The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1943-01-21
Soldier Says Army
Needs Better
Medical Training
Asks residents to sup
port bill in Congress
for more schooling
Dear Mr.. Reed:

I have been reading In the Ken
newick Courier, which my mother
has been sending down TO me, from
Seattle, that you win print the let
tiers of service men who formerly
lived in Kennewick, and that they
would also receive the Kennewick
Courier as gift from you. Since
my mother has been sending me the
paper, I have not written before.
As i was reading the National
Association Of Retail Druggists mag
azine, (NARD), I came upon an
article suggesting that all phar-
macists in the armed forces write
to their home town people urging
them to write their congressman to
vote for the passage Of the Durham
Reynolds bill, which would safe
guard the health Of their sons in
the Army. heartily urge all people
in Kennewick who can, and partic-
ulalry those with boys In the serv-
ice, to write their congressman to
support the bill. Surely with their
sons SO close to danger in every way,
they will want to. take every step
that win assure proper medical at
tention for them.
In a recent hearing before con-
gress, Brigadier General Larry 3.
McAfee testified that the Army feels
things are. run satisfactorily and.
that he saw no reason to upset the
established order, which would be
done If the Durham Reynolds bill
were passed. Now, ] hope to Illus
trate how things are not running
smoothly, by some facts I know.
First, the Army Pharmacies are
run by NC. officers, trained by the
Army for period of 80 days. Is
it reasonable to assume that those
individuals are able to accumulate
the knowledge a registered phar-
macist gains in four years? If so,
perhaps the Army can train doctors
in six months. How many of YOU
would be willing to trust your health
or that of your family, with doc
tor of only six months training?
The Army, is in fact, jeopardizing
the health Of a great many soldiers
by putting the dispensing of drugs
in the hands of men with an equiv
alent amount of training. Would
you people, IL you had prescription
TO be filled, take it to a boy clerk
ing in the front Of the store, per-
haps after school hours, or to the
registered pharmacist in the back
Of the store, who knows how dam
gerous some drugs can bep
Few people realize that when their
prescriptions are being compounded
by a registered pharmacist, they
are being checked; first by the doc
tor who writes it, and second, by the
pharmacist who fills it, and who is
legally held in case of an overdose.
You who have boys in the service
naturally wish them to have the
same health safeguards. This safe
guard is not afforded by the Army
'rained 30 day pharmacists who can
'nly read labels, measure LIQUIDS.
.tc., but who in most cases, under
'tand very little of the therapeutic !
'alue of the materials they are !
Ii
An incident which occurred In the
pharmacy in which I am situated !
illustrates this. We ran out of the
materials to make the standard !
ough syrupS used by the Army. 1
)ne Of the doctors asked our Ser :
cant in the pharmacy (who is 7
Lrmy trained) what should be done [
bout 1t. He said, "give them cough Z
rops"! If this can happen over a {
minor ailment like a cold, It can I
lso happen over some serious s
rouble such as pneumonia. Another I
egistered pharmacist and myself, I
mo works in the pharmacy, COM Z
ounded a cough syrup which sever I
OF the doctors are using exclu-
lively now-which uses materials
I which we have a plentiful supply. 4
You people with relatives In the q