Am-^.r-i^1i1|rm-  }  Pharmaceutical  Corps  in  U.  S.  Army.  317 
lines  of  merchandising  they  will  greatly  enhance  the  prospect  for 
early  and  favorable  congressional  action. 
G.  M.  B. 
A  BRIEF  SUBMITTED  IN  FAVOR  OF  ESTABLISHING  A 
PHARMACEUTICAL    CORPS    IN    THE  UNITED 
STATES  ARMY  AS  PROPOSED  BY  THE 
EDMONDS'  BILL,  H.  R.  5531.1 
Hon.  S.  Hubert  Dent,  Jr.,  Chairman  and  Members  of  the 
Committee  on  Military  Affairs,  House  of  Representatives 
of  the  United  States  : 
Gentlemen:  On  behalf  of  the  various  national,  state  and  local 
pharmaceutical  organizations  represented  here  as  the  proponents  of 
the  measure  under  consideration  and,  likewise,  in  the  interest  of  the 
many  thousands  of  men  in  the  army  of  our  country  who  are  now  ex- 
periencing the  trials  and  dangers  of  soldiering,  this  formal  argu- 
ment is  presented. 
The  earnest  consideration  of  Congress  is  requested  to  the  wholly 
inadequate  and  dangerous  methods  of  dispensing  medicines  practiced 
in  our  national  military  service.  In  contrast  with  the  highly  or- 
ganized and  efficient  pharmaceutical  service  assured  alike  to  his 
French  compatriot  and  to  his  German  enemy  is  that  stintingly 
granted  to  the  American  soldier.  This  is  humiliating  to  the  phar- 
macists of  this  country  and  is  not  at  all  creditable  to  the  Medical 
Department  of  the  Army  and  is  incompatible  with  the  standing  of 
the  United  States  among  the  nations. 
Shortcomings  of  the  Army  Hospital  Service. 
The  shortcomings  of  the  hospital  service  of  the  army  has  been 
the  subject  of  repeated  reports  and  in  the  past  there  have  been 
before  Congress  several  measures  whose  purpose  was  to  bring  the 
personnel  of  the  Hospital  Corps  to  a  grade  of  efficiency  commen- 
surate with  the  grade  of  service  which  its  members  are  expected  to 
perform. 
In  the  last  annual  report  of  the  predecessor  to  Surgeon-General 
Gorgas,  he  referred  to  "the  injustice  which  was  done  to  the  Hospital 
1  Filed  with  the  Committee  on  Military  Affairs,  at  the  hearing  held  Tues- 
day, March  19,  1918. 
