Apothecaries bottles

The moulds for flint-glass are carefully constructed of brass or iron, and, when of simple construction, are somewhat wider at the upper part, that the pieces may be easily removed, or are composed of more than one piece when projecting parts are to be moulded. A common open and shut mould, such as is used for apothecaries phials, as well as for common wine-bottles, is shown in Fig. 185. It is constructed in two exact... 

It is reported that in 1836 Theodor von of Lemberg, Germany suggested that black bottles, prescribed in the old apothecaries, be replaced with yellow glass, which he found to be more practical (5). This change allowed for the easy inspection of the clarity of liquids stored therein. 

This experiment was often used by apothecaries to obtain particularly mysterious fillings for show bottles. Such recipes are the original form of the cocktail, which was invented at the end of the 18th century and takes its name from the bright colors of the liquids, which resemble the tail feathers of a cock. Here is a modern cocktail recipe ... 

In early days apothecaries were wont to have with them bottles containing coloured liquids and labelled with appropriate signs, as badges of office, so to speak. These included yellow solutions, indicative of gold, marked with a circle red solutions signifying iron and marked with the shield and spear of Mars and so on. As the years rolled by and the profits increased it was appropriate that the size of the bottles should also increase until they reached the dimensions now familiar to us in the shops of our wealthy pharmacists. 

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