AlOcto°bUei:  Pi9%m"  )     Pharmacy  in  the  Belgian  Army.  675 
Medecin  Principal  de  2me  Classe,  ranking  with  lieut. -colonel. 
Mcdecin  de  regiment  de  ire  Classe,  ranking  with  major. 
Medecin  de  regiment  de  2me  Classe,  ranking  with  captain. 
Medecin  de  bataillon  de  ire  Classe,  ranking  with  lieutenant. 
Medecin  Adjoint  de  ire  Classe  and  Medecin  Adjoint  de  2me  Classe, 
both  ranking  with  second-lieutenant. 
Readers  of  my  article  on  "  Pharmacy  in  the  French  Army"  (C 
and  D.,  June  7,  p.  50)  will  note  that  the  historic  title  of  the  French 
Medecin,  vis.,  "  major,"  is  not  used  in  Belgium.  The  rank  of 
"  major "  does  not  exist  in  the  French  Army.  The  corresponding 
rank  is,  of  course,  Commandant ;  but  the  term  Monsieur  le  Major 
is  universally  employed  by  the  French  poilu  in  addressing  his  med- 
ical officer.  The  title  is  obviously  a  contraction  of  the  cumbrous 
French  medico-military  titles  of  Mcdecin  Major  and  Medecin  Aide 
Major,  but  takes  some  getting  used  to  in  one's  earlier  days  with  a 
French  military  formation.  During  the  war  it  was  sometimes  re- 
placed by  a  word  of  argot  (Tout-bib) ,  as  the  chief  amusement  of 
the  poilus  in  the  trenches  was  to  invent  new  words  and  phrases  of 
argot. 
Ranks  and  Titles  of  Pharmacists. 
There  are  seven  grades  of  pharmacist  in  the  Belgian  Army,  viz.: 
Pharmacien  en  Chef,  ranking  with  lieutenant-colonel. 
Pharmacien  Principal,  ranking  as  major. 
Deuxieme  Pharmacien  de  ire  et  2me  Classe,  both  ranking  as  captain. 
Pharmacien  de  $me  Classe,  ranking  as  lieutenant.  • 
Pharmacien  de  4me  Classe  and  Pharmacien  Adjoint,  both  ranking 
as  second  lieutenant. 
The  proportion  of  pharmacist  to  medical  officers  is  about  one  to 
four. 
Pay. 
The  rates  of  pay  drawn  by  pharmacist  officers  is,  as  in  the  Italian 
Army  (C.  and  D.,  June  14,  p.  64),  the  pay  of  their  relative  rank,  as 
all  branches  of  the  service  are  paid  at  the  same  rates.  A  Pharmacien 
en  Chef  draws  only  280  /.  per  annum,  a  Pharmacien  Principal  252  I., 
Pharmacien  de  ire  et  2me  Classe  from  168  /.  to  204  Pharmacien 
de  3me  Classe  130  /.  It  will  be  seen  that  some  pharmacists,  with 
merely  non-commissioned  rank,  in  our  Army  are  better  off  financially 
than  their  commissioned  Belgian  confreres. 
