorly afford to lose. It isnot necessary to exercise this caution in all prescrip-tions ; in some cases the repetition may be left tothe discretion of the patient. But, in orderingpowerful drugs, thought should always be bestowedupon this point.

It is customary to employ certain domestic meas-ures in administering the doses of medicines. Thus,a teaspoon is supposed to hold a fluidrachm ; a table-spoon, half a fluidounce. These implements are,however, by no means of constant size, varyingoften lifty or more per cent, from the regular stand-ard. It is very desirable that patients shouldsupply themselves with the graduated glasses whichmay now be easily obtained, and discard altogetherthe old and inaccurate measures.

In apportioning the quantities of the differentelements of a prescription, the following rule willafford assistance: First write the names of thevarious ingredients, giving a line to each. Then,having decided upon the length of time that thepatient will probably need to take the medicine,and determined the frequency of its administration,the whole number of doses is readily calculated.Multiply the dose of each constituent in turn bythe whole number of doses, and wmite down eachproduct in its proper line.

In directions to the apothecary, it is desirable toobserve as much brevity as is consistent with perspi-cuity. He is supposed to understand pharmacy, andit is, therefore, unnecessary to give more than generaldirections about the various steps in the operation ofcompounding the medicine. The physician orderscertain substances to be put together ; the precisemethod of doing this so as to the best resultit is the business of the pharmacist to know. The


15L] RULES FOR WRITING PRESCRIPTIONS.

prescribe!’ takes care that the articles are not incom-patible and are capable of forming a proper mixture ;

the rest may be left to the compounder.The foregoing directions should be observed, what-

ever the language may be in which the prescriptionis indited. It is quite proper to write it in English,if one chooses. There are even some who inveighacrimoniously against the practice ofwriting prescrip-tions in Latin, considering it an unnecessary trouble,a relic of a by-gone and less enlightened age, apedantic display of useless knowledge, and, per-haps, other and still more objectionable things.But, nevertheless, it is a phenomenal occurrence tofind a prescription written in English, that is,entirely in English, even by those who deprecatethe use of Latin. The}' usually unconsciously allowsomething of the berated tongue to obtain entryinto their prescriptions, and the result is a hodge-podge which would be amusing were it not so de-plorable.

In spite of all objections, Latin is by far the bestlanguage for prescriptions. It is not subject to thevariations which modern languages are continuallyundergoing, being, as it were, crystallized.

#It is

consequently adopted as the language for scientificnomenclature, and formerly scientific works werewritten in it altogether. There would seem to beno reason why the names of drugs should be anexception to the otherwise universal rule, and Latinis therefore employed in naming the articles of thepharmacopoeia. It is the only language in which itis practicable to write the international pharma-copoeia, which is so important a desideratum. Theadvantage of a well-established language for scien-tific terminology is plainly seen in the greaterdefiniteness with which medicines may be ordered

1Pakt

in Latin. The Latin name for a drug is applied tono other, and one is sure to get what he desires ifhe has written for it under its scientific title, pro-vided, of course, that the pharmacist does his duty.But, in ordering certain articles by their Englishnames, we are often uncertain with what we may befurnished, the terms used being frequently appliedvariously. Thus, if Indian Hemp be written, mean-ing Apocynum Cannabinum, a diuretic, diaphoretic,etc., there may be put up Cannabis Indica, a stimu-lant-narcotic. If we order Yellow Root, hoping toget Xanthorrhiza, a simple bitter, we may be disap-pointed by receiving Hydrastis, a diuretic. So theword Wintergreen is applied to Chimaphila, anastringent and tonic, and to Ganltheria, a carmina-tive and stomachic. Checkerberry and Foxbenywill bring us at one time the astringent and diureticUva Ursi; at another, the aromatic Ganltheria.Snakeroot is a name given to Serpentaria, Cimici-fuga, Senega, Asarum, Eryngium, and other drugs ;and Stinkpoke is the somewhat descriptive appella-tion of agents of widely differing powers, such asDracontium, Chenopodium, Stramonium, and PolanisiaGraveolens. From these illustrations we see that theindefiniteness of an English name may occasion notmerely inconvenience, but even disaster; and, ifthere were no other reason for using Latin, this alonewould be sufficient.

But these are not the only advantages which comefrom writing prescriptions in Latin. It is often desir-able to keep the patient in ignorance of what he istaking. There is a prejudice in the minds of manypeople against the use of certain drugs, such as mer-cury, lead, etc. ; and the names of these often valua-ble remedies may be successfully concealed undertheir technical titles, without arousing a suspicion as


17I.J RULES FOR WRITING PRESCRIPTIONS.

to their trae character. In most cases, indeed, it isbetter that the patient should not know the exactcomposition of his medicine. Although it may bethe article which of all things is best adapted to hisneeds, it will be less likely to do him all the goodof which it is capable, if lie discovers that it is somecommon and, to his mind, ignoble weed, than if he,judging from its imposing name, conceives an ideaof a rare and stately exotic. 1 would by no moansbe understood to advocate, in any case, the practiceof deception with the sick, which, to say the best ofit, is impolitic in the long run; nor would I defendthe quackish habit which some physicians have ofimpressing their patients with a sense of their impor-tance by grandiloquentl}7 airing their knowledge oftechnical expressions ; but we ought not to ignorethe advantages which arise from keeping our owncounsel at times, and the benefit which may, in apurely incidental way, come from the feeling of won-der and awe which, in the mind of the average man,is associated with the unknown. As it would oftenbe cruel to the patient to volunteer, or even allow tobe extorted, a complete pathological description andprognosis of his case, so it is generally unwise topermit him to know just what he is taking for aremed} 7

. iA very limited knowledge of Latin is sufficient to

enable one to write prescriptions properly. The nec-essary vocabulary, though comprising over six hun-dred words, has been almost entirely learned alreadyby the student who has studied his Materia Medicafaithfully; and the chief difficulty to be encounteredis in making the changes which are requisite to thecorrect grammatical wording of the directions to theapothecary. The careful study of the following sim-ple rules will, it is believed, enable one previously


unacquainted with Latin Grammar easily to writeelegant prescriptions. The effort has been to reducethe subject to its lowest terms, to make it so readilycomprehensible that lack of time to study Latin willbe no excuse for a badly written prescription.

Very few verbs are used in prescriptions. Theseare mostly imperatives addressed to the apothecary.Some are very common, occurring in a majority ofprescriptions ; as Recipe (take), Misce (mix), Signet(mark or label), Fiat (let [it] be made), or Finnt(let [them] be made). Others are less common, butstill often used, as Adde (add), Bulliat (let it boil),Cola (strain), Divide (divide), Macera (macerate),Repetatur (it may be repeated), Solve (dissolve),Sufficit (it suffices), and Tere (rub). These needundergo no changes.

The last remark applies also to prepositions, con-junctions, and adverbs, which are quite infrequent.The principal are Cum (with), In (in, or into), Ad(to, or up to), Et (and), and Ana (of each).

Almost all the words in prescriptions are nounsand adjectives.

There are five declensions, or methods of formingthe cases, in Latin; but, as there are no pharmaco-poeia! words of the fifth declension, we need considerbut four. Each declension has six cases; but, as itis very rarely necessary to use more than three, theothers will be ignored. It will be easier to committhe exceptions outright and arbitrarily, than to learnthe rule for their formation.

