Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Nov.,  19 18. 
Correspondence. 
821 
are  overrun  with  prescriptions  for  the  epidemic  and  they  have  to 
close  their  stores  because  they  cannot  handle  the  work,  and  many 
are  working  all  night  and  day.  Therefore  the  Provost  Marshal, 
under  the  advice  of  the  Surgeon  General's  office,  should  give  regis- 
tered pharmacists  in  the  draft  deferred  classification  to  enable  the 
civilian  population  to  secure  their  medicines.  Hundreds  and  thou- 
sands of  patients  are  unable  to  procure  medicines  during  the  past 
few  days  and  more  and  more  pharmacists  are  lying  down  sick  from 
overwork  and  worry  which  is  fast  bringing  on  a  crisis  all  over  the 
East.  It  would  seem  that  pharmacy  is  today  being  shown  to  be 
one  of  the  direst  needs  of  the  public  and  the  medical  profession  to 
help  quell  the  epidemic  and  save  the  lives  of  our  people.  Will  the 
Surgeon  General's  office  still  refuse  to  recognize  the  need  of  the 
people  today  for  pharmaceutical  service?  Please  inquire  of  health 
boards  in  any  of  our  cities  and  let  them  tell  you  of  the  deplorable 
conditions  in  the  dispensing  of  medicines.  Dr.  John  D.  Blake,  the 
health  commissioner  of  Baltimore,  told  us  today  that  he  felt  the 
Surgeon  General's  office  had  made  a  mistake  in  refusing  to  recog- 
nize pharmacy  and  should  do  so,  and  induce  Provost  Marshal 
Crowder  to  release  many  of  the  pharmacists  in  the  draft  for  return 
to  their  stores  to  help  out  the  fighting  of  this  epidemic  in  this  coun- 
try by  giving  them  deferred  classification.  I  am  enclosing  a  clip- 
ping from  today's  Baltimore  Sun  on  the  subject.  The  Educational 
Board  also  should  recognize  pharmacy  students  as  worthy  of  form- 
ing if  necessary  in  conjunction  with  other  units  military  organiza- 
tions, so  that  our  colleges  of  pharmacy  will  not  have  to  close  and 
cut  off  the  future  supply  of  pharmacists  so  urgently  needed  at  all 
times  for  the  public  health  and  especially  so  badly  needed  now. 
"  Respectfully  submitted, 
(Signed)    "A.  R.  L.  Dohme." 
A  copy  of  this  same  letter  was  simultaneously  sent  to  Provost 
Marshal  General  Crowder,  Surgeon  General  Rupert  Blue  of  the 
Public  Health  Service,  and  Professor  Charles  E.  Munroe,  chairman 
of  the  Board  of  Educational  Instruction. 
The  following  reply  was  received  under  date  of  October  16  from 
the  Provost  Marshal  General : 
