Ann.  Jour.  Pharru.  "i 
September,  1904.  J 
Pharmacy  and  Chemistry . 
405 
lator  on  this  board  that  the  English  banks  at  the  treaty  ports  have 
such  men  check  up  the  intricate  problems  of  Chinese  fluctuating 
currency  into  British  pounds  and  pence  after  the  English  cashier 
has  made  his  estimate.  If  there  be  a  discrepancy,  it  is  found  that 
the  Chinese  is  right.  This  board  consists  of  about  ten  rods,  each 
having  seven  sliding  balls,  two  of  which  are  above  a  wooden  parti- 
tition  and  five  below ;  by  sliding  these  up  and  down  the  calcu- 
lator does  the  most  difficult  of  additions,  subtractions,  multiplications 
and  divisions. 
We  might  almost  say  the  appliances  and  apparatus  of  the  drug- 
gist are  his  deft  hands,  from  the  very  few  aids  he  uses.  Upon  the 
counter  is  a  lever-knife  similar  to  our  plug-tobacco  cutter ;  this  is 
firmly  fixed  to  the  table,  and  he  cuts  his  roots,  barks,  etc.,  with  this. 
Hard  drugs,  such  as  betel  nuts,  are  opened  up  by  a  peculiar  tri- 
angular knife  blade.  The  mortar  is  not  like  ours ;  it  is  made  of 
bronze  or  iron,  and  looks  like  the  water-holder  found  on  many 
grindstones.  In  length  it  is  about  2  feet,  in  width  about  2  to  4 
inches ;  this  trough  has  an  elliptical  grinding  surface.  Playing  in 
this  is  a  wheel  of  metal  having  an  axle ;  the  projecting  axle  is  firmly 
grasped.  With  a  pressing  forward  and  backward  motion,  a  thor- 
ough pulverization  is  possible.  To  remove  oil  from  contused  seeds 
and  to  strain  oils  they  use  the  bibulous  Chinese  paper. 
The  Chinese  grain  measures  are  bronze-bound  tubs,  the  throat 
being  contracted,  affording  a  more  accurate  stricken  measure  than 
we  practise  here  in  the  West.  Chinese  liquid  medicines  kept  and 
sold  in  shops  are  few ;  so  they  have  no  need  for  measures,  but  only 
appliances  for  weighing. 
The  appliances  for  weighing  are  two  ;  the  common  equal-arm 
balance  for  fine  weighing,  drug  and  specie,  and  the  steelyard,  used 
for  less  accurate  and  heavy  commercial  work.  The  steelyard  is  the 
common  Chinese  balance.  It  consists  of  a  wooden  rod,  at  one  end 
of  which  a  bronze  pan  is  suspended  by  four  strings ;  near  this  are 
either  two  or  three  string  supports,  each  used  according  as  to 
whether  heavier  or  lighter  weighing  is  to  be  done,  while  beyond  is 
the  scale  marked  in  golden  Chinese  characters.  There  are  as  many 
scales  as  there  are  string  supports.  The  equal-arm  scales  are  built 
similar  to  ours  ;  they  have  the  pointer  playing  upward,  are  nicely 
adjusted,  and  they  keep  the  pans  at  rest  by  sliding  a  wooden  block 
underneath  them  when  not  weighing. 