The three cases which arc most employed are theNominative, which corresponds exactly to our Eng-lish nominative ; the Genitive, the counterpart of theEnglish possessive, or objective with “of;” and theAccusative, which takes the place of the English ob-ject!ATe after a verb or preposition. These cases are

L] RULES FOR WRITING PRESCRIPTIONS. 19

distinguished by their endings, the preceding portionof the word being called the stem. The stem maybe found by dropping the ending of the genitive sin-gular ; and the several cases may, in most instances,be formed by adding to this stem the case-endings.In all the following examples the case-endings areprinted in Italics.

FIRST DECLENSION.

All pharmacopoeial nouns ending in a (exceptingAspidospej'ma, Physostlgma, and Theohroma), areof the first declension, of the feminine gender, andare formed like Rosa. 1

Singular Number.Nominative Rosa, a rose. aGenitive Rosre, of a rose. eeAccusative Rosam, a rose. am

Plural Number.

Nominative Rosce, roses. aeGenitive Rosarum, of roses. arumAccusative Rosas, roses. as

It will be noticed that the stem Eos remains un-changed all through the declension. Particular pains

1 There are two pharmacopoeial nouns of the first declensionwhich end in e ; namely, Aloe and Mastiche. The case-endingsin the singular are :

Nominative e,Genitive es,Accusative en.

The plural is formed like that of Rosa.


should be taken to become perfectly familiar with thecase-endings, for these are the great stumbling-blocksto students generally.

SECOND DECLENSION.

All pharmacopoeial nouns ending in us (exceptingRims and the three nouns of the fourth declension)are of the second declension, mostly of the mascu-line gender, and are formed like Rubus.

Singular Number.Nominative Rubws, a blackberry. usGenitive Rubi, of a blackberry. iAccusative Rubwm, a blackberry. um

Plural Number.

Nominative Enin, blackberries. iGenitive Kuborw/?, of blackberries. orumAccusative Eul )os, blackberries. Os

All pharmacopoeial nouns ending in um are ofthe second declension, of the neuter gender, and areformed like Acidum. 1

1 There are three pharmacopoeial nouns of the second de-clension which end in on; namely, Eriodictyon, Hcematoxylon,and Toxicodendron. The case-endings in the singular are :

Nominative on,Genitive i,Accusative on.

The plural is declined like that of Acidum.

L] RULES FOR WRITING PRESCRIPTIONS. 21

Singular Number.Nominative Acidum, an acid. nmGenitive Acidt, of an acid. iAccusative Acidum, an acid. um

Plural Number.Nominative Acida, acids. aGenitive Acidorum, of acids. orumAccusative Acida, acids. a

Notice, here and everywhere, that the accusativeof a neuter is always like the nominative of the samenumber.

THIRD DECLENSION.

Declinable pharmacopoeial nouns having other nom-inative endings than a, us, and um, are (with fiveexceptions a ) of the third declension. The}” aremostly masculines and feminines, and these aredeclined like Liquor.

Singular Number.Nominative Liquor, a solution.Genitive Liquoris, of a solution. isAccusative Liquorem, a solution. em

Plural Number.Nominative Liquores, solutions. eaGenitive Liquorum, of solutions. umAccusative Liquores, solutions. es

Some of them are neuter, and are declined likeMarmor.

1 The exceptions are the two nouns in e, of the first declen-sion, and three in on, of the second, all of which have beenpreviously considered.

PRESCRIPTION WRITING. [I’ART

Singular Number.Nominative Manner, marble.Genitive Marmorts, of marble. isAccusative Marmor, marble.

Plural Number.Nominative Marmora, marbles. aGenitive Marmorum, of marbles. umAccusative Marmora, marbles. a

In the two examples given, the nominative is thestem, and there is no case-ending. In many otherwords a nominative ending, as is or e, occurs ; inothers still the nominative not only lacks an ending,but is less than, and sometimes otherwise differentfrom, the stem. These can easily be learned bystudying the list of words of the third declension inthe Second Part of the book.

FOURTH DECLENSION.Three pharmacopoeia! nouns ending in us are of

the fourth declension, and are formed like Fructus.Two of them, Fructus and Spiritus, are of the mas-culine gender, and one, Quercus, is feminine.

Singular Number.Nominative Fructus, the fruit. usGenitive Fructus, of the fruit. usAccusative Fructum, the fruit. um

Plural Number.Nominative Fructus, the fruits. usGenitive Fructuum, of the fruits. uumAccusative Fructus, the fruits. us

1.1 RULES FOR WRITING PRESCRIPTIONS.

The following table will show at a glance the end-ings of these three cases in both numbers of allfour declensions:

Sinyular Number.

The plural cases are quite infrequently used inprescriptions, except in naming the quantities of theingredients. The ablative case occurs in the pharma-copoeia only after the preposition cum, and then onlyas follows: cum Greta (with Chalk), cum Calce(with Lime), cum Ferro (with Iron), cumHydrargyro(with Mercury), cum Magnesia (with Magnesia).Cum sernisse (with a half) is used often in pre-scriptions.

A few nouns employed in prescriptions are inde-clinable, that is to say, have the same form in everycase, both singular and plural. A list of them isgiven in the Second Part.

The adjectives used in prescriptions are declinedlike nouns, those ending in a like Rosa, 1 in us likeRubus, 2 in um like Acidurn, 3 and all others likethe nouns of the third declension.

1 Excepting unit, whose genitive is unins.2 Excepting units, whose genitive is unius, and fortius, which

is of the third declension.3 Excepting mum, whose genitive is unius.

FirstDeclen.

SecondDROLEN.

ThirdDliCLK.N.

FourthDkclen.

Mase. Neuter Masc. & Fem Neut.Nominative a us um (Various) usGenitive es i is usAccusative am um em Like Noui. um

Plural Number.Nominative se i a es a usGenitive arum orum um uumAccusative as os a es a us

24 PRESCRIPTION WRITING. [Pakt

Adjectives agree with the nouns to which theybelong in gender, number, and case.

Sometimes adjectives are of the same declension asthe nouns with which they agree, as in these illus-trations : Amygdala Aniara, both being of the llrstdeclension ; Acidum Tannicum, both of the second de-clension ; AEther Fortior, both of the third declension.

But very often adjectives are of different declen-sions from the nouns with which they agree. Thefollowing are examples of this statement: AmygdalaDalcis, the noun of the first declension, the adjectiveof the third; Veratrum Viride, noun of the second,adjective of the third; Calx Chlorata, noun of thethird, adjective of the first; Sulphur Lotum , noun ofthe third, adjective of the second.

Sometimes, as in English, a noun has more thanone adjective agreeing with it, as Extractum Sarsa-parilla Fiuidum Oompositum.

To illustrate these directions, we will take an ex-ample of a prescription written in English, and ren-der it in Latin.Take of Sulphate of Iron one scruple,

of Extract of Quassia two drachms.Mix them and divide into twenty-five pills.Mark. For Mr. John Jacens. Take one pill half an

hour before each meal.Peter Probaxg, M.D.,

21, 111, 1875. 8 Laudanum Lane.Translated into Latin, this would read as fol-

lows :

Recipe Ferri Sulphatis scrupulurn unura,Extract! Quassias drachmas duas.

Misce et in pilnlas viginti quinque divide.Signa. For Mr. John Jacens. Take one pill half an

hour before each meal.Peter Probaxg, M.D.,

-L ET, 1875. 8 Laudanum Lena

L] RULES FOR WRITING PRESCRIPTIONS

Let us now examine this translation in detail, andsee the reason for each step in the process.

