Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1891-11-27
PRICE ONE CENT
sSmpressed Medicines 90 he Used Hers-
after IA the Array aud Navy.


after IA the Array aud Navy.
Army and navy officers, and particu.
arly those of the medical branches,
evincc great interest in a contract which
was awarded at the War Department for
new system of carrying medical and
surgical supplies for an army Ever since
the last Sioux campaign there has been
towing demand for plan by which
.upplies needed by surgeons could be
slaced in a more compact form than
.quid and carried with greater safety and
economy. The result of the award is be-
lieved TO be as near perfection as possible.
tn small, light wooden chest 2Sinclles
long, lIi inches wide. and 17s inchea
high, are 60 square bottles containing as
many different kinds of medicine, but in
compressed tablet form. none of them
eing larger than an ordinary pepper
Ilint lozenge. One of these lozenges OF
tablets contains all the necessary ingre.
dients of famous liniment. and when
dissolved in an ounce of distilled water
its healing properties are the same as II
It was IN liquid shape and in big glass
jar. Some idea may be folmed of the
perfection to which the art of compress
sion has Eeen brought by the fact that IL
the contents of this small brass bound
chest were liqueiied and in their custom.
airy jars and bottles they would occupy
nearly one-half of the space of regular
freight car.
There are two of these chests to be sup.
piled TO each battalion OF 200 men. No.
/ is marked with the Geneva red cross
and inscribed, Medical Supply Chest.
while the only difference in No. 2, so far
as outward appearance is concerned, is
the inscription, Surgical Supplies.
With certain kinds of medicine, like
cough mixture, used in quantities, bot
tie holding gill of the compressed tab
lets is equivalent to a gallon Of liquid,
and should the bottle break the merits
Of the tablet are not impaired in the
least.
Contract was awarded for 200 of these
chests, and one of each kind is to bo
placed under the drivers seat of an ordi.
nary ambulance, or in case of field serv-
ice, and when pack mules have to be
utilized the chests are suspended on each
side of the pannier, their weight with
contents being but IS pounds each. On
the top Of each bottle stopper is the name
pf its contents, and fixed securely in the
lid of the chest is list of contents FOR
the information of the surgeon or hospi
tai steward in charge. Surgeon J. c.
Merrill, of the surgeon generals Office,
who has been supervising and conduct
ing the experiments, declares that the
Gew system will revolutionize the mode
Of supplying needed articles for an army,
and will be of value as well to the
national guard organization of the var.
ious States. Iowa is already in the
field with inquiries on the subject of these
chests, and it is quite likely that at the
next annual encampment OF the troops OF
the Hawkeye State these necessary medi-
raj and surgical adjuncts will be seen in
abundance.
Whisky, brandy. alcohol, and castor
oil are carried in liquid form, their in.
gradients rendering il impossible to form
them into tablets, but codliver oil is
compressed. In making the investiga.
tions the English army system OF carry
ing medical supplies was examined hut
while lightness was obtained by means OF
wicker baskets covered with raw hide. il
was demonstrated that if the hide became
dampened it would twist in all shapes
and destroy the bottles which the wicker
baskets were filled with. Hence light
wooden chest was determined upon, and
New York firm provided what proved
to be the best and most attractive looking
model II was accordingly awarded the
contract.