150 Years of American Pharmacy: Stirring up interest in Christmas

Editor's note: Throughout 2007, this column has appeared in each issue as part of our sesquicentennial celebration, and tied with the column is a contest. Monthly questions based on this column have been posted on the Drug Topics anniversary microsite. Contestants are eligible to win a Visa gift card of $250. This is the last installment of this column. For details about the contest, which ends at the end of this month, go to http://www.drugtopics.com/.

In 1942 at least, Christmas did come twice. The front page of the Oct. 5, 1942, Drug Topics, which was meant to be posted in pharmacy windows, urged customers: "Don't let your boy down this Christmas." As the war effort was moving into full gear, the poster reminded customers of the Army and Navy rules regarding shipments to soldiers serving overseas. In an editorial, the magazine urged pharmacists to "make a determined effort to stir up interest in Christmas mail to the boys in uniform wherever they might be."