by Amin H. Karim MD
December 16 2018
SMITH AND CAMPBELL PHARMACY, ELPHINSTONE STREET, KARACHI. It is not known when firm of Smith & Campbell was established, but it is possible that Dan Smith and William Campbell (both of whom were of similar age and came from the North of Scotland). It’s therefore possible (and perhaps likely) that they were fellow students and pharmacy collage and that they traveled out to India together in 1904 or 1905.
Nicola Gapp’s mother (William Campbell’s grand-daughter) recalls that the firm was involved in the supply (and perhaps manufacture) or distilled water, which was probably in great demand amongst the colonial community at that time. The firm ran a profitable business supplying ice to the trains of the North Western Railway. Their business strategy may therefore have involved the supply of both distilled water and ice to the main termini at both ends of the North Western Railway which ran between Karachi and Lahore.
It seems that William Campbell lived (and died) in Lahore, whereas Dan Smith lived in Karachi, from which it may be deduced that William Campbell managed the Lahore business while Dan Smith looked after the Karachi end (Karachi being located some 1000 km to the south-west of Lahore). Incidently BLISS AND COMPANY another chemist on Elphi were also from Scotland and may have encouraged Dan smith to migrate to India. It is not exactly where on Elphi the Smith and Campbell Pharmacy was located. (AHK Dec 16, 2018)
Good Old Karachi 