It will be remembered that a prescription was de-fined to be a formula consisting of directions to anapothecary. We commence by commanding him to“ take ” definite quantities of certain things which wedesire to have associated in the medicine. So weemploy the imperative singular of the Latin verbRecipio (I take), which is Recipe (take thou). Thesubject (thou) it is as unnecessary to express inLatin as in English. Now, the first thing which heis to take is “ one scruple ” of a certain drug; and,as “ scruple,” being the immediate object of “ take,”is in the objective case, the Latin equivalent must bein the corresponding case, namely, the accusative.aScrupulus is the Latin for scruple, and, as it is of thesecond declension, the accusative is scrupulum. Sowe have Recipe scrupulum. This would sufficientlyindicate the number; but it is customary to affix anumeral adjective to all the nouns denoting measureand weight, so we take the accusative of units (one),which, likewise being of the second declension, isunum. It would not answer to take the accusative ofuna, which also means one; for the adjective mustagree with its noun in gender as well as in numberand case, and scrupulus being masculine, needs anadjective of the same gender to go with it. The ter-mination us shows units to be masculine, while thefinal aof una stamps it as feminine. This makesRecipe scrupulum unum. The drug of which we wantone scruple is the Sulphate of Iron, of which thepharmacopocial name is Ferri Sulphas. Ferri is thegenitive of Ferrum (Iron), and means, therefore,“of Iron.” Sulphas means Sulphate, or The Sul-phate. The Latin order in many instances placesthe limiting genitive before the nominative, though

26 PRESCRIPPI 0N IVRI TING. [Pari

the sense is the same whatever the arrangement maybe. But as we write in English “one scruple ofSulphate of Iron,” so we must change the wordSulphas (Sulphate) to mean “of Sulphate.” Thiswe can do by using the genitive case. Turning tothe Second Part of the book, we find in the list ofnouns of the third declension that the genitive ofSulphas is Sulphatis. So we now have Recipe scru-pulum unum Ferri Sulphatis, or, to observe the usualorder in prescriptions, by which the names of theingredients are placed before the words designatingthe amount of each, Recipe Ferri Sulphatis scrupulumunum. The word Ferri needed no change, of course,ahead}’ meaning exactly what we want, “ of Iron.”

In translating the second line of the prescription,we proceed in precisely the same way. Thus, as“drachms” is in the objective case after “take,”we write the accusative plural of drachma, which isdrachmas. As “ two” drachms are ordered, we affixthe accusative of duce,1 the feminine form of theLatin numeral which means two, thus making anagreement of gender between the adjective and noun,and have drachmas duas. The article of which thisquantity is ordered is Extract of Quassia, in LatinExtractum Quassice ; but as we write “ of Extract ofQuassia,” we must use the genitive case of Extractum,which is Extracti. Quassice, the genitive of Quassia,

means “of Quassia,” and stands unchanged. Thesecond line, then, will be Drachmas duas ExtractiQuassice , or, to correspond with the arrangement ofthe first line, Extracti Quassice drachmas duas.

In rendering “Mix them” in Latin, we may omitthe pronoun, as there could not be any consequentmistake, and write simply the second person singular

1 See declension of numerals on page 1.)

I.] RULES FOR WRITING PRESCRIPTIONS 27

imperative of Misceo (I mix), which is Misce. ‘‘ And”

is et. “ Divide ”is translated by the second personsingular imperative of Divido (I divide), which isDivide. For “ into” we substitute in, a prepositionwhich is followed by the accusative case; so wewrite after it pilulas , the accusative plural of pilula(a pill), and thus render the word “pills.” TheLatin for “ twenty-five” is viginti quinque, an inde-clinable numeral. Following the usage of the lan-guage which places the verb last, we have for thisfine, Misce, et in pilulas viginti quinque divide.

Next comes the direction “ Mark,” which wetranslate by Signa, the second person singular im-perative of Signa (I mark). Now, every thing whichfollows this verb should be transferred to the label onthe medicine. It is the directions to or about thepatient, and these we want to have as plain to himas they can possibly be made. So we do not turninto Latin any thing which follows Signa. Let noone object that this is a mixing of tongues suchas has been deprecated in a preceding page; forthe directions to the patient are, as far as theapothecary is concerned, to be regarded as so manyarbitrary signs. Indeed, it is not impossible thatthey might well be hieroglyphics in certain cases.It undoubtedly sometimes happens that the direc-tions to the patient are in a language which theapothecary does not understand; and, in such acase, his duty is to copy the words between Signaand the doctor’s signature literatim. In so doing heis simply following instructions, which are to markon the label whatever follows Signa. It is the cus-tom in some other countries for the physician towrite the directions in Latin, and for the pharmaceu-tist to translate them into English on the label.Aside from the fact that this is not a strict obsorv-

28 PRESCRIPTION WRITING. [Paei

ance of directions, the usage is undesirable, first, onthe ground that the compounder may be unable totranslate the Latin into the tongue which alone thepatient and his attendants can understand; and,second, because the liability to mistake is somewhatincreased by the passage of the orders through asecond language. In the United States it is thenearly universal custom to write the directions foradministration just as they are intended to be on thelabel. This practice is as different from the jumblingof languages which is often seen in the naming of themedicines in prescriptions, as are successive remarksof two people of different nationalities, each in hisown vernacular, from the macaronic gabble of sillyschool-girls who like to air their little French andItalian on every occasion.

After this comes the address of the prescribe!',and, finally, the date.

Now, here is a prescription written out in full, ashardly one in a million is written ; for it is customaryeverywhere to adopt abbreviations for every part ofthe work. Some of these are desirable, others arepermissible but generall}7 to be avoided, and othersstill are never to be countenanced.

Those of the first class arc desirable because the}*shorten the writing without diminishing its clearnessSome of them are real abbreviations, others arc arbi-trary signs. Recipe is represented by its initialletter; but it is a common practice to draw a straightmark across the quirk of the R, making the char-acter IP. The origin of this habit is curious. Theancient physicians, who worshipped the now exiledgods of Olympus, were accustomed to commencetheir prescriptions with a prayer to Jove, whoseblessing they invoked on the action of the medicine.Probably this petition was never very long, and we


can easily believe that, following the tendency ofprayers and oaths to diminish in length according tothe frequency of their repetition, it rapidly lessened.At all events, we know that the expression of itfinally dwindled to the brevity of the astronomicalsign of Jupiter, v. When Christianity supplantedthe older religion, the custom of soliciting divine ap-proval of the dose continued, and prescriptions wereheaded with condensed acknowledgments of a super-natural being whose favor would make the medicinecurative, and whose disapproval would render it of noavail. These supplications were compressed intoAq, a prayer to the eternal beginning and end, thefirst and the last, the Alpha and Omega of allthings; N. D., the initials of Nomine Dei (in thename of God) ; J. D., Juvante Deo (God helping ) ;

