74 
January, 1883. 
THE CHEMIST AND DRUGGIST. 
appeared to me. No show in the windows, and a perfect 
absence of “sundries.” Pharmacy in France being a quasi 
monopoly, I saw that the pharmacien confined himself very 
properly to the sale of drugs and the dispensing of prescrip- 
tions. 
And here I will mention that pharmacy as practised on the 
Continent is strictly confined to the pharmacien. Doctors are 
not allowed to compound prescriptions, nor is the general 
public permitted to deal in drugs. 
In Germany the monopoly is complete, one apotheker being 
allowed a certain district, with so many inhabitants, all to 
himself. In return for this protection he must sell all drugs 
according to a tariff fixed by Government, the price even of a 
bottle being settled for him. It is usual there to mark the 
price charged opposite each item, the total forming the cost of 
prescription, which, being marked in plain figures, is an assur- 
ance to the patient that the same price will be charged every- 
where — at least in Germany. The law compels him also to 
supply any drug required at all hours, and he may be called 
upon to supply a halfpennyworth of syrup of violets at three 
in the morning in winter, with the thermometer far below 
zero. 
The monopoly, however, causes the value of a pharmacy to 
reach a very high figure, and when one is for sale competition 
for its purchase is usually very keen. Once in possession the 
apotheker very often delegates all active duties to a competent 
managing assistant, the fear of a rival having no existence. 
In France, Switzerland, Italy, and some other countries, 
there is no regulation as to the number of pharmacies, except 
that in the case of the first-named country no single pharma- 
cien may own two pharmacies within a radius of one kilometre 
(about two-thirds of a mile). In these countries prices vary 
greatly, according to locality ; for instance, a 5-oz. mixture 
dispensed for sixty centimes (about sixpence) at Sienna, in 
Italy, would be charged two francs and a-half (or two shillings) 
at any first-rate pharmacy in Paris. Such divergencies are 
rather astonishing to customers, and frequently involve a little 
diplomatic explanation, which, though it may silence, I have 
observed does not always appear to satisfy ; the sufferer often 
retiring with a dubious look, which seems to say that “ there 
are more mysteries in pharmacy than are dreamt of in his 
philosophy.” 
Many very old and extraordinary remedies are still in daily 
use in the more remote parts, and the belief in witchcraft and 
the power of the evil eye are indulged in by great numbers. 
As an instance of the latter, although beyond the region of 
pharmacy, I may mention that one day, whilst sitting in a 
cafe in a large city of central Italy, I saw a very old woman, 
terribly wrinkled, enter and begin to beg. Immediately, as if 
by common consent, every person in the room — and there 
could not have been fewer than forty— pointed the index and 
little finger towards the unfortunate woman, by which means 
they hoped to ward off the malefic influence of her glance. 
Some pharmacies, especially in Italy, enjoy a reputation 
for certain drugs, customers coming or sending great dis- 
tances to this particular chemist’s shop. Sometimes it is oil 
of almonds, much used internally, and which they press fresh 
in the customer’s presence ; at other times it may be syrup of 
snails, also in great repute as a specific in consumption, or 
some specialty popularly supposed to be obtainable nowhere 
else, and which has been sold nowhere else within the memory 
of man. 
English drugs have a great reputation, and deservedly so, 
although a great many articles are palmed off as English that 
are innocent of a visit to Britain. 
Such drugs as Peruvian bark, senna, myrrh, scammony, and 
many others, I have never been able to obtain in perfection 
except from London firms. Certain chemicals, also — as, for 
instance, the bicarbonates of soda and potash— made on the 
Continent would not be tolerated in any English pharmacy. 
Essential oils, as a rule, are far dearer in price and inferior in 
quality to the English makers’, and although when exported 
in bulk they are sometimes lower in price, such is not the case 
when purchased in small quantities on the spot. 
On the other hand, all foreign pharmacies of any importance 
possess a good laboratory, with at least one still ; and in 
general I have observed that the preparations are turned out 
with skill, and the work carried on with a due regard to 
economy. Great cleanliness is the rule. In many pharmacies 
all lozenges, pates, syrups, and a great many extracts are 
made on the premises ; and here I will observe that the 
French are remarkable skillful in the preparation of p&tes 
and syrups, the consumption of which amongst them is enor- I" 
mous. Beetroot sugar is used, which does not taste nearly so 1 
sweet as that extracted from the cane. 
