JW Booth and Quinine

[PaigeBooth]

(10-12-2016 09:19 AM)Gene C Wrote:  Could one of the reasons Booth included Herold in his plans be his experience at the "drug store"? Do we have some idea of what he did there?
Was he more than a delivery man?

In their museum, Ford's Theatre says that David Herold's job as a pharmacist's assistant was one of the reasons Booth saw him as an asset to the plot against Lincoln. So, what exactly was the "job" of a pharmacist's assistant during the nineteenth century? Well, I believe it consisted of a variety of duties, such as greeting customers, informing the pharmacist of which medications people wanted, and taking care of sales (which could have meant selling anything from soap to apothecary cabinets)
Therefore, although pharmacists performed all aspects of medication construction and distribution, they strongly depended upon the assistant's help throughout the day.