104 
Pharmacy  in  India. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Feb.,  1887. 
which  these  capsules  have  reached  have  impressed  themselves  on  the  medical 
men,  and  the  natives  are  among  the  most  frequent  buyers.  To  sell  them  in 
bottles  of  one  hundred  is  of  very  frequent  occurrence.  The  patent  medicine 
trade  is  large,  but  it  is  much  hampered  by  the  natives  who  sell  at  prices  that 
Europeans  cannot  touch.  Most  of  the  goods  of  the  former  are  auction  goods, 
such  as  have  been  on  the  shelf  until  the  wrappers  become  unsightly  and  are 
then  handed  over  to  the  auctioneer.  Then  the  native  bears  the  same  relation 
to  the  European  as  the  Chinaman  to  the  American ;  he  can  live  on  such  a 
small  amount  that  the  profit  on  one  bottle  of  medicine  would  keep  him  in 
food  several  days. 
Connected  with  all  chemist  shops  (the  term  for  drug  stores)  is  a  manufac- 
tory for  aerated  waters,  the  gale  of  which  is  enormous.  Aerated  water  (car- 
bonic acid  water),  soda  water  (with  a  tinge  of  bicarbonate  of  soda),  lemonade, 
gingerade,  tonic  water  (with  a  trace  of  quinine),  and  potash  water  are  those 
principally  bottled.  Soda  water  is  kept  in  bottles  of  14  ounces  capacity,  and 
the  sweetened  waters  in  12  ounce  bottles.  The  water  in  India  is  very  bad  and 
many  persons  never  drink  anything  but  aerated  waters ;  but  what  causes  the 
greatest  consumption  of  soda  water  in  India  is  the  "  Peg."  This  is  a  drink  of 
whisky  or  brandy  mixed  with  a  bottle  of  soda  water,  and  ninety-nine  one 
hundredths  of  the  liquor  is  drank  in  this  way.  Whisky  is  never  drank 
"neat;"  but  although  it  is  well  watered,  I  doubt  if  there  is  a  place  in  the 
world  where  the  consumption  of  liquors  will  average  that  drank  by  the  Euro- 
pean population  in  India. 
The  term  European  applies  to  all  foreigners  in  India  who  are  of  white  skin. 
The  aerated  water  trade  is  being  much  cut  into  by  the  regimental  messes 
who  are  large  consumers.  They  buy  a  machine,  manufacture  their  own  waters 
and  sell  them  to  customers  at  greatly  reduced  prices.  A  petition  has  gone  up 
to  the  Viceroy  from  the  tradespeople,  protesting  against  the  soldiers  compet- 
ing writh  them  in  this  way.  Natives  do  all  the  work,  prepare  the  syrup,  and 
bottle  the  waters. 
A  feature  of  the  drug  business  is  that  no  small  quantities  are  sold  as  a  gene- 
ral rule.  Most  things  are  put  up  in  bottles  and  the  customer  must  take  a 
bottle  or  none.  If  he  asks  for  an  ounce  of  chlorate  of  potash  lozenges,  he  is 
told  they  are  only  kept  in  bottles,  one  rupee  each,  a  four  ounce  bottle  contain- 
ing about  three  ounces  of  lozenges  for  forty  cents.  Vaseline,  lime  water ? 
ipecac  wine,  spirit  of  nitre,  etc.,  are  all  kept  in  bottles,  and  it  is  very  seldom 
any  one  inquires  for  half  an  ounce  or  one  ounce,  and  sends  a  bottle  for  it. 
Many  things  that  are  sold  several  times  daily  in  all  shops  at  home,  rarely 
find  a  sale  here.  Senna,  salt,  magnesia  and  paregoric  are  sold  once  a  week 
probably. 
The  prescription  trade  is  large  and  profitable,  there  being  a  fixed  price  which 
is  adhered  to  by  most  Europeans.  There  are  many  native  chemist  shops 
which  advertise  the  compounding  of  prescriptions,  but  many  who  deal  ex- 
clusively with  them  for  other  things,  send  their  prescriptions  to  European 
chemists. 
There  are  a  great  many  native  doctors  who  have  a  diploma  from  some  Indian 
native  university,  who  can  speak  and  write  English,  and  have  considerable 
practice.  Then  there  are  the  apothecaries,  who  are  employed  by  the  govern- 
ment in  every  station  to  take  charge  of  the  station  dispensary  and  practice 
