Summit County Labor News

The Summit County Labor News, in cooperation with the
Anti-Tuberculosis League of Summit County, presents this
weekly column as an additional public service. We suggest
that you clip and save these instructive articles and receive
continuing benefit from this feature.

NEITHER A BORROWER
NOR A LENDER BE

When you have a headache or a
backache, and you go to the medicine
cabinet looking for a remedy,
are you ever tempted to take a dose
of that medicine the doctor prescribed
for Aunt Mary that made
her feel better so quickly? Resist the
temptation!

When the doctor prescribed it for
Aunt Mary, it was tailored to fit her
particular physical condition and
whatever was causing her symptoms.
You are quite another case, and the
medicine might not fit you-might
indeed be harmful to you. Your
symptoms may be due to an entirely
different ailment. If a simple remedy
such as aspirin doesn't help you, take
your symptoms to the doctor and let
him decide what medicine will fit you.

As a matter of fact, it is a good
rule not to keep what is left of any
prescription after it is no longer
needed. Saving it for the next time
is poor economy, since by then you
may have changed, the germs you
have may have changed, and the
medicine itself may have changed
while sitting on the bathroom shelf.

The doctor has a wide range of
drugs to prescribe these days--drugs
that are marvelously effective against
many of the diseases that have
plagued mankind for centuries. But
they must be used with great care or
they are worse than useless. In pre-
scribing them, the doctor not only has
in mind which drugs are effective
against which ills, but he selects the
form of drug most suitable in the cir-
cumstances. He considers his patient,
as well, and watches for signs of
special sensitivity.

So let the doctor decide what
medicine you will take, and when you
will take it. Follow exactly the di-
rections he gives you. And don't bor-
row prescribed medicine, or lend
yours to anyone else.