PHARMACEUTICAL  DEPARTMENT  OF  A  U.  S.  A.  HOSPITAL.  109 
pill  boxes,  etc.  being  placed  outside  of  the  door  of  each  ward,  are 
returned  to  the  dispensary  by  means  of  a  small  car,  which,  run- 
ning on  a  track  around  the  hospital,  at  the  same  time,  supplies 
the  various  stimulants  to  the  wards.  Every  article,  whether 
medicine  or  dressing,  furnished  to  the  wards  from  this  depart- 
ment, requires  an  order  written  on  a  prescription  blank,  as  an 
accurate  account  of  such  articles  as  Syringes,  Air  Cushions, 
Medicine  Glasses,  etc.,  is  kept  with  each  ward.  An  inventory 
of  what  is  kept  in  the  ward,  is  furnished  weekly  to  the  dispensary 
by  the  Surgeon  in  charge  of  the  ward.  Articles  returned  are 
accompanied  by  a  receipt  which  secures  the  proper  credit. 
Books  for  reference  are  kept  in  the  Steward's  office,  and  consist 
of  the  "U.S.  Dispensatory,"  "Fowne's  Chemistry,"  "Parrish's 
Pharmacy,"  and  the  "Pharmacopoeia,"  which  latter,  however,  is 
not  on  the  Supply  Table. 
Communicating  with  the  Dispensary  is  the  "Store-room." 
This  is  30  by  29  feet.  About  one-fourth  of  it  is  boarded  up  and 
kept  under  lock  and  key.  Here  is  stored  Wine,  Brandy,  Whisky, 
Porter,  etc.,  and  some  of  the  more  valuable  Drugs ;  among  the 
latter,  I  noticed,  200  oz.  of  Sulph.  Quinine,  200  pounds  Patent 
Lint,  Sulph.  Morphia,  Ether,  Chloroform,  fine  Sponge,  Iodide  of 
Potassium,  Citric  Acid,  etc.,  in  large  amount. 
Two  sides  of  the  "  Store-room  "  are  devoted  to  stout  shelves, 
on  which  large  quantities  of  Tinctures,  Fluid  Extracts,  Syrups, 
Waters,  various  Salts,  "  made  up  "  Pills,  Powders,  etc.,  are  kept. 
Liquid  preparations  are  contained,  for  the  most  part,  in  tin  cans 
and  bottles.  Ointments,  and  Cerates,  those  used  largely,  are 
kept  in  large  stone  jars. 
Another  wall  of  this  room  is  provided  with  large  "pigeon  holes," 
which  contain  Bandages,  Trusses,  Castile  Soap,  Isinglass,  and 
Adhesive  Plaster ;  under  these,  shallow  drawers  contain  various 
spread  Plasters ;  for  most  of  the  latter,  paper  is  used,  sheepskin 
being  too  expensive.  Usually  four  persons  are  employed  in  this 
room.  Each  has  his  prescribed  duty  to  perform ;  one  attending 
to  the  liquor  orders,  another  to  the  manufacture  of  the  prepara- 
tions, and  so  on. 
All  sorts  of  medical  appliances  may  be  found  here,  and  in  fact 
