Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
July,  1920.  ) 
Experience  of  a  Pharmacist,  Etc. 
443 
left  Hoboken  on  the  Vaterland,  landing  at  Brest  on  her  maiden 
voyage  into  that  port.  After  spending  four  days  at  Pontenezen 
Barracks,  in  mud  and  on  half  rations,  we  were  packed  in  third-class 
French  coaches;  eight  men  and  packs  to  a  compartment,  each  given 
a  load  of  bread,  a  can  of  corned  "willey"  and  "gold  fish"  and  told  to 
work  out  our  own  salvation  for  the  next  three  days.  Chatel  Guy  on, 
the  village  in  which  we  were  stationed,  is  a  mountain  summer  bath 
resort  in  the  central  part  of  France,  about  thirty  kilometers  south  of 
Vichy,  the  second  largest  hospital  center  in  the  A.  E.  F.  This 
district  of  France  known  as  Auvergne,  although  the  center  of  the 
lace  and  wine  industry,  by  reason  of  its  geography  is  probably  the 
least  progressive  part  of  France,  and  the  only  part  that  has  never 
suffered  invasion.  Oxen  are  used  for  dray  purposes;  what  grain 
they  raise  is  cut  with  a  cradle  and  on  one  occasion  I  saw  threshing 
with  a  flail. 
It  may  not  be  inappropriate  to  say  a  few  words  in  regard  to  the 
French  people  as  we  knew  them — ^by  living  and  working  with  them, 
learning  their  peculiarities,  their  depth,  manners  and  customs.  I 
am  certain  the  impression  which  the  doughboys  (who  constitute  the 
major  portion  of  an  army)  received  was  not  representative  of  France, 
for  their  minds  became  so  thoroughly  impregnated  with  the  abom- 
inable conditions  existing  in  the  devastated  areas,  that  they  cannot 
view  France  and  her  people  in  the  true  light. 
The  buildings  that  we  took  over  were  hotels  that  had  been  occu- 
pied by  French  Colonials.  The  laboratory  personnel  consisted  of  two 
medical  officers;  an  enlisted  man  who  had  considerable  experience 
in  serology;  another  who  assisted  in  conducting  post  mortems;  a 
third,  whose  work  was  confined  solely  to  clinical  photography,  and 
myself.  Sterilization  of  glassware,  the  care  of  animals  and  the 
policing  of  quarters  was  done  by  convalescent  patients  and  German 
prisoners. 
The  first  five  weeks  of  the  entire  staff  were  devoted  to  the  in- 
stallation of  apparatus  and  carpentry;  in  the  latter  the  two  officers, 
both  majors,  pitched  in  and  sawed  and  planed  and  hammered  with 
the  men  in  dennims.  Up  to  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  work  seldom 
ceased  at  retreat  but  was  of  necessity  carried  far  into  the  hours  of 
the  night  and  early  morning. 
I  might  cover  briefly  the  stages  a  patient  passed  through  before 
reaching  us.  Except  during  a  drive,  patients  are  never  sent  direct 
from|][the  front  to  a  base,  a  week  generally  elapsing  before  their  ar- 
