Apothecaries used their own measurement system, the apothecaries' system, to provide precise weighing of small quantities.

[33] Apothecaries dispensed vials of poisons as well as medicines, and as is still

the case, medicines could be either beneficial or harmful if inappropriately used. Protective methods to prevent accidental ingestion of poisons included the use of specially shaped containers for potentially
poisonous substances such as laudanum.[34]

Apothecary work as gateway to women as healers[edit]

Apothecary businesses were typically family-run, and wives or other women of the family worked alongside their husbands in the shops, learning the trade themselves. Women were still not allowed to
train and be educated in universities so this allowed them a chance to be trained in medical knowledge and healing. Previously, women had some influence in other women's healthcare, such as serving
as midwives and other feminine care in a setting that was not considered appropriate for males. Though physicians gave medical advice, they did not make medicine, so they typically sent their patients to
particular independent apothecaries, who did also provide some medical advice in particular remedies and healing.

Methods[edit]
Recipes[edit]
Many recipes included herbs, minerals, and pieces of animals (meats, fats, skins) that were ingested, made into paste for external use, or used as aromatherapy. Some of these are similar to natural
remedies used today, including catnip,[35] chamomile, fennel, mint, garlic, and witch hazel.[36] Many other ingredients used in the past such as urine, fecal matter, earwax, human fat, and saliva, are no
longer used and are generally considered ineffective or unsanitary.[37] Trial and error were the main source or finding successful remedies, as little was known about the chemistry of why certain treatments
worked. For instance, it was known that drinking coffee could help cure headaches, but the existence and properties of caffeine itself was still a mystery.[38]

Other mentions in literature and pop culture[edit]

 William Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet" : A poor apothecary sells Romeo an Elixir of Death with which Romeo commits suicide to be with Juliet, whom he believes to be dead.

 William Shakespeare's play "King Lear": King Lear exclaims: "Give me an ounce of civet, good apothecary, to sweeten my imagination."

 The character of Mr Perry in Jane Austen's novel Emma performs many of the functions of a doctor.

 William Faulkner's story "A Rose for Emily" : The main character, Miss Emily Grierson, goes to an "apothecary" and buys arsenic, supposedly to kill a rat. Which turns out later to have been her
"Yankee boyfriend", who had sought to cast her aside harshly.[39]

 In the Warhammer 40k universe, Space Marines who practice battlefield medicine are known as Apothecaries.

 In the turn-based role-playing video game Octopath Traveler, Alfyn Greengrass, one of the playable characters, is an apothecary.

 In J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, the wizarding shops that sell ingredients for potions are known as apothecaries.

 The Author Ingrid Noll wrote the bestseller German book "Die Apothekerin" which was translated to "The Pharmacist" in English.

 The monk Cadfael in The Cadfael Chronicles written by the linguist-scholar Edith Pargeter under the name "Ellis Peters" is an apothecary, herbalist, and amateur detective.[40]

 In Schitt’s Creek, David’s business is called Rose Apothecary.

 Mr. Gower in Frank Capra's classic film, It's a Wonderful Life is a pharmacist compounding capsules to treat Diphtheria. Distraught because of a telegram, informing him of his son's death in the
war, the drunken apothecary mistakenly fills the capsules with .