1918 Dr Ira B Hull Prescription Script - Presque Isle Maine Pharmacy For Sale

This is a vintage doctor\'s prescription script, dated February 15, 1918, for Dr. Ira B. Hull, a surgeon and physician practicing in Presque Isle, Aroostook County, Maine. The pre-printed form, designated with a Maine State Board of Pharmacy registration number (Reg. No. 3943), prominently cross-promotes Thompson\'s Pharmacy, identified as \"The Prescription Store,\" with its advertisement printed vertically along the left margin. The document is a tangible artifact of early 20th-century medical and pharmaceutical practice, illustrating the symbiotic relationship between local physicians and apothecaries. Dr. Hull\'s office hours, printed as 1 to 4 P.M. and 7.30 to 9 P.M., along with his phone number, 413-2, reflect the standard modes of professional accessibility in a small New England community during this period.The prescription\'s historical and pharmacological significance is contained in the handwritten orders. Using the traditional apothecaries\' system, Dr. Hull prescribed \"Syr. Cocillana Comp ℥ vi,\" or six ounces of Syrup Cocillana Compound, a ubiquitous cough elixir of the era. The \"Sig,\" or directions, instruct the patient to take \"One teaspoonful every 3 hrs. for cough,\" and the script is completed with the doctor\'s initials, \"I. B. H.\" This formulation was a standard expectorant and cough suppressant, often containing derivatives like ethylmorphine, highlighting the period\'s commonplace use of now-controlled substances in general practice. The item exhibits characteristic age-related patina, including paper toning, foxing, a central horizontal fold, and two binder holes along the left edge from archival filing. As a piece of medical ephemera, it serves as a direct primary source documenting therapeutic protocols, commercial alliances in healthcare, and the material culture of early modern American medicine.

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