THE  DRUG  BUSINESS  IN  SWEDEN.  25 
of  apprenticeship  trusted  even  so  far  as  to  be  allowed  to  cook  adhe- 
sive plaster  on  his  own  hook.  He  has  now  leisure  hours  which 
he  can  devote  to  study,  and  he  knows  more  about  the  customers, 
the  store,  the  magazines,  the  laboratory,  the  garrets  and  the 
cellars  than  any  one  else  connected  with  the  place. 
Finally  his  employer  finds  it  impossible  to  keep  him  any 
longer  as  an  apprentice,  without  being  looked  upon  as  a  tyrant  ; 
he  apprehends  that  Mr.  A.  won't  wait  much  longer  before  his 
patience  is  used  up,  and  at  last  he  consents  to  let  him  graduate. 
Doctor  C.  and  D.  and  E.  and  F.  are  requested  to  come  and 
examine  the  young  student  and  to  dine  with  his  employer.  At 
the  examination  one  of  the  clerks  officiates  as  Secretary,  and 
writes  down  every  question  that  is  put  to  the  poor  fellow, 
together  with  the  answers  given  by  him.  Master  A.  exhibits  a 
row  of  bottles  containing  samples  of  chemical  and  pharmaceuti- 
cal preparations  made  by  himself,  and  as  he  goes  through  the  mill 
they  sift  him  quite  severely  sometimes.  If  he  can  satisfy  his 
examiners,  they  sign  the  *' protocollum,"  and  it  is  sent, 
together  with  a  certificate  from  the  employers,  to  the  Eoyal 
Board  of  Health. 
After  due  consideration  of  and  deliberation  on  the  subject, 
that  body  issues  his  diploma  and  requests  the  young  graduate 
to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  and  office.  This  done,  he  is  a 
"  pharmaciae  studiosus,"  and  can  put  up  a  prescription  or  distil 
spirits  of  nitre  on  his  own  responsibility.  He  receives  salary 
now,  and  is  a  professional  man. 
One  of  the  manufacturing  chemists  is  going  to  take  his  place 
at  the  prescription  counter  instead  of  Mr.  L.,  Avho  had  the  good 
luck  to  be  appointed  druggist  at  Y.,  the  other  day,  and  young 
Mr.  A.  fills  the  vacancy  in  the  laboratory  for  a  couple  of  years. 
Then,  if  he  can  raise  the  money,  he  goes  to  Stockholm  and  gets 
his  name  entered  on  the  list  of  candidates  for  admission  to  the 
College  of  Pharmacy.  He  is  subjected  to  another  examination 
and,  if  he  successfully  passes  it,  admitted.  At  the  college  he  reads 
this  book  and  that  book  and  the  other  book,  too,  and  makes  all 
sorts  of  complicated  preparations  and  chemical  experiments,  and 
after  two  or  three  years  he  is  ready  for  his  "tentamina"  in 
the  different  subjects.    These  tentamina  are,  thank  God,  his  last 
