^Sfcr^g™"}     Proposed  Organization  of  Units.  601 
military  lines,  and  in  accord  with  the  regulations  of  the  United 
States  Army. 
As  you  know,  the  law  already  provides  for  the  organization  of 
Home  Defense  Corps.  The  organization  and  practical  working  of 
units  with  the  adequate  preparation  of  pharmaceutical  students  might 
be  of  decided  value  in  crystallizing  ideas  and  suggestions,  and  the 
successful  working  of  the  plan  would  encourage  Congress  to  act 
favorably  if  it  is  found  impossible  to  receive  favorable  action  by  the 
next  Congress. 
The  training  required  to  fit  physicians  for  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  Army  includes  a  regular  drill  of  the  same  kind  required 
of  every  soldier,  no  matter  to  what  corps  he  is  assigned.  In  addition 
to  this  drill,  there  are  lectures  and  practical  instruction  in  taking 
care  of  the  sick  and  wounded  and  preventing  disease.  A  certain 
amount  of  instruction  in  preparing  and  dispensing  medicine  is  re- 
quired, but  very  little  is  necessary  because  pharmacy  in  the  army  is 
as  yet  "  hand-me-down-canned  pharmacy  "  and  this  it  must  not  con- 
tinue to  be. 
It  is  officially  stated  that  in  the  United  States  Army  "  the  dis- 
pensing of  drugs  or  compounding  of  prescriptions  is  done  by  the 
non-commisisoned  officers  of  the  medical  department."  Those  of 
you  who  are  acquainted  with  conditions  in  the  Army  realize  that 
many  of  these  could  not  qualify  to  practice  pharmacy  in  civil  life, 
and  the  only  reason  why  they  are  able  to  meet  the  pharmaceutical 
requirements  of  the  Army  is  because  there  is  practically  very  little 
true  pharmacy  in  the  Army. 
We  believe  that  there  should  be  a  complete  overturning  and  re- 
form in  the  method  of  handling  the  drug  supplies  in  the  Army,  and 
that  the  entire  business  should  be  placed  under  the  charge  of  a  com- 
petent pharmaceutical  corps.  The  pharmaceutical  service  of  the 
U.  S.  Army  is  decidedly  inferior  to  that  of  Germany,  France,  Spain 
or  Japan.  The  commander  of  the  German  army  pharmaceutical 
corps  is  attached  to  the  medical  section  of  the  Prussian  ministry 
of  war  and  his  rank  is  equal  to  that  of  the  general  of  a  brigade.  The 
commander  of  the  pharmaceutical  corps  of  the  French  army  is 
known  as  the  inspector  and  also  ranks  as  brigadier-general.  Not 
only  are  these  pharmaceutical  corps  in  the  German  and  French 
armies  charged  with  the  duty  of  providing  the  medical  and  surgical 
supplies  by  purchase  or  manufacture,  and  with  the  care,  distribution 
and  dispensing  thereof,  but  they  likewise  make  the  sanitary,  clinical 