Their fluid extracts also deserve notice, some of them — as, 
for instance, the extracts of antiscorbutic plants — retaining 
the characteristic flavour and qualities of the herbs from which 
they are obtained in a remarkable degree. I 
Very frequently a lady may be observed sitting at the head lb 
of the counter and acting as clerk, but I have never seen them in 
act in any other capacity in pharmacy. in 
Somewhere near the centre of the pharmacy a table, with ec 
writing materials, is commonly placed for the conveniece of jif 
medical men who may wish to write prescriptions. At this ar 
table, in small towns, congregate all the idlers and gossipers, p 
making the pharmacy a general centre for news and scandal. !;r 
Here politics and the news of the day are freely discussed, and Ih 
all the small talk of a country town gets thoroughly threshed 
out. 
flutes <iub Abstracts. IJ 
To Clean Brass. — The Government method prescribed for " 
cleaning brass, and in use at all the United States arsenals, is :f 
claimed to be the best in the world. The plan is to make a : 
mixture of one part common nitric acid and one-half part sul- F 
phuric acid, in a stone jar, having also ready a pail of fresh , :s 
water and a box of sawdust. The articles to be treated are f 
dipped into the acid, then removed into the water, and finally ; a 
rubbed with sawdust. This immediately changes them to a 
brilliant colour. If the brass has become greasy, it is first J 
dipped in a strong solution of potash and soda in warm water ; 
this cuts the grease, so that the acid has free power to ) 
act. 
Manufacture of Strong Parchment-Paper Imper- 
vious to Water. — According to the Journ. Soc. of Arts, & 
strong impervious parchment-paper is obtained by thoroughly 
washing woollen or cotton fabrics, so as to remove gum, starch, ! 
and other foreign bodies, then to immerse them in a bath con- : 
taining a small quantity of paper pulp. The latter is made to : 
penetrate the fabric by being passed between rollers. Thus • 
prepared, it is afterwards dipped into sulphuric acid of suitable : 
concentration, and then repeatedly washed in a bath of aqueous ' 
ammonia until every trace of acid has been removed. Finally, 
it is pressed between rollers to remove the excess of liquid, f 
dried between two other rollers which are covered with felt, and |- 
lastly calendered. 
n 
Poisonous Colours.— The German Government has just 
laid before the Reichstag the following decree, bearing date 
1st May, 1882, concerning the prohibition of poisonous colours 
for the colouring of certain alimentary substances and articles it 
of food. 1. The use of poisonous colours for the manufacture 1 
of food- products or articles of food intended for sale is pro- 
hibited. Those which contain the following materials or com- t 
positions are considered as poisonous colours within the mean- : 
ing of this enactment: — Antimony (oxide of antimony), arsenic, 
barium (except sulphate of baryta), lead, chromum (except 
pure chromic oxide), cadmium, copper, mercury (except ji 
cinnabar), zinc, tin, gamboge, picric acid. 2. The preserving 
and packing of food-stuffs or food- products intended for sale ji 
in wrappers coloured with the above-cited poisonous colours, 
or in barrels in which the poisonous colour is so employed that 
the poisonous colouring matter can pass into the contents of 
the barrel, is prohibited. 3. The employment of poisonous 
colours enumerated in Art. 1. is prohibited for the manufacture I: 
of playthings, with the exception of varnish and oil-paints .1 
made of zinc-white and chrome-yellow (chromate of lead). 4. 
The use of colours prepared with arsenic, for the manufacture 
of paper-hangings, as well as that of pigments containing 
copper prepared with arsenic, and of matters containing 
similar colours for the manufacture of materials of dress, is 
prohibited. 5. The putting on sale, and the sale, wholesale or 
retail, of food-stuffs and food-products preserved or packed 
contrary to the regulations of Articles 1 and 2, as well as play- '■ 
things, paper-hangings, and dress-materials manufactured in 
contravention of the directions in Articles 3 and 4, are pro- j: 
hibited. 6. This law will come into operation on 1st April, 
1883, — Br. Med. Journ. 
