Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  j 
November,  191 7.  ' 
the  French,  Army. 
521 
pension  on  arriving  at  specified  age  limit  for  their  respective  grades 
as  follows :  the  Pharmacist-Inspector,  at  62  years ;  the  Pharmacist 
Principal,  1st  Class,  at  60  years;  the  Pharmacist  Principal,  2d  Class, 
at  58  years;  the  Pharmacist-Major,  1st' Class,  at  56  years;  the 
Pharmacist-Major,  2d  Class,  at  53  years;  and  the  Pharmacist  Aide- 
Major,  either  class,  at  52  years. 
The  limits  of  this  paper  preclude  the  detailing  at  length  of  the 
divers  duties  assigned  to  the  pharmaceutical  corps  in  time  of  peace 
and  still  more  so,  the  greatly  increased  and  many  special  services 
that  have  been  required  in  time  of  war. 
The  military  hospitals  are  under  the  command  of  the  medical 
officers.  The  "head  physician"  usually  follows  the  custom  of  en- 
trusting to  the  head  pharmacist,  whose  official  authority  extends 
only  over  the  pharmacists,  assistants  and  medical  supplies,  the  main- 
tenance of  discipline  and  the  command  of  the  civil  and  military 
attaches  of  the  hospital  so  that  the  ranking  pharmacist  generally 
becomes  the  administrative  officer  charged  with  the  policing,  and 
the  commissary  as  well  as  the  necessary  pharmaceutical  duties  of 
providing  the  medical  and  surgical  supplies  and  attending  to  the 
compounding  of  all  medicines  and  their  administration. 
The  regulations  require  that  the  pharmacist  must  verify  the 
quality  of  the  medicines  supplied  and  select  the  most  suitable  con- 
ditions and  places  for  their  preservation,  adopt  a  system  that  will 
prevent  errors,  see  that,  at  the  time  of  dispensing,  the  medicines 
comply  with  the  requirements  of  the  "  Military  Hospital  Formu- 
lary" and  are  labelled  according  to  the  requirements,  maintain  the 
records  of  prescriptions  and  of  the  supplies  according  to  the  official 
forms.  He  is  likewise  charged  with  the  duty  of  delivering  medical 
supplies  to  the  regimental  infirmaries  and  veterinary  hospitals.  He 
must  supervise  the  preparation  of  food  for  the  invalids.  Must 
systematically  care  for  and  examine  the  supplies  of  the  sanitary 
service  and  must  receive  the  various  supplies  for  the  clothing  and 
subsistence.  He  must  make  all  examinations  of  foods  and  medicines 
and  those  requested  by  the  medical  officers  for  the  diagnosis  of  dis- 
ease, the  hygiene  of  the  troops  and  the  divers  services  of  the  army. 
All  of  these  analyses  must  be  properly  recorded  with  the  date,  the 
reason  for  the  investigation  and  the  results  set  forth.  The  analyses 
for  the  hospital  service,  with  results  and  observations,  are  to  be 
promptly  transmitted  to  the  physician  in  charge. 
Finally,  the  pharmacist  is  charged  with  the  duty  of  making  the 
meteorological  observations. 
