Note 293 — ON THE THEORY AND ART OF PRESCRIBING. (continued 2)

While this sheet was passing through the press, an anecdote was related to me, which is well calculated to illustrate the mischief that may arise from abbreviated prescriptions. One of our most eminent surgeons having occasion to direct the application of a Lead Plaster (Emplast: Lythargyi. P. L. 1787), he abbreviated the term as follows—Emp. Lyth: in the haste of compounding, the h, perhaps carelessly written, was easily mistaken for t, and the chemist accordingly sent the Emplast: Lyttæ! As it was applied to the Pudenda, it is not necessary to state the distress of the patient, and the dismissal of the practitioner, which followed.