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====Military or Civilian?====
The second problem concerns whether they are Military or Civilian and the answer to this is almost always the former, although they could be posted as Civil Surgeons to hospitals and even jails. This article is about those Apothecaries who worked for the Government as part of the Military establishment. However, there were some Apothecaries who worked in a private capacity, for example as a Chemist and Druggist.The [http://library.wellcome.ac.uk Wellcome Library], London has the article ''"European Pharmacies in Colonial India'' " by Harkishan Singh in the ''Pharmceutical Historian'', Vol. 31, no. 4 (Dec. 2001). Details about these Apothecaries may be sought in the Commercial sections of Directories such as [http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~poyntz/India/directories.html Thackers].
====Crawford’s Roll of the Indian Medical Service====
In earlier years the assistant apothecaries were promoted much more quickly. William Hannah was promoted from Assistant Apothecary to Apothecary in December 1824 (''The Oriental Herald and Colonial Review'' Volume V, April to June 1825, [http://books.google.com/books?id=DB0YAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA530 page 530]) when he was about 22 years old, and there is an 1818 reference to Apprentice Henry Anderson who was appointed directly from Apprentice to Apothecary (''Asiatic Journal'' Vol VI [http://books.google.com/books?id=OPbiZPTdVUAC&pg=PA507 June-December 1818]).
However , it seems the situation did change and that promotion became much slower. When William Hannah became an apothecary in December 1824, ten were appointed assistant apothecaries. Of these, three became apothecaries in January 1834, almost exactly nine years later. (One became a steward in September 1826, one was on the invalid pension from December 1833. The others were probably dead. Dates are from the [http://books.google.com/books?id=O94NAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA245 1838 Bengal Directory].) So it does seem that if an apothecary was appointed from 1834 onwards he would probably be aged in his thirties at date of appointment which may help to indicate a date of birth (if not otherwise known).
===Duties===
:The stewards and their assistants are charged with all the details relating to the food, clothing, and similar interior economy of military hospitals. Both classes aid the surgeon in the preparation of official reports and statements." [http://books.google.com/books?id=akkBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA444 Full article]
'''Change of Duties.'''<br> There is a British Library catalogue entry '''IOR/F/4/661/18358 Mar 1821''' which appears to be in respect of Bengal: Appointment of J.T. Hodgson as Veterinary Surgeon to the Governor General's Body Guard - he is to select and train eight Assistant Apothecaries as Veterinary Surgeons for the Light Cavalry Regiments.
===Further reading===
*The [http://www.s-asian.cam.ac.uk/ Cambridge (UK) Centre of South Asian Studies], in its Archive Collection, has the Winn Papers which contain information about James Winn who joined the East India Company in the Bengal Establishment in 1842, aged 13. He served as an apothecary at various stations including [[Lahore]], [[Multan]], [[Dinapore]], [[Dum Dum]], [[Allahabad]], [[Calcutta]], [[Chunar]]. He was invalided out of the service at [[Meerut]] in July 1884. (WINN 1/1 Testimonials, statements of service, etc in connection with James Winn's work as an apothecary in the service of the Bengal Establishment, 1842-1884, 45 items)
*The [http://library.wellcome.ac.uk Wellcome Library], London has the article ''"Apothecaries and Hospital Assistants in Colonial India'' " by Harkishan Singh in the ''Pharmaceutical Historian. '' Vol. 32, no. 1 (Mar. 2002)
===Individuals===
==Listings of Apothecaries==
There is a [[British Library ]] Catalogue entry '''IOR/F/4/1338/53155 Jan 1829-Oct 1831''': Institution of a fund for the families of Medical Warrant Officers in the Madras Presidency (includes a list of Medical Warrant Officers ie Apothecaries, Second Apothecaries and Assistant Apothecaries, dated 9 Nov 1829, with notes on marital status, number of children etc. pp 35-45).
Some Directories contain lists of Apothecaries and Stewards, Assistant Apothecaries and Assistant Stewards, which contain details as to when they obtained their grading and where they were currently serving. The list, in a section headed Subordinate Medical Department is usually found at the end of the Military List, following a Medical Department List. Occasionally the apothecaries are found in lists where the heading is Warrant Officers. In a few volumes Hospital Apprentices are also included, or Passed Medical Apprentices in Madras. Even if there is no specific list, the apothecary’s name may appear in the ''Alphabetical List of Residents'', particularly for the [[Mofussil]].
