460  Pharmacologic  Superstitions.  {Am6&erP^™' 
are  in  the  habit  of  attributing  somewhat  loosely  to  the  uric  acid 
diathesis.  By  the  strange  irony  of  chance,  in  this  country,  at  least, 
the  use  of  the  salts  of  this  metal  is  limited  almost  exclusively  to  the 
latter  group  of  cases. 
(To  be  continued) 
PHARMACEUTICAL  CORPS  IN  THE  MEDICAL  DEPART- 
MENT OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 
Mr.  Edmonds  introduced  the  following  bill  in  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, July  25,  191 7,  which  was  referred  to  the  Committee  on 
Military  Affairs  and  ordered  to  be  printed. 
65th  Congress  1st  Session.    H.  R.  5531. 
A  BILL 
To  increase  the  efficiency  of  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
United  States  Army,  to  provide  a  Pharmaceutical  Corps  in  that 
department,  and  to  improve  the  status  and  efficiency  of  the  pharma- 
cists in  the  Army. 
Be  it  an  act  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the 
United  States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled,  That  hereafter 
there  shall  be  attached  to  the  Medical  Department  of  the  United 
States  Army  a  Pharmaceutical  Corps,  composed  of  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  to  perform  the  duties  defined  in  this  Act  and  such 
related  duties  as  may  be  prescribed,  from  time  to  time,  by  the 
Surgeon  General. 
Sec.  2.  That  the  Army  Pharmaceutical  Corps  shall  consist  of 
one  pharmacist  director,  with  rank  of  major,  who  shall  be  chief  of 
the  Pharmaceutical  Corps,  five  deputy  pharmacist  directors,  wTith 
the  rank  of  captain,  and  such  number  of  pharmacists,  with  the  rank 
of  lieutenant,  and  of  pharmacist  apprentices,  as  may  be  needed  for 
the  service, 
Sec.  3.  That  the  Army  Pharmaceutical  Corps  shall  be  charged 
writh  the  following  specific  duties :  To  procure  by  purchase  or  manu- 
facture all  supplies  of  medicines,  drugs,  chemicals,  pharmaceutical 
apparatus,  and  hospital  and  surgical  dressings  necessary  for  the 
Medical  Department  of  the  Army;  to  determine  the  quality  and 
purity  of  such  supplies ;  to  have  charge  of  the  medical  supply  depots 
of  the  Army  and  the  storage  and  safeguarding  of  such  supplies;  to 
provide  for  the  issuance  and  distribution  of  such  supplies  and  the 
