^Octobe^i™'  ^    Pharmaceutical  Corps  in  U.  S.  Army.  473 
branch  of  the  military  medical  service  and  in  favor  of  its  proper 
recognition  with  commissioned  rank. 
In  a  recent  letter  to  President  F.  J.  Wulling,  of  the  American 
Pharmaceutical  Association,  President  Charles  H.  Mayo,  of  the 
American  Medical  Association,  writes : 
"  I  was  very  glad  to  see  the  action  taken  by  the  House  of  Dele- 
gates in  recommending  recognition  of  the  pharmacists,  and  I  hope 
it  will  bear  fruit  in  advancing  the  recognition  of  the  great  benefits 
which  can  be  derived  from  the  use  of  pharmacists  in  the  Army 
service." 
The  Journal  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  on  June  16, 
191 7,  editorially  commented: 
"  So  far  as  official  recognition  of  it  is  concerned,  the  science  and 
art  of  pharmacy  might  not  exist  for  the  Army.  To-day,  as  never 
before,  victory  in  war  goes  to  the  nation  that  most  effectively  con- 
serves the  health  of  its  fighting  men.  The  physician  is  now  of  such 
military  importance  that  the  medical  profession  will  be  called  on  to 
make  no  inconsiderable  sacrifices.  It  will  materially  lighten  the 
arduous  duties  and  responsibilities  of  the  physician  to  have  in  the 
Army  trained  pharmacists  who  will  be  able  to  give  intelligent  co- 
operation. But  it  is  imposing  too  great  a  strain  on  the  patriotism 
of  those  whose  special  knowledge  is  obviously  a  large  asset  to  the 
Army,  to  expect  them  to  enlist  as  privates  without  any  recognition 
of  their  national  worth.  Pharmacists  should  be  given  a  rank  com- 
mensurate with  their  importance,  first  because  it  is  but  simple  jus- 
tice to  the  pharmacists  themselves,  secondly,  because  the  usefulness 
of  the  Medical  Corps  will  be  greatly  augmented  and,  lastly,  and 
most  important,  because  the  efficiency  of  our  Army  demands  it." 
The  Duties  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Corps. 
In  the  absence  of  any  attempt  in  the  past  to  organize  the  phar- 
maceutical service  in  the  Army,  the  duties  that  might  be  assigned 
to  a  Pharmaceutical  Corps  can  only  be  tentatively  outlined.  The 
provision  of  the  various  foreign  army  pharmaceutical  corps  will 
furnish  excellent  models  for  the  duties  of  such  a  corps.  These 
have  been  very  generally  followed  in  the  fairly  comprehensive  line 
of  duties  stated  in  the  bill  introduced  by  Congressman  Edmonds, 
entitled 
"  A  Bill  to  Increase  the  Efficiency  of  the  Medical  Department  of 