J. J., Juvante Jesu (Jesus helping) ; and, most ad-mirable of all as regards conciseness, -}-, the simplestsign of the cross of Calvary. But, although Christi-anity has progressed, and the former theology is nowremembered only as an interesting superstition of achildish age, the Christian symbols have fallen intocomplete desuetude, and the mark, which so manycenturies ago represented a devout petition to thegreat thunderer, is still seen at the head of our pre-scriptions, modified by the addition of the perpen-dicular stroke, which makes it equally the initial ofRecipe, and the prayer to Jove. Octarius (a pint)and Congius (a gallon) are reduced to their initials,O and C. Quantum snjjicit (a sufficient quantity) isrepresented by q. s. Minimum (a minim) is indicatedby m, or by m. Granum (a grain) is condensedinto gr. ; gutta (a drop), into gtt. ; semissis (a half),and cum sernisse (with a half), into ss; and libra (apound), into tb. Arbitrary signs have been adoptedfor the representation of drachma (a drachm), 3,

[Part

uncia (an ounce), §, and scrupulus (a scruple), 9;and, when a fluidraclim or a fluidounce is wanted,the letter f is placed before the sign for drachm orounce, as the case may be. An abbreviation or signstands for any case of the Latin noun which it repre-sents. The Roman numerals are used instead of thefull Latin numeral adjective ; so we have i, v, x, c,d, etc. As I and J were interchangeable in theoriginal Latin, it is customary to write j instead of i,when the latter would stand as the last letter in anumeral combination, thus, ij, yj, xij, instead of ii,vi, xii; but this is, of course, a matter of no con-siderable consequence. It will be observed that thelower-case characters are used instead of capitals.

Next, there are some abbreviations which are per-missible. Most of the names designating the kindsof pharmaceutical preparations come under this head.Thus, we may make the first few letters of a noun oradjective stand for any of its cases, as pil. forpiiula , chart, for chartufa, mist, for mistura, liq. forliquor, pulv. for pulvis, tinct. for tinctura, syr. for syru-pus, aq. for aqua, comp, for compositus, composita, orcomposition, fi. for fiuidus, fiuida, or fiuidion, dil. fordilutus, diluta, or dilution. It is likewise very connraon to reduce the names of the drugs in the sameway, as Hydrarg. for Hydrargyrum, Morph, for Mor-ph ina, Bellad. for Belladonna, Ipecac, for Ipecacuanha ,

Antim. for Antimonmm, Amyg. for Amygdala. Anais contracted into aa. A number of the verbs whichare employed are abbreviated, fiat and fiant becora-ing ft., divide shortening into div., and misce andsign a dwindling into M. and S. respectively. A fewof these are so obvious as almost to belong in theclass of desirables.

Finally come those which are never to be tolerated,end the} are put in this class of inexcusables be-


i.J RULES FOR WRITING PRESCRIPTIONS. 31

cause of their ambiguity. Examples are found inAcid. Sidph., which may mean Acidum Sulphuricumor Acidum Sulphurosum ; Hydr. Gldor. which might lieHydrargyri Chloridum, or Hydras Chloralis; Acid.Hydroc. , which is equally an abbreviation of AcidumHydrochloricurn, and Acidum Hydrocyanicum. Onewho knows airy thing of the physiological action ofthese agents will see at once that here are chancesfor mistakes which might be not only injurious, buteven deadly. The principle to guide us in all abbre-viating is the rule of clearness. If a word whenabbreviated could possibly be mistaken for anyother, write it out in full. And, indeed, in all cases,excepting those first mentioned, it is far better towrite every letter. There can then be no questionas to the meaning. If the objection is raised thatthis method takes more time, it may be suggestedthat when a physician’s business is so extensive thathe cannot spare an extra minute on each prescrip-tion for the sake of protecting his patient from thedanger of taking the wrong medicine, it behooveshim to consider whether his duty to the sick andto himself does not require such a reduction ofhis work as will allow him to devote enough timeand attention to every case to treat it in allrespects with deliberate care. Human life andhealth are too precious to be trifled with, andhurry (I do not mean rapidity) in therapeutics is asin. Physicians who have long and, so far as theyknow, safely abbreviated may scout those ideas, andsc off at what they may think the pedantry of a fullyexpressed prescription; but no such comments willbo made by apothecaries, who are so often perplexedand harassed by these abridgments, which, if thetruth were to be told, owe their existence less fre-quently to lack of time than to ignorance.

32 PRESCRIPTION WRITING. [Pa ut

Though it is a minor point, it is worth mentioning,that a prescription has a much more elegant appear-ance if written in accordance with the advice givenabove. As in other matters, such a considerationdeserves attention. A bistoury may, perhaps, cutas well without as with a crocus polish; but theburnished surface is a satisfaction, and a surgeonlikes to have his knife not only sharp, but shining.

The prescription which has been discussed might,then, be safely and correctly written as follows :

R. Ferri Sulphatis t)j,Extract! Quassiae 3ij.

M. et in pil. xxv div.S. For Mr. John Jacens. Take one pill half an hour

before each meal.Peter Probang, M.D.,

21, 111, 1875. 8 Laudanum Lane.But it would be more attractive in appearance ifonl}’ the nouns and adjectives of weight and quantitywere abbreviated.

Let us take another English prescription andtranslate it into Latin. The address and date maybe omitted, as unnecessary to the example :

Take of Fluid Extract of Ergot three and a half ounces,of Tincture of Digitalis half an ounce.

Mix. Mark, Half a teaspoonful thrice daily.“Take” becomes Recipe. “Fluid Extract of

Ergot ”is Extraction Ergotce Fluidnm. But we wantthe Latin equivalent of “ ofFluid Extract of Ergot,”which is found in the genitive form. Extraction andFluidnm both make their genitive by changing theterminal urn into i; so “of Fluid Extract” isExtracti Fluidi. Ergotce is the genitive of Ergota,and already means “of Ergot,” so it undergoes noalteration. Preserving the original order, we have

I.] RULES FOR WETTING PRESCRIPTIONS. 33

Extracti Ergata; Fluidi. “Ounces” being in theobjective case after “ Take,” the Latin needs tbeaccusative plural of uncia (an ounce) after Recipe.This is uncias. This word being feminine, we lookfor the feminine accusative of the Latin numeral for“ three” (page 49), and get tres. “ And a half” isequivalent to the Latin cum semisse (with a half).The first line, then, will stand, Recipe Extract! FrgotceFluidi uncias tres cum semisse.

“ Tincture of Digitalis ”is Tinctura Digitalis. Inorder to change this to “ of Tincture of Digitalis,”we put Tinctura into the genitive, which is done bymaking the ending a into ce, Tincturce Digitalis.Digitalis, already meaning what we desire, remainsundisturbed. “ Half an ounce ” is uncice semissis,uncice being the genitive of uncia, and meaning “ ofan ounce,” and semissis meaning “ a half.” Butthis needs to be changed into the accusative as thedirect object of Recipe. Semissis has semissem for itsaccusative, and uncice, being uninfluenced by thererb, continues the same. The second line will thenread Tincturce Digitalis uncice semissem.

“Mix” and “Mark” become respectively Miseeand Signa, as before, and the directions will betranscribed exactly as they stand. Employing thedesirable abbreviations, we have the translation asfollows:

R. Extract! Ergotse Fluidi giijss,Tincturse Digitalis §ss.

Misce. Signa, Half a teaspoonful thrice daily.Here is the formula for the Compound Cathartic

Pills of the pharmacopoeia (1880):Take of Compound Extract of Colocynth thirty-two grains,

of Abstract of Jalap,of Mild Chloride of Mercury, each, twenty-four

grains,

[Part

of Gamboge six grains,of Water a sufficient quantity.

