^'jiOnUe^'i909arm'}  Drugs  and  Druggist  in  Tuberculosis.  285 
country  is  so  large  that,  notwithstanding-  the  number  of  hospitals, 
dispensaries,  sanitaria,  and  private  laboratories,  we  learn  from  good 
authority  that  the  force  is  not  by  any  means  adequate  to  carry  it 
on  properly.  In  a  paper  on  "  The  Crusade  against  Tuberculosis," 
read  before  the  Third  Maryland  State  Conference  of  Charities  and 
Corrections  (1907)  by  Dr.  Lawrence  F.  Flick 6  he  said:  "Inas- 
much as  disinfection  of  places  and  things  which  have  been  con- 
taminated by  disease  is  a  very  large,  extensive  project,  it  might 
be  well  for  governments  to  lay  down  general  principles,  and  in 
many  instances  permit  individuals  to  carry  out  the  disinfection  upon 
these  principles.  In  this  way  every  druggist  in  the  land,  for 
instance,  might  be  made  an  agent  of  preventive  medicine,  and  a 
useful  field  of  activity  for  the  druggist  might  be  thus  established." 
This  suggestion  of  Dr.  Flick's  seems  to  me  to  be  a  very  timely 
one,  and  I  feel  sure  that  if  druggists  were  to  announce  their  willing- 
ness and  readiness  to  carry  on  the  work  of  disinfection,  the  effort 
would  prove  a  fruitful  one  to  them.  They  might  not  only  be  able 
to  co-operate  with  boards  of  health  in  disinfecting  houses  and 
various  contaminated  articles  where  provision  is  made  for  defray- 
ing the  expenses  by  the  municipal  and  State  authorities,  but  also 
might  be  able  to  carry  on  the  work  of  disinfection  for  that  class 
of  persons  who  are  able  to  pay  for  such  services,  and  might  perhaps 
prefer  to  have  it  done  in  this  way.  The  methods  used  in  disinfec- 
tion are  very  simple  so  far  as  the  pharmacist  is  concerned,  he  having 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  processes  used  and  the  properties  of 
the  chemicals  employed.  The  methods  directed  by  the  boards  of 
health  require  no  expensive  apparatus,  and  thus  practically  the 
whole  expense  would  be  in  the  time  consumed  and  for  the  chemicals 
employed. 
In  this  same  line  of  work  may  also  be  included  certain  micro- 
scopical and  chemical  examinations,  which  the  pharmacist  is  able 
to  carry  on,  or  should  be  able  to. carry  on  with  very  little  additional 
training  and  practice,  as  in  the  examination  of  the  urine,  sputum, 
and  blood  in  the  diagnosis  and  prognostication  of  the  disease.  In 
the  early  stages  of  the  disease  it  appears  to  be  somewhat  difficult 
to  diagnose  it,  and  it  is  stated  that  it  is  frequently  mistaken  for 
malaria.  In  instances  of  this  kind  examination  of  the  blood  would 
show  whether  the  disease  is  malaria.  In  diagnosing  tuberculosis  a 
bacteriologic  examination  of  the  sputum  is  now  commonly  made. 
It  being  true  that  in  the  very  early  stages  of  the  disease  the  specific 
