AmAu|uSrt^904!*m'}    Drug  Trade  in  Japan  and  the  Orient.  377 
sold.  Failure  to  observe  this  requirement  of  the  law  carries  a  pen- 
alty. As  a  consequence  of  this,  the  quality  of  the  drugs  sold  in 
Japan  is  of  a  very  pure  and  high  standard  of  excellence. 
The  Baiyuka,  or  dealer  in  patent  medicines,  is  limited  exclusively 
to  the  sale  of  licensed  preparations  or  the  usual  order  of  proprietary 
remedies,  but  he  is  not  allowed  to  prepare  or  put  up  medicines  or 
dispense  prescriptions ;  he  is  limited  entirely  to  purveying  ready- 
made  or  patent  medicines. 
Every  article  in  the  line  of  drugs  or  chemicals  sold  in  Japan  must 
carry  an  internal-revenue  stamp,  and  this  based  on  10  per  cent,  of 
the  selling  price;  for  illustration,  an  article  which  would  retail  at 
20  sen  would  carry  a  tax  of  2  sen.  In  Japanese  currency  a  yen  is 
equivalent  to  100  sen  or  50  cents  United  States  gold. 
-  Japan  is  a  very  fertile  field  for  the  sale  of  patent  medicines,  but 
it  would  seem  as  though  the  minimum  in  price  carried  the  maximum 
in  quantity.  It  is  not  uncommon  to  find  a  package  containing  500 
or  1,000  little  pills,  and  made  by  hand  as  well,  and  equally  well 
formed,  retailed  through  the  Baiyuka  for  10  sen.  No  doubt  this 
condition  militates  against  the  efforts  of  foreign  manufacturers  in 
exploiting  their  products  in  Japan.  The  usual  selling  price  of  patent 
medicines  is  from  2  to  10  sen  or  1  cent  to  5  cents  United  States 
gold. 
While  the  laws  are  very  stringently  enforced  regulating  drugs  and 
chemicals  as  to  their  purity,  a  like  condition  exists  for  the  sale  of 
the  Baiyuka  remedies.  When  a  manufacturer  wishes  to  exploit  or 
place  a  new  preparation  on  the  market,  he  must  make  application  to 
the  governor  of  the  province  in  which  he  resides,  submitting  a  copy 
of  the  formula  of  the  preparation  as  well  as  a  list  descriptive  of  its 
merits  and  the  diseases  for  which  it  is  recommended  to  give  relief, 
The  formula,  with  a  sample  of  the  article,  is  sent  to  the  Kencho  or 
Hygienic  Laboratory  of  the  district,  and  the  Government  chemist 
in  charge  makes  his  report;  and  if  for  any  reason  the  formula  and 
sample  submitted  are  found  deficient  or  to  contain  any  drugs  pois- 
onous in  their  nature,  or  so  construed,  the  application  is  denied.  If, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  requirements  of  the  law  are  fulfilled,  a  charge 
of  2  yen  is  assessed  against  the  applicant,  and  a  license  of  a  like 
amount  must  be  paid  each  year  to  the  Kencho  for  the  privilege 
of  selling  the  article  throughout  the  empire.  It  is  understood,  of 
course,  that  the  stamp  tax  applies  also. 