Mix. Divide into twenty-four pills.As in previous similar cases, the name of a drug of

which a preparation is used undergoes no change,because it is already in the exact form which wedesire; so “of Colocynth,” “of Jalap,” and “ofMercury ” remain as they are in the pharmacopoeia!names of the several preparations ; namely, Colocyn-thidis, Jalapce, and Hydrargyri. “ Compound Ex-tract,” “ Abstract,” “ Mild Chloride,” “ Gamboge,”and “Water,” being all in the objective after “ of,”must have their Latin equivalents put into the geni-tive ; thus we have Extractum Composition turnedinto Extract! Composite, Ahstractum into Abstracti,Clduridum Mite into Chloridi Mitis, Carnbogia intoCambogice, and Aqua into Agues. “Grains” inevery instance would be grana, the accusative pluralof granum, and the direct object of Recipe ;

“ each ”

is ana ;“ thirty-two ” is triginta dua (dua being the

neuter numeral and agreeing with grand) ;“ twenty-

four” is viginti quatuor; “six” is sex; and “asufficient quantity ” is quantum sujjicit. The resthas been explained before. The following is theresult:—

R. Extracti Colocynthidis Compositi gr. xxxij,Abstract! Jalapae,Hydrargyri Chloridi Mitis, ana gr. xxiv,Cambogise gr. vj,Aqute q. s.

Misce. In pilulas xxiv divide.Suppose we want to prescribe a dozen of these

pills, which, being officinal, are kept ready made inall shops, and are known as Pilules Gatharticcs Com-posites. We write:

R. Pilulas Catharticas Compositas xij.



Here it will be observed that the name of themedicine is written in the accusative case, instead ofthe genitive, as is usual; for the reason that there isno noun of weight or capacity to stand as immediateobject of Recipe , but only the name of the medicineitself, with a limiting numeral adjective agreeingwith it. If we ordered pills by the pound or pint, weshould then be obliged to put their name in the geni-tive ; as, for example, as follows: R. PilularnraCatharticarum Compositarum octarium unum ; thatis, Take one pint of Compound Cathartic Rills.

Another example:Take of Carbolic Acid two drachms,

of Alcohol,of Glycerine, each, one ounce,of Water six ounces.

Mix. Mark, Use as a lotion.

Employing the accredited abbreviations, and tak-ing it for granted that the rules already repeatedlyillustrated are understood, it will readily be seen howthis becomes

R. Acidi Carbolici 3ij,Alcoholis,Glycerini, ana 5 bAquae 5 vj.

Misce. Signa, Use as a lotion.Occasionally the physician, having decided upon

the whole quantity of his prescription, finds that,after having written down the names and amounts ofall the active elements, some inert substance is neededto make up the required bulk, or to act as vehiclefor the rest. In such cases it is the custom of some,instead of reckoning the exact amount of the addi-tional substance, to order the apothecary to put in

36 PRE 5CRIPTION WRITING. [Pa rt

enough ofit to make the whole measure, or weigh, somuch. This is usually expressed by the prepositionad, here meaning “up to.” For example, take thisprescription :

R. Potassii Bromidi gjss,Amraonii Bromidi 3iv,Extract! Conii Fluid! 3iv,Extracti Juglandis Fluidi gij,Aquse ad |vj.

Misce.

Though this practice is quite common, and is properenough in itself considered, it is not altogether un-objectionable. I have known at least one instancein which an apothecary, who was unfamiliar withthis style of writing prescriptions, translated theLatin preposition by the verb which has the samepronunciation in English, and actually ad(led a num-ber of ounces of syrup where only a few drachmswere ordered. Until we can confidently count on amore extensive knowledge than such compoundersdisplay, it will be safer to reckon the quantity ofeach ingredient ourselves.

A few words which are not pharmacopoeial, andnot names of medicines, are often convenient in pre-scriptions. The chief of those not already mentionedare chartula (a powder), pars (a part), layena (abottle), scatula (a box), capsula (a capsule), cequa-

Us (equal). Chartula literally means “ a little sheetof paper,” but is used to designate one of the equalparts of a pulverized medicine enclosed in a bit ofpaper, and ordinarily called “a powder.” Pulvis isthe name applied to a powdered substance, chartulato a little package of it prepared as a dose. Thus,if we desire to give a patient several doses of Dover’sPowder, we may write:


R. Pulveris Ipecacuanhas et Opii 3j.In chartulas sex divide.Signa, One at a dose.

Here we say, In chartulas instead of In pulvetes,because we not only want the Dover’s Powder dividedinto six parts, but we want each of these done up ina little paper. Pars is employed when we order afraction of any measure or weight, as grant partem sex-tant, — the sixth part of a grain. Lagena is con-venient in ordering some preparation which is usuallykept in the shops in bottles of a given capacity, asthe Solution of Citrate of Magnesium, which is putup in twelve-ounces bottles, one of which we mayorder thus:

R. Liquoris Magnesii Citratis lagenam.Sometimes favorite preparations are kept on handin little boxes, each containing a known number oflozenges, pills, or other dry solids ; and one of thesepackages may be had under the name of scaiula.Medicines of disagreeable taste, which may be ad-ministered in small doses, are often advantageouslyenclosed in capsules of gelatine or jujube paste.When we desire this, we use the word capsula, justasin some other cases we do chartula. The numeraladjectives and adverbs will be found in the SecondPart.

There are a few very common inaccuracies whichseem worthy of mention. It is improper to writeFiat Mistura instead of Misce, unless the preparationis really to be a pharmacopoeial Mistara, that is, asuspension of an insoluble substance in an aqueousfluid. It is incorrect to write grs. as the abbreviationfor grana, because there is no s in the word whichis shortened. The proper reduction is gr. for bothsingular and plural. So, also, pilula and pilules

[Part I

shouldbe abridged into pil., and not pill. Once in awhile a prescription is seen in which the s is left outof Misce, —an error which is suggestive of the super-stitions and barbarisms ofmedicine hundreds of yearsago.

It would be easy to multiply examples’of prescrip-tion-writing, but it is believed that enough have beengiven to illustrate the principles which must be ob-served in the work. The student is recommended topractise diligently in turning such English prescrip-tions as he may come across into proper Latin, andin correcting those which he finds are faulty. Asabbreviations and signs are universally allowed incertain parts of prescriptions, the main difficulty willbe experienced in changing the pharmacopoeia! namesfrom nominative into genitive. Especial stress is,therefore, laid upon the necessity of learning the rulesfor the formation of this case, and fixing them inmemory, as can be done only by persistent applica-tion and practice.


SECOND PART.

WORDS USED IN WRITING PRESCRIPTIONS.

In this part are collected the Latin words whichare used in naming the drugs and preparations of theUnited States Pharmacopoeia, and such unofficinalmedicinal articles as are extensively ordered in pre-scriptions ; also, other words which are necessary orconvenient in prescription-writing. The botanicalnames of the plants from which vegetable medicinesare derived are not given, unless the}’ chance to beidentical with the pharmacopoeial names, for the rea-son that the latter 011I3’ are used in prescriptions.

The following hints will assist in the use of thisvocabulary:

If a word ends in a, it probably will be found inList I. If not, it is most likely the nominative pluralof some word in List 111.

Words ending in US are mostly in List 11. Butsome words in us are in List IV, and others in List V.

A final um generally points to List 111. If not,it probably indicates a genitive plural.

