On one of the old photos of Polotsk beginning of the 20th century on Verkhne-Pokrovskaya Street one could see an unusual sign - “PHARMACY UNDER THE EAGLE”.
In the "City Guide of Polotsk 1910" we find that the owner of the pharmacy of the same name, which was already located on Nizhne-Pokrovskaya Street, was someone called Boyarinblum. We do not have detailed information about the owner of this institution. However, we know that the sign "PHARMACY UNDER EAGLE" hung out over all the "free" (ie, private) pharmacies of the Russian Empire. This meant that the owner of the institution received a privilege from the state to manufacture and sell medicines.
At the beginning of the XX century analytical chemistry and phytochemistry achieved great success in Western Europe, so patented drugs began to appear in Polotsk pharmacies, such as aspirin, which was very expensive. But most of the drugs at that time were of plant origin. Oils and ointments, powders and tinctures were usually made at the pharmacy by the prescriptions of local pharmacists.
But apart from drugs in the early 20th century in almost every Polotsk pharmacy one could buy seasonings (for example, pepper, cinnamon, saffron), perfumes (for example, soap, powder, cream), and also alcoholic beverages called “heart” or “stomach burner”. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to learn about the therapeutic benefits of the latest drugs.