Strange Animals: What They Are and the Implications of Their Existence

Have you ever wondered why a pill you take can cost several times more than what a friend pays for the same medication for a similar ailment? Of course there is some variation accounted for by corporate greed, a difference in price lists for the many drug store chains, the particular form you are using; such as pill, capsule, powder, liquid, etc., and product availability in your location. The rest can best be explained by an incident in my life some 30-odd years ago. My father was a registered pharmacist, as was my grandfather. In high school and college I often helped out in our family drugstore. One Saturday afternoon in the mid-1960's, one of our best customers seemed bewildered by the fact that her heart medicine had continued to rise in cost almost on a weekly basis. "That's simple to explain," my father told her matter-of-factly." It comes from a plant that grows almost exclusively in Southeast Asia."