Milford chronicle., 1942-10-02

college and the knowledge neces-
sary to pass the examinations held
by State Boards of Pharmacy.
1t seems absurd to the nth degree
for our authorities to provide
properly educated and trained phys
icians and dentists to diagnose and
prescribe for our soldiers ills
while at the same time permitting
the medicines to be used in the
treatment of those same ills to be
handled, prepared, and dispensed
by unframed men.
1t is also absurd to use great
numbers of those same trained ply
sicians in non-medical work. This
is especially true now when there
is such a scarcity of physicians.
There is still another reason why it
is absurd, and that is that the aver
age physician is, by the very ma
ture of his training and tempera-
ment, a poor businessman.
The Congress could accomplish
several things for the good of the
service-both in efficiency and
economy-by passing the Bill Gre
ating a Pharmacy Corps in the ar
my. First, assure the skillful buy
ing, handling, storage and testing
OF drugs and chemicals, and their
proper dispensing. Second, place
the administrative, supply, and per-
sonnel work in the hands of men
trained by education and experience
in business methods, thus relieving
Medical officers for the work for
which they were trained and for
which they are best fitted. This
would, to "a great extent, relieve the
shortage of physicians in both Ar
my and civil life. Third, give prop
er recognition to a deserving pro-
fession that, because of business
conditions in civil life, has lost
caste to some extent while at the
same time being required to meet
ever-increasing standards of edu-
cation. Fourth, place this branch
of the healing art-the, only one left
out in the cold-on the same basis
as that of Medicine and Dentistry
where it belongs by every right.
The creation of a Pharmacy Corps |
in the Army would assure our SOL |
diers the best in medical care. The |
drugs and chemicals used would be |
bought at the best prices and of
the best quality by men who have
been trained by long experience in
buying. The soldiers prescription
would be filed by men trained in
the art of compounding and the
danger of mistakes always pres
ent with unframed men-would be
practically eliminated. A mistake in
a prescription can do as much harm
as an enemy bullet, and probably
has done so more than once.
The Army Medical Officer should
be the first to favor this new bill.
He knows what service the Phar-
macist performs for him and his
patients in civil practice. He
might also remember the trials of
his own profession in struggling for
recognition and have sympathy
with the Pharmacists problem.
At the time the Army Medical
Corps was created, after a long
fight, a bill was introduced in the
Congress specifying that Medical
men should be. allowed to wear
only one shoulder knot as they were
not really officers.
All progress in the Army has been
slow and difficult of attainment
However, when the need arises, as
t has now, the movement should
De speeded up. We have modern
zed the Army in many respects. 8,
Now is the time to discard the old
horse and buggy methods in the :
Medical Department. Pass H. r. n
'432 and S. 2690 and modernize the
of medicines to our SOL
liers. Give them this needed pro-
ectiOn