Within the Kraków Ghetto there were four prewar pharmacies owned by non-Jews. Tadeusz Pankiewicz was the only proprietor to decline the German offer of relocation to the non-Jewish side of the city. He was given permission to continue operating his establishment as the only pharmacy in the Ghetto.
He supplied the often-scarce medications and pharmaceutical products to the ghetto’s residents, often free of charge, and substantially improved their quality of life. Apart from health care considerations, Praniewicz dispensed hair dyes to disguise the identities of Jews, and tranquilizers given to fretful children to keep them silent during Gestapo raids.