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THE ru ARM ACEUTIC AL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [November 18,3871. 
past the shop of the legitimate pharmacist to pay their 
visits at 5s. apiece; how they rush hack to their busi¬ 
ness to compound the medicines for their patients ; and 
how they offend the well-known feeling of English deli¬ 
cacy and prudery. In the windows of some of those 
gentlemen the author found the inscription, “ delivery 
room ” (sala disgravi), and to make any mistake impossi¬ 
ble, he dilates on the gross impropriety of this institu¬ 
tion. We can only surmise that Mr. Kemot saw this 
inscription at some wholesale house for the delivery of 
goods, and that a reference to his dictionary suggested 
a different tale, at which he justly grew very indignant. 
The chapter on Spain gives all the laws, hut it does 
not contain anything new to our readers, especially after 
the recent account of Dr. Ullersherger’s history of 
Spain. 
Germany, next in order, is fairly and fully treated, 
great justice is done to the careful training and instruc¬ 
tion of those who devote themselves to the study and 
practice of pharmacy, which, almost as a matter of course, 
must secure the high social position the German pharma¬ 
cist undoubtedly holds. The sometimes very compli¬ 
cated relation of the State and the pharmacist, the exa¬ 
minations and other internal arrangements are so care¬ 
fully given, that altogether this chapter is one of the 
best parts of the book ; the author is here well at home, 
and it is the more surprising that he finishes off with a 
story as contrary to facts and as unlikely as that of the 
general practitioner and his delivery-room. Who ever 
saw,at Berlin, an ehrliclier Apotheker “go to a patient with 
a porcelain basin, a towel, a jug of hot water and a 
supply of leeches ” ? Well may the author say that the 
whole appearance of this grave German in black, with 
white cravat and white gloves, who thus marches out to 
earn his thaler, is so amusing that an Italian traveller 
can scarcely help laughing right out. 
Leaving the civilized world, the author takes his reader 
to the barbarians, amongst whom the Chinese stand fore¬ 
most ; w r ith them medicine is quite in its infancy, and 
savours much of quackery. Itinerant quacks supply the 
mass of the people with any medicine they require in 
the most comfortable manner; the quack has his re¬ 
medies in a box divided into as many compartments as the 
diseases he cures; the patient merely states his complaint, 
and without further inquiry the proper medicine is 
handed over. John Harrow, in his ‘ Travels through 
China,’ relates how one of these quacks, in Canton, sold 
a powder as an antidote for snake-bites, the efficacy of 
which was demonstrated on the spot; the charlatan 
carried a poisonous snake with him and held it to his 
tongue, which in a few minutes swelled up to such an 
extent that the mouth became almost too small to hold 
it; to excite the compassion of his customers he seemed 
to suffer most horribly, but at last he put a little of the 
powder on his tongue, which instantly resumed its 
natural size, and of course the powder sold wonder¬ 
fully. 
If the poor Chinese are. so easily taken in, the higher 
classes, the mandarins and rich merchants, are much 
wiser. They make it the physician’s interest to cure 
them as speedily as possible; the physician is paid by 
the year, but every time his advice is required a deduc¬ 
tion is made, and if unfortunately the patient dies, the 
doctor has to submit to a further reduction of his hono¬ 
rarium corresponding to the duration of the illness. 
Various plasters are held in high estimation; some 
of these act locally, others are preventive of all kinds 
of diseases, while others again are applied in venereal 
diseases. 
The Chinese pharmacist is looked upon as one of the 
savants of the town ; his shop is kept in first-rate order, 
the medicines are prepared with the greatest care, and 
his drugs and herbs are of the best quality. . The shops 
are similar to ours, with numbers of drawers and bottles, 
but extremely plain and simple. 
Camphor, rhubarb and liquorice are frequently used, 
but purgative salts, calomel and all tinctures are un¬ 
known. Strange to say, opium, so much indulged in 
by the Chinese, has no place in their materia medica. 
On the other hand, China seems to be the very land 
for the patent medicine vendor. On the pharmacist’s 
counter we find large boxes, with preparations which 
instantly cure cholera or confer strength, or impart 
courage or excite love, so that almost every taste or 
desire may be gratified. 
The doctor is very slow in writing down his prescrip¬ 
tion, which fills a large sheet of paper, the lines being 
written alternatively in red and black characters, an 
occupation lasting from one to two hours. The phar¬ 
macist, on receiving the prescription, places it on his 
counter, and carefully studies it, after which he com¬ 
mences to make it up lege artis. Every preparation is 
wrapped up in white or red paper, the first enclosing* 
the more common articles, whereas the last is only used 
for expensive substances, as, for instance, the “ ginseng.” 
This is the supreme remedy for securing health, pro-^ 
longing life, and regenerating the whole body. Of 
course only very rich people can indulge in this luxury, 
which is so costly that an ounce costs about £5. 
The practice of pharmacy is not limited by any legal 
formality. Every one has the right to open a shop 
without previous special knowledge; but practically the- 
business is confined to certain families, in which it passes, 
for generations from father to son. 
Generally speaking, we may say that the Chines© 
have no idea of applied natural philosophy or chemistry, 
but follow their business mechanically and empirically. 
Here, as in everything else, seclusion from the rest of 
the world results in perfect stagnation. 
Leaping from China to Turkey, w r e learn that che¬ 
mistry in Turkish is termed “ elsie,” whence “ elisire,” 
“elixir,” a chemical beverage. The Turks also have- 
their favourite compounds, the most noble of which is; 
the “maggium,”'a mixture of opium, cinnamon, aloes, 
saffron, cloves, and other spices, which, in the form of' 
pills, is sold in enormous quantities under the name of 
“habb.” The “maggium” or “magic” compound of 
the upper classes is composed of ambergris, powdered 
pearls, rubies, emeralds, corals and cochineal. The 
price of a small bottle is 400 silver piastres, or more 
than £6 sterling, but this costly mixture is only used by 
the Sultan and the highest of the realm. 
“ Tenasne ” is an odorous paste, consisting of musk, 
aloes, ambergris, powdered pearls and attar of roses. 
Small quantities are taken in coffee, or it is formed into 
pastilles, and sold under the name of “ masch’alla.” 
Once a year the “ escimbasee,” or first physician, and 
the “ gerrabasee,” the principal surgeon to the Sultan, 
must offer some “maggium” and some “tenasne” to 
their master, for which they are entitled to a rich pre¬ 
sent in return. 
The final chapter is devoted to Italy, at last united, 
with Rome for her capital. After a “glance at the ordi¬ 
nances under former separate governments, we find ex¬ 
tracts from more recent laws, which certainly lead us 
to assume that the pharmacist’s position there is more 
honourable and more respected than in many other 
countries. In a few concluding words, the author of 
this interesting, and in many parts instructive work, 
winds up with an ardent desire for a European Phar¬ 
maceutical Association, which more than any other 
brotherhood would advance the grand objects of hu¬ 
manity. 
A Manual of Therapeutics, considered chiefly with, 
reference to articles of the Materia Medica. By 
Edward John Waring, M.D., F.L.S. Third edition. 
London: J. and A. Churchill. 1871. 
Dr. Waring’s book maintains its character as a useful 
compilation. In this edition he has introduced the re¬ 
sults of a diligent perusal of the medical publications. 
