794 
Military  Pharmacists. 
/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
December,  1919. 
required  in  either  organization.  The  filling  of  prescriptions  and  the 
manufacture  of  preparations  may  become  a  part  of  the  duty  of  any 
member  of  the  corps,  who  is  properly  qualified,  but  in  addition  to 
this,  as  has  been  explained  in  a  number  of  articles  appearing  during 
the  war,  the  members  of  the  Hospital  Corps  are  expected  to  qualify 
for  the  buying  of  supplies,  including  not  only  drugs,  but  every  kind 
of  supply  for  hospitals,  such  as  food,  equipment,  and  materials  for 
surgical  work.  They  are  required  to  be  first-aid  men,  chemists,  bac- 
teriologists, X-ray  experts,  stenographers,  bookkeepers,  commissary 
experts,  executives,  and  competent  aids  in  every  department  of  the 
medical  service.  The  question  whether  this  work  is  called  profes- 
sional need  not  concern  pharmacists.  Much  of  it  we  know  is  work 
of  which  pharmacy  may  be  proud  and  which  does  require  scientific 
training  and  is  properly  classed  as  professional,  but  other  work  re- 
quired by  the  Corps  will  be  nonprofessional.  This  has  been  done  in 
the  past  by  the  medical  officers,  who  are  conceded  to  be  professional 
men,  but  the  doctors  did  not  change  the  work  to  professional  work, 
nor  can  it  be  changed  in  the  future.  Without  question,  the  pharma- 
cist will  be  given  credit  for  the  professional  work  he  does,  as  it  is 
now  conceded  by  the  medical  men  of  the  Navy,  and  his  standing 
will  not  be  injured  by  the  nonprofessional  work  required. 
If  both  the  bill  proposed  by  Dr.  Ireland  and  the  Darrow  Bill  be- 
come laws,  a  pharmaceutical  organization  will  be  built  up  which  will 
have  a  counterpart  in  the  reserve  corps  and  in  these  civil  pharmacists 
will  have  an  opportunity  to  enlist  and  receive  training,  and  can  ad- 
vance as  reserve  officers,  so  that  should  war  again  occur,  the  reserve 
officers  of  the  Hospital  Corps  and  of  the  Medical  Service  Corps  of 
the  Army  would  in  line  for  rapid  promotion.  It  is  within  the  juris- 
diction of  the  Surgeon-Generals  of  both  branches  of  the  military 
service  to  give  recognition  for  technical  training  received  outside 
of  the  Army  or  Navy. 
While  it  is  not  known  just  what  recognition  will  be  given  grad- 
uate pharmacists  in  these  corps,  there  are  hundreds  of  cases  on 
record  in  the  Navy  where  a  graduate  pharmacist  has  advanced  in 
eighteen  months  to.  Chief  Pharmacist's  Mate  with  the  pay  of  about 
$100  a  month  and  all  living  expenses  in  addition.  A  similar  oppor- 
tunity will  no  doubt  be  provided  in  the  Army  and  although  five  years 
of  service  is  a  requirement  in  the  bill  before  commissions  are  granted, 
exceptions  can  be  made  if  found  practicable  through  a  ruling  of  the 
Surgeon-Generals,  as  has  been  done  in  the  past.    It  must  not  be 