If a word ends in as, it is probably the genitive ofsome word in List I.

The termination i almost certainly indicates thegenitive of a word in List II or List 111.

The ending is usually means that the word is thegenitive of some member of List IV.


LIST I.

FIRST DECLENSION.

Nouns and adjectives ending in a, declined likeRosa (see page 19).

All nouns and adjectives in a which are used inprescriptions are thus declined, excepting Aspido-spcrma, Physostigma, Theobronia, (see List IV),una, and tria (see page 49).

Acacia.Alba.Aloina.Althaea.Amara.Americana.Ammonia.Ammoniata.Amygdala.Apomorphina.Aqua.Arnica.Aromatica.Asafoetida.Atropina.Avena.Bacca.Belladonna.Berberina.Bergamotta.Betula.Brayera.Bryonia.Burgundica.Caffeina.Calendula.Calumba.

Cambogia.Camphora.Camphorata.Capsula.Cascara.Cascarilla.Cassia.Castanea.Cathartica.Centifolia.Cera.Cetraria.Charta.Chartula.Chimaphila.Chirata.Chlorata.Cimicifuga,Cinchona,Cinchonina.Cinchonidina.Citrata.Coca.Cocaina.Codeina.Composita.Convallaria.

Copaiba,Greta.Cubeba.Deodorata.Destillata.Dimidia.Drachma.Dulcamara.Elastica.Ergota.Fistula.Flava.Fluidrachm a.Fluiduncia.Frangula.Galla.Gallica.Gaultheria.Gentiana.Glabra.Glycyrrhiza.Grindelia.Guarana.Gutta.Guttar-percha.Hedeoma.Herba.

41WORDS USED IN WRITING.

Hydrastinina.Hyoscina.Hyoscyamina.Ichthyocolla.Tgnatia.Indica.Inula.Ipecacuanha.Jalapa.Kamala.Krameria.Lagena.Lana.Lappa.Lavandula.Leptandra.Libra.Liquida.Lobelia.Magnesia.Magnolia.Manna.Massa.Matricaria.Medulla.Melissa.Mentha.Mistura.Monobromata.Morphina.Morrhua.Myrcia.

Myristica.Myrrha.Narcotin a.Nigra.Oleoresiua.Oliva.Pareira.Physostigmina.Phytolacca.Pilocarpina.Pilula.Pimenta.Piperina.Piperita.Ponderosa.Potassa.Pr separata.Pulsatilla.Purificata.Purshiana.Quassia.Quillaja.Quinina.Quinidina.Resina.Rosa.Rubra.Ruta.Sabina.Salvia.Sanguinaria.

Santonica.Sarsaparilla.Scatula.Scilla.Scutellaria.Senega.Senna.Serpentaria.Socotrina.Soda.Sparteina.Spigelia.Staphisagria.Stillingia.Strychnina.Sulphurata.Terebinthina.Theobroma.Thuja.Tinctura.Tolutana.Tragacantha.Uncia.IJva.Yaleriana.Vanilla.Yeratrina.Viola.Yirginiana.Vomica.Zea.

Nouns ending in e (see foot-note, page 19).1

Aloe. Mastiche.

1 A number of neuter adjectives end in e, as dulce, glaciale,mite. (See List IV.)


LIST 11.SECOND DECLENSION.

Nouns and adjectives ending in us, declined likeRidms (see page 20).

All nouns and adjectives in us which are used inprescriptions are thus declined, excepting Fortinsand Rhus (see List IV), the nouns of the fourthdeclension (see List V), and unus (see page 49).

[The (f.) after a word means that it is feminine.]

Aceticus.Aromaticus.Benzoinatus.Calamus.Caryophyllus.Chondrus,Coccus.Compositus.Congius.Crocus.Dilutus.Dimidius.Eucalyptus.Euonymus.Exsiccatus.Ficus.Flavus.F usus.

Granulatus.Humulus.Hydrosus.Hyoscyamus.Hseus.Juniperus (f.).Moschus.Nitrosus.Octarius.Odoratus.Opulus.Phosphorus.Pilocarpus.Prsecipitatus.Primus.Purificatus.Rhamnus.

Ricinus.Rosmarinus.Rubus.Saccharatus,Sambucus (f.).Scoparius.Scrupulus.Strophanthus.Succus.Syrupus.Tamarindus.Thymus.Tolutanus.Trochiscus.Ulmus (f.).Ursus.Yitellus.


LIST 111.SECOND DECLENSION.

Nouns and adjectives ending in um, declined likeAcid/un (see page 21).

All nouns and adjectives in um which are used inprescriptions are thus declined, excepting unum (seepage 49).Absinthium.Absolutum.Abstractum,Acetanilidum.Aceticum.Acetum.Acidum.Aconitum.iEthereum.Album.Alcoholicum.Alkalinum.Allium.Aloinum.Aluminum.Amarurn.Ammoniacum.Ammoniatum.Ammonium,Amylum.Anisum.Antimonium.Apioleum.Apocynum.Aquosum.Argentum.Aromaticum.Arsenosum.Arsenum.

Aspidium.Aurantium.Aurum.Balsamum.Barium,Benziiium.Benzoicum.Benzoinum.Bismuthum.Bisulphidum.Boricum.Boroglycerinum.Bromidum.Bromum.Cadinum.Calcium.Cantharidatum.Capsicum.Carbolicum.Carboneum.Cardamomum.Carum.Caulophyllum.Ceratum.Cerium.Cetaceum.Chelidonium.

‘ Chenopodium.Chinoidinum.

Chloridum.Chloroformum.Chlorum.Chromicum.Chrysarobinum.Cinnamomum.Citricum.Colchicum.Collodium.Composituin.Conium.Coriandum.Corrosivum.Creosotum.Crudum.Cuprum.Cyanidum.Cydonium,Cypripedium.Decoctuni.Denarcotis atu m.Deodoratum.Despumatum.Dialysatum.Dilutuni.Dimidium.Dioxidum.Disulphidum.Elaterilium.


Emplastrum.Emulsum.Eupatorium.Expressum.Exsiccatura.Extractum.Eerrocyanidum.Ferrum.Flavum.Fluidum.Foeniculum.Folium.Frumentum.Galbanum.Gallicum.Gelsemium.Geranium.Glonoinum.Glycerinum.Glyceritum.Glycyrrhizinum.Gossypium.Grammarium.Granatum.Granum.Guaiacum.Hydrargyrum.Hydratum.Hydriodicum.Hydrobromicum.Hydrochloricum.Hydrocyanicum.Hydrogenium.Hypophosphoro-

sum.niicium.Infusum.Ingluvinum.Inspissatum.lodatum.lodidum.

lodofornium.lodum.Lacticum.Lactucarium.Lignum.Linimentum.Linum.Liquidum.Lithium.Lotum.Lupulinum.Lycopodium.Magnesium.Maltum.Manganum.Marrubium.Menispermum.Mezereum.Minimum.Naphthalinum.Nigrum.Nitricum.N itrpglycerinum.N itrohydiochlo-

ricum.Oleatum.Oleicum.Oleum.Opium.Origanum.Ovum.Oxidatum.Oxidum.Oxygenium.Pancreatinum.Paraldehydum.Pepsinum.Peruvianum.Petrolatum.Petroleum.Phenacetinum.

