678  Pharmacy  in  the  Belgian  Army.     {Anoc^°ber  ^1™' 
already  pointed  out,  these  formations  are  identical  with  the  French 
Ambulances  and,  as  in  the  French  Army,  there  are  two  with  each 
division. 
For  the  pharmaceutical  administration  in  the  field,  the  Director 
of  Medical  Services  of  a  Belgian  Army  has  one  Pharmacien  Prin- 
cipal and  one  Pharmacien  Suppliant  on  his  staff.  The  Pharmacien 
Principal  of  the  Army  is  responsible  to  the  director  for  the  organiza- 
tion of  pharmaceutical  services,  laboratories,  and  medical  stores 
throughout  the  Army  area.  He  carries  out  inspections  on  the  part 
of  his  chief  and  functions  in  every  way  as  a  senior  staff  officer  at 
the  Army  headquarters.  The  Pharmacien  Suppliant  acts  as  staff 
officer  to  his  chief  and  carries  on  the  duties  of  the  pharmaceutical 
section  of  the  director's  office  during  the  absence  on  duty  of  the 
Pharmacien  Principal.  All  base  and  advanced  depots  of  medical 
stores  are  in  the  charge  of  Pharmaciens.  Indeed  the  British  Army 
is  the  only  European  Army  in  which  the  care  of  medical  and  sur- 
gical material  is  not  in  the  hands  of  trained  pharmacist  officers. 
The  Red  Cross. 
As  in  most  other  Continental  countries,  the  Red  Cross  Society  of 
Belgium  is  very  highly  organized,  and  employs  a  large  number  of 
pharmacists.  The  society  is  under  a  Committee  of  Direction,  ap- 
pointed by  the  King,  and  works  in  conjunction  with  the  Belgian 
War  Office.  Under  certain  conditions,  laid  down  by  the  military 
authorities,  a  pharmacist  can  complete  the  bulk  of  his  military  serv- 
ice under  the  Red  Cross.  The  peace  activities  of  the  Belgian  Red 
Cross  were  not  at  all  comparable  with  those  of  other  Allied  Red 
Cross  Societies  such  as  the  Croce  Rossa  Italiana.  The  society  pro- 
vides the  personnel  for  ambulance  trains  and  railway  rest  stations, 
and  organizes  auxiliary  military  hospitals  of  various  kinds. 
It  will  be  seen  that  the  pharmaceutical  service  of  the  little  Bel- 
gian Army  presents  some  interesting  characteristics  ;  that  pharmacy 
holds  the  status  of  a  profession  and  its  practitioners  who  are  granted 
commissioned  rank  hold  responsible  posts  as  officers  on  the  staff. 
(M.  D.,  L.  P.  S.  L,  87,  1919.) 
