This section is from the book "Practical Materia Medica And Prescription Writing", by Oscar W. Bethea. Also available from Amazon: Practical Materia Medica and Prescription Writing.
A prescription should consist of the following seven parts:
Date.
Name of the patient and information as to age.
Superscription, or heading.
Inscription, or main body of the prescription.
Subscription, or directions to the compounder.
Signatura, or directions for the patient.
A prescription is frequently divided into the superscription, including all above the list of ingredients; the inscription, including the ingredients and their amounts; the subscription, including all below this, as directions to compounder, directions for patient, and prescriber's name.
A desirable but not essential part of a prescription is a printed heading, giving the prescriber's name, address, registry number, and other data of interest to the patient and pharmacist.
 
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