Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
April,  19 1 8.  > 
Editorial. 
237 
substitutes  for  the  official  syrup  nor  that  such  alternatives  will  appeal 
to  the  users  as  proper  bases  for  syrup  of  hydriodic  acid  and  other 
official  syrups  for  which  these  have  been  suggested.  We  voice  our 
opinion  as  opposed  to  pharmacopoeial  camouflage. 
Another  serious  objection  to  many  of  the  suggested  "war  for- 
mulas "  is  that  they  offer  very  broad  hints  and  methods  of  adultera- 
tion which  may  be  continued  by  the  unscrupulous  in  times  of  peace. 
The  standards  of  quality  and  purity  laid  down  in  our  official  authori- 
ties should  not  be  lightly  dealt  with  nor  should  the  bars  of  the  pure 
drug  laws  be  unnecessarily  let  down. 
A  very  proper  way  to  effect  a  sane  conservation  would  be  for 
the  physicians  wherever  possible  to  simplify  their  prescriptions. 
Instead  of  prescribing  fluid  extracts  of  buchu,  cascara,  sagrada, 
senna,  digitalis,  etc.,  direct  infusions  of  such  drugs  as  those  that 
yield  their  constituents  to  water.  Vinegar  of  squill  in  diminished 
quantity  could  replace  the  syrup  and  at  times  solution  of  iron 
chloride  in  place  of  the  tincture  and  very  frequently  syrup  could 
with  advantage  take  the  place  of  glycerin  and  an  aromatic  water  re- 
place an  elixir,  or  one  of  the  weaker  alcoholic  basic  elixirs  like  almond 
or  vanilla  elixir  be  prescribed  in  place  of  the  more  alcoholic  and  ex- 
pensive aromatic  elixir.  The  examples  of  simplified  prescribing, 
which  would  lead  to  consistent  conservation  without  the  sacrifice  of 
therapeutic  action,  could  be  multiplied  many  times  over  and  this 
moreover  is  a  plan  in  which  medicine  and  pharmacy  could  work  to- 
gether in  a  common  cause. 
G.  M.  B. 
The  Significance  of  Military  Rank. 
Rank  in  the  Army  and  Navy  means,  authority,  and  authority 
properly  controlled  means  efficiency.  The  conferring  of  military 
rank  upon  medical  men  in  the  Army  and  Navy,  as  proposed  by  the 
Owen  bill,  is  vitally  necessary  for  the  health  and  life  of  the  men  in 
the  service.  Not  that  physicians  will  not  do  their  full  duty  without 
such  rank,  but  with  such  distinction  they  can  command  sufficient 
authority  to  do  better  work. 
Why  should  rank  be  granted  to  other  than  military  officers? 
After  the  hideous  experiences  of  former  wars  and  the  exigencies 
arising  in  military  operations  in  which  the  welfare  of  the  personnel 
was  not  only  often  jeopardized  but  sacrificed,  the  medical  arm  of 