Phosphidum.Phosphoratum,Phosphoricum.Picrotoxinum.Piperinum.Plumbum.Podophyllum.Potassium.Prgecipitatum.Prunifolium.Prunum.Purificatum.Purum.Pyrethrum.Pyroxilinum.Quantum.Rectificatum.Reductum.Resorcinum.Rheum.Rubrum.Saccharatum.Saccharum.Saigonicum.Salicinum.Salicylicum.Santalum.Santoninum.Scammonium.Sesamum.Sevum.Sodium.Spissum.Stearicum.Stramonium.Strontium.Stypticum.Sublimatum.Succinura.Sulphidum.Sulphuratum.


Sulphuricum.Sulphurosum.Suppositorium.Tabacum.Tanacetum.Tannicura.Taraxacum.

Tartaricum.Terebenum.Terpinum.Tiglium.Tolutanum.Triticum.Unguentum.

Yeratrum.Viburnum.Vinum.Xanthoxylum.Xericuin.Zeylanicum.Zincum.

Nouns ending in on (see foot-note, page 20).

Eriodictyon.Erythroxylon.

Hsematoxylon.Toxicodendron.

LIST IV.

THIRD DECLENSION.

Nouns and adjectives of various endings, declinedlike Liquor (see page 21) or Marmor (see page 22).

The first column contains the nominative, the sec-ond the genitive, of each word. In the genitivecolumn all but the case-ending is is the stem to whichthe proper ending of each case is affixed. The neu-ters are marked as such. (See rule about accusativesof neuters, page 21.)

These words are far more difficult to form thanthose of any other declension, and must, for the mostpart, be learned arbitrarily, by sheer force of memory.A little help may be found in the fact that more thanone fourth of .them end in as, and that of these allbut one (,Asclepias ) change the as to atis in thegenitive.

Acetas. Acetatis.Adeps. Adipis.iEqualis. JEqualis.


iEther.Alcohol (neut.).Albumen (neut.).Alumen (neut.).Animalis.Anthemis.Antimonialis.Arsenas.Arsenis.Asclepias.Aspidosperma (neut.),Barbadensis.Benzoas.Bicarbonas.Bichromas.Bisulphas.Bisulphis.Bitartras.Boras.Bos.Calx.Canadensis.Cannabis.Cantharis.Carbo.Carbonas.Chloral (neut.).Chloras.Citras.Colocynthis.Confectio.Cortex.Digitalis.Dulce (neut.).Dulcis.Effervescens.Emulsio.Erigeron.

iEtheris.Alcoholis.1

Albuminis.Aluminis.Animalis.Anthemidis.Antimonialis.Arsenatis.Arsenitis.Asclepiadis.Aspidospermatis.Barbadensis.Benzoatis.Bicarbon atis.Bichromatis.Bisulphatis.Bisulphitis.Bitartratis.Boratis.Bovis.Calcis.Canadensis.Cannabis.Cantharidis.Carbonis.Carbonatis.Chloralis.Chloratis.Citratis.Colocynthidis.Confectionis.Corticis.Digitalis.Dulcis.Dulcis.Effervescentis.Emulsionis.Erigerontis.

1 Considered indeclinable by some authorities.


Fel (neut.).Flexile (neut,).Flos.Fortior.Fortius (neut.).Glaciale (neut ).

Hamamelis.Hirudo.Hydras.Hydrastis.Hydrobromas.Hydrochloras.Hypophosphis.Hyposulphis.Iris.Juglans.Lac (neut.).Lactophosphas.Lactas.Limon.Liquor.Lotio.Macis.Majalis.Mel (neut.).Mite (neut.).Molle (neut.).Mollis.Mucilago.Nitras.Nitris.Nux.Oxalas.Pars.Pepo.Permanganas.Phosphas.Physostigma (neut.).Piper (neut.).Pix.Portense (neut.).

Fellis.Flexilis.Floris.Fortioris.Fortioris.Glacialis.Hamamelidis.Hirudinis.Hydratis.Hydrastis.Hydrobromatis.Hydrocliloratis.Hypophosphitis.Hyposulphitis.Iridis.Juglandis.Lactis.LactophosphatisLactatis.Limonis.Liquoris.Lotionis.Macidis.Majalis.Mellis.Mitis.Mollis.Mollis.Mucilaginis.Nitratis.Kitritis.Nucis.Oxalatis.Partis.Peponis.Per manganatis.Phospliatis.Physostigmatis.Piperis.Picis.Porteu sis.


Pulvis.Pyi’ophosphas.Radix.Recens.Rhus.Rumex,Salicylas.Salix.Santoninas.Sapo.Semen (neut.).Semissis.Silicas.Sinapis.Soluliile (neut,).Solubilis.Styrax.Subacetas.Subcarbonas.Subnitras.Subsulphas.Sulphas.Sulphis.Sulphocarbolas.Sulphur (neut.).Tartras.Tersulphas.Theobroma (neut,).Trituratio.Yalerianas.Yegetabilis.Yenale (neut.).Venalis.Viride (neut.).Yiridis.Volatile (neut,).Zingiber (neut.).

Pulveris.Pyrophosphatis.Radicis.Recentis.Rhois or Roris.Rumicis.Salicylatis.Salicis.Santoninatis.Saponis.Seminis.Semissis.Silicatis.Sinapis.Solubilis.Solubilis.Styracis.Subacetatis.Subcarbonatis.Subnitratis.Subsulphatis.Sulphatis.Sulphitis.Sulphocarb olatis.Sulphur is.Tartratis.Tersulphatis.Theobromatis.Triturationis.Valerian a tis.Yegetabilis.Yenalis.Yenalis.Yiridis.Yiridis.Yolatilis.Zingiberis,


LIST V.

FOURTH DECLENSION.

Nouns ending in us, which are declined like Fruc-tus (see page 22). They are exceptions to the rulethat words ending in us are declined like Rubus.

Cornus, Fructus. Quercus. Spiritus.

LIST VI.

INDECLINABLE NOUNS.

In addition to those words which are universallytreated as indeclinable, there are included in thislist some words of recent origin, which are notpharmacopoeia! and, consequently, have not yetbeen officially located by the only authority recog-nized as final in such matters in America; butanalogy seems to justify placing them in this group.

Amyl. Matico.Azedarach. Menthol.Buchu. Methyl.Cajuputi. Naphthol.Catechu. Phenol.Cusso. Pyrogallol.Diachylon. Quebracho.Elixir. Salol.Eucalyptol. Sassafras.Hydronaphthol. Sumbul.Kino. Thymol.


LIST VII,

NUMERAL ADJECTIVES.

Cardinals.All indeclinable, excepting units, duo, tres, mille,

and those denoting hundreds.Unus, one.Duo, two.Tres, three.Quatuor, four.Quinque, five.Sex, six.Septem, seven.Octo, eight.Novem, nine.Decern, ten.Undecim, eleven.Duodecim, twelve.Tredecim, thirteen.Quatuordecim, fourteen.Quindecim, fifteen.Sexdecim, sixteen.Septendecim, seventeen.Octodecirn, eighteen.Novendecim, nineteen.

Viginti, twenty,T riginta, thirty.Qnadraginta, forty.Quinquaginta,fifty.Sexaginta, sixty.Septuaginta, seventy.Octoginta, eighty.Nonaginta, ninety.Centum, a hundred.Ducenti, two hundred.Trecenti, three hundred.Quadringentijfour hundred.Quingenti, five hundred.Sexcenti, six hundred.Septingenti, seven hundred.Octingenti, eight hundred.Nongenti, nine hundred.Mille, a thousand.

