390 
Pharmacy  in  Prussia,  etc. 
f  Am,  Jour.  Pharm. 
t     Sept.  1, 1871. 
tions  and  fixes  the  charges  for  all  requisite  labor,  for  vessels,  etc.;  hence 
the  prices  for  medicines  are  uniform  throughout  the  country,  and  must 
be  strictly  figured  out  in  accordance  with  the  "tax"  ;  the  charges  in 
the  sales  of  medicinal  articles  over  the  counter  must  not  exceed  the  • 
tax  valuation.  The  price  of  an  officine  and  the  real  estate  thereto 
belonging*  being  high,  only  about  one-fourth  of  it  is  mostly  paid  at 
the  purchase,  while  the  balance  is  secured  by  mortgages  at  5  per  cent, 
interest.  In  all  cases,  therefore,  these  interests  of  an  unproportion- 
ately  high  capital  burden  the  income  of  an  officine,  and  the  net  gain  is 
further  kept  low  by  the  low  tax  prices. 
The  arrangements  and  conducting  of  officines  in  Germany  differ  in 
many  respects  from  the  usages  in  this  country,  although  they  vary  in 
the  different  sections  of  the  empire  and  are  influenced  by  the  size  of 
the  cities,  of  the  establishments  and  by  local  characteristics.  The 
stores  have  no  show  windows  and  no  attractive  outside  show  whatever, 
except  the  sign  as  "  Apotheke,"  and  frequently  the  name  of  the 
owner ;  they  have,  as  the  only  conspicuous  distinction,  a  symbolum, 
generally  an  eagle,  lion,  bear,  swan,  a  crown,  etc.,  which  are  in 
figures  of  natural  size  over  the  store  door  and  in  print  on  the  labels 
of  the  store.  The  inside  of  the  store  is  generally  remarkable  for  the 
great  number  of  bottles,  porcelain  vessels  and  drawers,  for  their  strict 
alphabetical  and  systematic  arrangement  and  for  the  neatness,  cleanli- 
ness and  perfect  order  of  the  entire  establishment.  There  is  a  counter 
for  dispensing  and  selling,  but  no  show  cases,  show  bottles  nor  any- 
thing similar,  although  the  shelves,  fixtures  and  the  whole  establishment 
are  mostly  as  practical  as  rich  and  elegant  ;  for  the  preparation  of 
prescriptions  one  or  more  prescription  counters  with  their  own  shelves 
containing  the  materials  mostly  used.  They  are  separated  from  the 
admittance  and  insight  of  the  public,  behind  which,  as  Mr.  E.  I.  T. 
Agnew  in  a  recently  published  paperf  significantly  remarks,  "  a  num- 
ber of  silent  and  spectacled  assistants  dispense  the  prescriptions,  given 
to  them  (in  the  larger  establishments)  by  the  first  assistant,  who  re- 
*  With  perhaps  a  few  exceptions  in  the  largest  cities  where  pharmacies  may 
be  in  a  leased  locality,  the  house  or  houses  in  which  an  oflficine  is  established 
with  all  pertainments  and  premises  belonging  thereto,  and  often  with  partici- 
pation in  municipal  lands,  are  always  included  in  the  saleable  estate  of  an 
officine. 
t  London  Pharmaceutical  Journal  and  Transactions.    April  15,  1871,  p.  821. 
