Judge — September 19, 1885 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon warns pharmacists to test prescriptions before dispensing them to patients. The image shows a chaotic drugstore scene where multiple figures—appearing to be a doctor, pharmacist, and customers—react with alarm to a medication's effects. The title "A Hint to Druggists" and the text "Try Your Prescription on a Doc Before You Use It" suggest the cartoon is criticizing either incompetent physicians who write dangerous prescriptions or pharmacists who fill them without verification. The character labeled "Dr. Coffin" (a dark pun on "death") emphasizes the potentially fatal consequences of filling untested or incorrectly written prescriptions. This reflects late-19th/early-20th-century concerns about medical and pharmaceutical safety before modern drug regulation existed.