THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[November 4,1871. 
3GI 
dients, and also for the distilled water; the sum 
total, with the bottle, being usually about two-tliirds 
the price of the same mixture dispensed in England. 
In some towns a trifle extra is permitted for a more 
elegant label and capping-paper.' 
The “ Arznei-taxe ” would be the alpha and 
omega of many in England, who think uniformity 
of prices the great desideratum, and occupy the 
valuable pages of our Journal in discussing and re¬ 
commending this utopian scheme. Others there 
are who believe that if all the dispensing were done 
by the pharmacist, no class of the medical profession 
sending out its own medicine, the “ winter of their 
discontent would be glorious summer.” Here both 
exist in full perfection, and that sharp competition, 
based too frequently on low prices alone, which in 
England suddenly starts up, and may at any time 
deprive the conscientious pharmacist of the fruit of 
years of labour, is not permitted in Germany. Civil 
Service Associations, if they do exist, may supply 
to their members any mortal thing from a “ silk 
dress ” to a “ Bath brick,” from “ Cockle’s Pills ” to 
the “ latest fashion in chignonsbut the dispensing 
of physicians’ prescriptions is the province of the 
pharmacist alone, and the divinity “ which doth 
hedge a king” is not more sacred than the protection 
afforded by Government to the legitimate dispenser 
of medicines. 
“ Obscure prescriptions ” are unknown, and the 
equally questionable practice of prescribing prepa¬ 
rations for which the formula has never been pub¬ 
lished finds no place in German pharmacy. The 
pharmacist having all the dispensing does not culti¬ 
vate prescribing, he discountenances it; and the 
small charge made by the physician enables him to 
do so without inflicting an injury on his customer. 
An examination of the drugs, chemicals and pharma¬ 
ceutical preparations is supposed to take place about 
every three years. It is conducted by the Govern¬ 
ment medical officer and a chemist; but, although 
no notice is given, somehow or other it leaks out 
when the examination may be expected ; and hence, 
for all practical purposes, it is not of much value. 
I was invited to inspect several very complete labo¬ 
ratories in Hamburg, Brunswick and Berlin. Until 
within the last ten years every pharmacist was 
bound to make the preparations of the pharmacopoeia 
in his own laboratory; since that time lie has been at 
liberty to purchase. But the examiners still hold 
them responsible for the quality of every article 
found on the premises. In Hamburg the number of 
pharmacies is 40 or 48 to 200,000 inhabitants ; and 
this number is considered to be too great, the average 
all through North Germany being one to about 
10,000 inhabitants. 
Such is an outline of pharmacy in Hamburg, and 
with little variation it applies to the whole of North 
Germany. 
From Hamburg I passed on to Hanover, which, 
with its suburbs, lias a population of about 80,000. 
There are 7 pharmacies. The difficulty of get¬ 
ting apprentices was a subject of complaint; and in 
matters of detail as regards pharmacy there was 
little or no difference between this place and Ham¬ 
burg. 
Brunswick came next in my route, with its popu¬ 
lation of 52,000 and 4 pharmacies; and it was re¬ 
marked to me that there was great difficulty in get¬ 
ting assistants; and the reason assigned was that 
the salaries were low throughout Germany, averaging 
£20 per annum, and for examined men £25 to £35 
a year. The position did not afford a comfortable 
living, and there was little prospect of getting into 
business. I was here informed that if by an error 
in dispensing, an assistant who had passed liis final 
examination at the university caused the death of 
a patient, the principal was not criminally respon¬ 
sible, nor liable to damages in a civil action; but 
this was not subsequently confirmed, and I therefore 
think that it must have been an error, unless it 
applies to Brunswick alone. 
I then went on to Berlin. Here, with a popula¬ 
tion of about 800,000 there are 53 pharmacies; 
however, this city is rapidly increasing, and before 
long it will, no doubt, have an addition to this 
number. The North German Pharmaceutical So¬ 
ciety meets here every month, at which meetings 
neither apprentices nor assistants are allowed to be 
present. The Berlin chemists are not all connected 
with it. The meetings are generally held in a hotel, 
where a room has been rented for this purpose, and 
trade affairs, as well as scientific matters, are dis¬ 
cussed. There is no regular library, but several 
journals are taken, among them the Pharmaceutical 
Journal, the American Journal of Pharmacy, and 
the Journal de Pharmacie ; these are sent round 
to each member for a term of three days. The so¬ 
ciety has no special organ to publish its proceedings ; 
the Pharmaceutische Zeitung is a private under¬ 
taking, and has no connection with the Berlin So- 
ciety. The members pay annually a certain sum to 
an Assistants’ Benevolent Fund for every assistant 
they keep. The assistants have founded an asso¬ 
ciation for social and scientific purposes; but there 
is no systematic lecturing, or special botanical or che¬ 
mical class. Assistants have no time allowed them 
for attending lectures. Apprentices are allowed to 
attend a course on botany and chemistry. 
In Leipzig there are 91,500 inhabitants and 8 
pharmacies, besides 2 which deal exclusively in 
homoeopathic medicines. There exists here a che¬ 
mists’ association, which meets once a month and 
discusses trade and scientific affairs; Rom this so¬ 
ciety also assistants and apprentices are excluded. 
To Dresden I paid my next visit, and found a 
great deviation from the usual character of phar¬ 
macies in North Germany, perhaps in deference to 
the habits of the very large number of English 
families always resident here. Nearly all the phar¬ 
macies had proprietary articles and patent medicines 
exposed in the windows; there was more of the 
shop about them ; and to my mind it was a falling 
off in character. To a population of 150,000 there 
are 20 pharmacies. 
With regard to pharmacopceias, there has hitherto 
been in North Germany a great variety. Hamburg 
until lately had its own, so also had Hanover; 
Dresden used the German Pharmacopoeia for 
Saxony; but now they seem in a transition state, 
and are gradually approximating to the Prussian 
Pharmacopoeia. Each also had an “ Arznei-taxe ” of 
its own, but in a year or two they expect to have 
one uniform German Pharmacopoeia, and also one 
“ Arznei-taxe ” issued from Berlin. Prussia has ab¬ 
sorbed these minor states ; but at present the} 7 are 
like those particles seen by microscopists wriggling 
in the stomach of the Hydra, swallowed but not 
assimilated. 
It is unusual for assistants whilst in a situation 
to attend any lectures; all this is left until they go 