To form the numbers between twenty and thirty,between thirty and forty, and so on, the Englishmethod is followed, the larger number being placedfirst. Thus, “twenty-one” becomes viginti unus ;“ fifty-six,” quinquaginta sex; “ seventy-four,”septuayinta quatuor.

To express a given number of thousands we pro-ceed as in English, placing the smaller numeral first.Thus, “ ten thousand” becomes decern millia.


Combinations of numerals are made by the use ofthe conjunction et, “ and.”

The words for “ one,” “ two,” and “ three” mustagree with their nouns in gender, as well as incase, and the same holds good for those indicatinghundreds.

Unus is thus declinedMasculine. Feminine, Neuter.

Nominative unus una unumGenitive uuius unius uuiusAccusative unum unam unum

Duo is thus declined :

Masculine. Feminine. Neuter.Nominative duo duse duoGenitive duorum duarum duorumAccusative duos duas duo

Tres is thus declined :

Masculine. Feminine. Neuter.Nominative tres tres triaGenitive trium trium triumAccusative tres tres tria

The cardinals denoting hundreds are declined inthe masculine form (which alone is given in the list)like the plural of Rubus, in the feminine like that ofRosa, and in the neuter like that of Acidum.

For illustration, we will take trecenti, “ threehundred ”

:

Masculine.Nominative trecentiGenitive trecentorumAccusative trecentos

Feminine. Neuter.trecentae trecentatrecentarum trecentorumtrecentas trecenta

Mille, a thousand, is a neuter of the third declen-sion, its genitive singular being millis, “of a thou-sand,” and its genitive plural, millnon, “of thou-sands.”


Ordixals.

Only the masculine form of each is given; buteach has a feminine, ending in a instead of us, and aneuter, ending in um instead of us. The mascu-lines are declined like Habits (see page 20), thefeminines like Rosa (seepage 19), and the neuterslike Acidum (see page 21).

Primus first.Secundus second.Tertius third.Quartus fourth.Quintus fifth.Sextus sixth.Septimus seventh.Octavus eighth.Nonas ninth.Decimus tenth.Undecimus eleventh.Duodecimus twelfth.Tertius decimus .... thirteenth.Quartus decimus .... fourteenth.Quintus decimus .... fifteenth.Sextus decimus .... sixteenth.Septimus decimus . . . seventeenth.Octavus decimus .... eighteenth.Nonus decimus .... nineteenth.Yicesimus twentieth.Vicesimus primus . . . twenty-first.Yicesimus secundus . . . twenty-second.Tricesimus thirtieth.Quadragesimus .... fortieth.Quinquagesiraus .... fiftieth.Sexagesimus sixtieth.Septuagesimus seventieth.Octogesimus eightieth.Nonagesimus ninetieth.Centesimus one hundredth.

IFORDN USED IN WRITING.

LIST VIIIVERBS.

Adde add.Bulliat let (it) boilCola strain.Divide divide.Fiat let (it) be made.Fiant let (them) be made.Macera macerate.Misce mix.Recipe take.Repetatur .... let (it) be repeated.Signa mark, or label.Solve dissolve.Sufficit (it) suffices.Tere rub.

LIST IX.CONJUNCTIONS, PREPOSITIONS, AND ADVERBS.

Ad toAna of each.Cum with.Et and.In into, or up to.Xon not.Yel or.

Numeral Adverbs.Semel once.Bis twice.Ter . . . . . thrice.Quater four times.Quinquies .... five times.Sexies six times.Septies seven times.Octies eight times.Novies nine times.Decies ten times.

APPENDIX.

THE METRIC SYSTEM IN PRESCRIPTIONS.

Since the body of this book was written, so muchattention has been bestowed upon the metric system asto make it desirable to add a few words on its use inprescription writing. It is not intended to discuss themerits or disadvantages of this method of reckoning;it is sufficient to know that an acquaintance with it israpidly becoming an absolute necessity to every manwho wants to read medical works intelligently.

In the transition stage from the old system of weightsand measures to the new, we must know both ; but thedifficulty of translating one into the terms of the otheris very slight. In prescription writing it is by far thebest plan to do away with the measures of volume, anduse only the measures of weight. This does not makeit necessary to remember the specific gravity of eachseparate liquid preparation ; for in most cases sufficientaccuracy is attained by reckoning all as if they werewater, except the syrups, which are about one-thirdheavier, chloroform, which is one-halfheavier, and ether,which is one-third lighter. Of the weights we needemploy only the gram, which is the unit, the centigram,the one-hundredth part of a gram, and the milligram,the one-thousandth part of a gram; which correspondexactly with the commonest terms in our United Statesmoney, namely, the dollar, the unit, cent (or centidol-lar, to make the nomenclature structurally correspond-

56 PRESCRIPTION WRITING.

ent in all respects), the one-hundredth part of a dollar,and mill (millidollar), the one-thousandthpart of a dollar.A gram being a little more than fifteen grains, a grainor minim is about .065 of a gram, or sixty-five milli-grams ; a drachmor fluidrachm is a trifle less than four (4)grams; and an ounce or fluid ounce a little less thanthirty-two (32) grams. If we drop the .005, the mostinconvenient part of the fraction, and call .06 of a gram(six centigrams) a grain, we shall be sufficiently near forthe practical purposes of ordinary medication, makingour small error on the safe side, by giving the patientless than he would be likely to get by the presentmethod. We generally deviate, too, in the right direc-tion in calling four grams a drachm, and thirty-twograms an ounce; for the substances given in drachmaand ounces are usually the vehicle, or, if not that, areof such a nature that so small an increase of the dosewould make no difference in the effect. In adminis-tering medicines there is, in the most favorable circum-stances, a certain general sphere of error which isinevitable. We cannot precisely apportion doses tothe needs of the sick; and variations like those whichwill result from the ready method of translation givenabove are no greater than occur many times a day inthe practice of a busy physician who does not diminishor increase the conventional grain dose of a drugaccording as the patient is a few pounds lighter orheavier than the average, has a pulse a few beats lessor more, or a nervous susceptibility a trifle below orabove the common.

The use of the Arabic characters in metrically writ-ten prescriptions is essential to ready clearness and tocomfort, as the fractions of a gram could be representedby the Roman numerals only by a tedious and, tomany, not very intelligible combination. It cannotwith much force be asserted that the use of these figures

THE METRIC SYSTEM. 57

is a mixing of tongues such as has been objected to inthe preceding pages; for these characters are hardlymore arbitrary as signs for words than are the Roman.F'or instance, quadraginta would not seem to be morenaturally represented by XL than by 40. It is best toseparate the whole numbers from the fractions by thedecimal line, as we do in writing a column of dollarsand cents. Gram, (the abbreviation for Grammariumand Grammaria, the Latin for gram and grams respec-tively) should be written with a capital initial and afterthe number indicating the quantity, so as to reduce toa minimum the chance of the apothecary’s confoundingit with gr. (the abbreviation for grauum and grana)which is placed before the number.

Example:R. Strychnine Snlphatis 0 05 Gram.

Quinine Bisulphatis 200 “

Acidi Phosphorici Diluti 20 00 “

Syrupi Pruni Yirginiane 70 00 “

Aque Destillate 50 00 “

Misce.

PRESCRIPTION! T’

Gerrish

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