444  German  Pharmacists  and  Pharmacies.  {Amsept''i89ifrm* 
of  our  colleges  because  they  are  those  of  the  universities  and  usually 
rather  good.  The  amount  of  time  spent  at  their  work  in  the  labor- 
atory is  greater  than  with  us,  for  they  spend  their  entire  day  during 
five  days  in  the  week  either  at  lectures  or  in  the  laboratory,  thus 
enabling  them  to  devote  their  entire  attention  and  thought  to  their 
studies.  It  must  hence  be  admitted  that  the  facilities  offered  a  Ger- 
man student  of  pharmacy  are  better  and  more  complete  than  ours 
here  ;  but  it  is  just  as  true  that  the  men  do  not  take  advantage  of 
the  same,  for  although  they  spend  considerable  time  in  the  laboratory 
and  lecture  room  they  spend  remarkably  little  at  their  books,  so 
that  nearly  every  evening  finds  them  with  their  university  chums  in 
some  restaurant  or  other  delectable  spot  about  town.  The  result  is 
that  they  indulge  in  but  little  studying  and  reading  until  within  a 
month  or  so  of  their  examination,  when  they  strive  to  make  up  for 
lost  time.  This  is,  however,  impossible  for  an  average  student  and 
the  display  of  ignorance  many  of  them  make  is  at  times  lamentable 
in  the  extreme.  The  German  student  of  pharmacy  is  hence  bv  no 
means  a  paragon  for  his  American  confrere  to  pattern  after. 
Now  a  few  words  regarding  the  German  pharmacies.  These  are, 
as  a  rule,  not  to  be  compared  with  ours  in  point  of  completeness, 
accommodation  or  general  appearance.  They  do  not,  to  be  sure, 
sell  soda  water,  cigars  or  confectionery,  but  they  do  look  all  the 
more  sombre  and  uninviting  for  the  absence  of  an  ornamental  soda 
fountain  or  a  tasty  cigar  case  and  perfumery  counter.  There  is  cer- 
tainly nothing  inviting  looking  about  an  European  pharmacy  ;  in 
fact,  one  frequently  rather  feels  more  like  as  if  he  were  entering  an 
undertaker's  establishment.  This  cannot  be  said  of  any  of  our  drug 
stores.  Quite  on  the  contrary,  a  mingled  feeling  of  comfort,  pleas- 
ure and  refreshing  ease  comes  over  one  whenever  he  enters  a  first- 
class  pharmacy  in  this  country.  Competition  is  the  life  of  trade  as 
it  is  the  keystone  of  advancement  in  every  phase  of  life  to-day. 
There  is  no  competition  among  German  pharmacists,  and  the  result 
is  they  are,  as  a  rule,  not  as  accommodating  by  far  as  ours  are. 
Although  there  may  be  room  for  improvement  in  many  of  our  col- 
leges of  pharmacy,  this  is  rapidly  being  appreciated  and  acted  upon, 
and  our  pharmacists  have  no  reason  to  consider  themselves  at  all 
behind  the  times  or  below  the  standard  of  other  countries. 
Baltimore,  August  8,  1891. 
