ANovemberhia9™'  ^  Pharmacists  in  the  Australian  Army.  529 
each  capital,  which  supplies  the  whole  of  the  medical  requirements 
of  the  forces,  and  great  progress  has  been  made  in  systematizing 
and  economizing  by  this  means.  A  beginning  has  been  made  in 
manufacturing.  The  base  depots  save  the  commonwealth  thousands 
of  pounds  per  month.  Every  military  hospital  of  over  220  beds  has 
now  a  pharmacist  appointed  as  lieutenant-dispenser  on  the  staff. 
Tasmania  is  the  only  state  in  which  such  a  hospital  does  not  exist. 
A  military  order  has  been  made  that  no  one  is  to  dispense  medicine 
and  drugs  unless  he  is  a  registered  pharmacist.  Numerous  efforts 
had  been  made  to  secure  commissions  for  the  men  who  enlisted 
earlier  and  were  abroad  before  these  arrangements  were  made,  and 
it  is  probable  that  shortly  every  hospital  in  the  field  with  440  beds 
or  over  (as  against  220  beds  in  Australia)  will  be  in  charge  of  a 
registered  pharmacist — as  honorary  lieutenant.  Every  hospital-ship 
now  has  a  pharmacist  as  lieutenant-dispenser,  and  every  transport 
carrying  more  than  500  men  must  have  a  registered  pharmacist  in 
charge  of  the  dispensary.  It  is  not  possible  to  secure  a  commission 
for  every  pharmacist  in  the  Army  during  the  war,  but  every  reg- 
istered pharmacist-dispenser  is  now  sure  of  the  position  of  staff- 
sergeant.  In  the  future  when  every  young  pharmacist  will  have 
military  training  in  the  Citizens'  Army,  it  will  never  be  necessary 
to  train  the  special  sergeant  compounders. 
STATUS  OF  CHEMISTS  IN  HOSPITAL  UNITS.1 
A  correspondent,  under  date  of  July  17,  1917,  writes  us  in  part 
as  follows : 
"  I  was  in  the  position  last  June  of  some  uncertainty  as  to  a  choice  of 
work  for  the  following  year.  I  had  just  been  granted  the  degree  of  Ph.D.  in 
chemistry  from  one  of  our  leading  universities,  and,  although  several  months 
past  the  registration  age,  was  desirous  of  serving  in  a  capacity  most  useful 
to  my  country.  This  left  me  undecided  as  to  a  choice  of  positions  open  to 
me.  At  this  time  the  chief  of  a  large  hospital  unit  then  in  course  of  organi- 
zation for  service  in  France,  called  up  the  head  of  our  chemical  department, 
requesting  a  chemist  for  the  unit,  specifying  a  Ph.D.  man  capable  of  tackling 
any  original  problem  that  might  arise  at  the  base.  The  faculty  selected  me 
to  see  the  physician  in  charge.  In  short,  I  was  asked  if  I  was  a  Ph.D., 
whether  I  had  done  any  original  research,  and  whether  I  would  accompany 
1  Reprinted  from  The  Journal  of  Industrial  and  Engineering  Chemistry, 
August,  1917. 
