for various 2-day conflicts of the Civil War. Of course, these percentages do not apply to the aggregate of forces including reserves, except for a few battles of unusual severity and in which practically all troops were engaged. It will be interesting to compare statistics of the present war, in which there has been no single day without casualties due to combat and in which no contest termed a battle has been of less than a week's duration, whereas very few battles of previous wars of our own country exceeded two days and none except sieges, three days, if we are not mistaken.

The U. S. Public Health Service (formerly called Marine Service and organized as a branch of the Treasury Dept. to look after the merchant marine) has for some time since the declaration of war been operated practically as a branch of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery of the Navy. It is expected that a bill will be introduced in Congress to combine it permanently with the Naval Medical Dept. For many years, the officers have been graded and paid corresponding to the army and navy Medical officers and, more recently, have worn insignia of rank.

Surgeon Probationers in the British Navy. At the outbreak of the war, senior students of medicine were allowed to complete their course. The gradually increasing need of medical assistants has led to the enrollment of junior students in the capacity mentioned, with assignment to the navy, their duties being those of assistants and to care for minor casualties.

Venereal Disease in the American Expeditionary Forces. This has been reduced by measures already mentioned, to 47.8:1000, as against a record of about 91 in the regular army before the war and somewhat lower in troops in cantonments during the war, after the elimination of the pre-enlistment incidence. As has already been remarked, the bogy of the military venereal disease menace, about which so much was written, has proved imaginary. Rather has it been proved that the real venereal menace was one of civilian life. But, not to foster an undue degree of optimism, it should be frankly stated that the low venereal incidence of soldiers is largely due to the fact that they have too little liberty and are too tired to contract venereal disease. Army coffee may be another negative fact for, as George M. Gould pointed out several years ago, the average man uses coffee and tobacco as antidotes to each other. The soldier continues to use tobacco, he drinks extremely weak coffee whose flavor does not conduce to compensation of caffeine by increased volume of con

sumption. There is a quite unfounded belief among many soldiers that the coffee is doped with potassium nitrate to act as an anaphrodisiac.

Gas Infection. About 70% of gas infection is due to the Welch bacillus, at least two other bacteria being concerned in the remainder. It involves muscles especially and is predisposed to by acidosis, hence by fatigue. Intravenous or other introduction of alkalies is theoretically indicated and there is some practical corroboration of the theory.

Tetanus Antitoxin has, for some time, been used by the Germans in the form of a powder, applied on cotton to the wound. The liquid preparations have also been reduced in volume.

Disinfection of Wounds by Gases, in regard to which we have published several abstracts, is generally regarded unfavorably by military authorities.

Malaria. The weight of evidence is that the human being is the essential host and that the disease is carried over from one season to another by uncured cases. Thus efficient treatment, mainly by quinine, is not merely a matter of personal therapeutics but of state sanitation. Fifteen years ago, our Associate Editor, Prof. Pel of Amsterdam, stated that while the anopheles was common in Holland, malaria had become a rare disease owing to the thorough treatment of existing cases by quinine.

Mosquito-Born Diseases. Four have been absolutely demonstrated: Malaria (three types), Yellow fever, Dengue, Filariasis. Various other infections have been pretty well demonstrated to be at least occasionally conveyed by mosquitoes, not to mention infections carried by other insects either adventitiously or obligately.

German Man Power. Statistics of deaths and prisoners, said to have been issued by the German government are as follows: 1914, Western Front, 669,800; Eastern Front, 163,900 (5 months). 1915, W. F., 713,461; E. F., 699,600. 1916, W. F., 901,250; E. F., 359,800. 1917, W. F., 320,450; E. F., 261,250 (5 months). Total 4,089,511. These numbers probably represent definitive losses (including permanently disabled). The more intense fighting of the present year is estimated at a million casualties, at least of which, on an average military experience, 40% would be definitive. Checked

by number of divisions, comparative losses of British with an army of 2 million and allowing for the temporary disability of those who would untimately be returned to the ranks, it may be held that the total potential militia of Germany is the original total of 10% of the population plus-7 million, less 5 million, equalling 2 million. The actual present estimate is 3 million but this is substantially in agreement as the two. advanced yearly classes, numbering net about half a million each, have been called into service and prisoners of the 1920 class comprise almost exactly 1/7 of all prisoners corresponding to a total strength of 3,500,000 or 2,500,000 of the normal age. From this must be deducted the losses of the last two weeks or so, so that the actual discrepancy is slight. Austria, on the same proportionate basis would have had an initial militia of 5,500,000 and a remainder of about 1,500,000. The estimate on a divisional basis was less than this at the begin-. ning of the year and is just about a million at present. Allowing for the greater number of deaths from disease and disaffection and even defection, this estimate is reasonable in comparison with that of Germany.

Gigantism. Joseph Yawniuck died July 23, in Camden, N. J., aged 19. He was 7 feet 10 inches tall. Death was ascribed to the pituitary disease.

The N. Y. Military Census of males between 16 and 50, was 2,914,909, out of a total population of about 11 million.

New Source of Alcohol. The sotol plant which grows wild in Mexico is said to be available on a practical scale.

Mobilization of the Entire Medical Profession. We have been unable to learn the details of the proposed government measure to constitute the entire profession as a reserve medical reserve. There is no question either as to the necessity or the right of the federal government to take such action as a war measure, nor as to the general willingness of the profession to accept such regulations as may be imposed. Probably the principal duties required will be examination of recruits and an occasional compulsory change of residence to insure adequate medical attention to communities without a physician. It is possible that the plan as finally evolved may go some distance along the way of socialization of medical service but, so far as may be judged from the conduct of the railroads, it is unlikely that any radical permanent interference with private enterprise is contemplated. Now is the time for the presentation of the views of physicians them

selves. Later even well meant constructive criticism must yield to obedience to orders.

French Statistics of Medical Education. From 1914 to 1917, the number of male students was, respectively 10,045, 2,944, 3,263, 3,375. Female students, 1,088, 772, 765, 822. Foreign students, 1,421, 625, 539, 515.

Food Prospects. This year's wheat crop for the U. S. will amount to nearly a billion bushels. Allowing for the proportion of the population at early and late ages, this corresponds to nearly double the total food requirements of the whole country, including the army and navy, for a year. As other cereals are also abundant, corn especially, and of nearly equal food value, and as cereals need not comprise more than half of the entire ration, we can spare enough to afford an ample cereal ration for the entire military and civil population of all of our allies whose countries are active belligerents. The abundant apple crop prophecied, though not of so great apparent importance, is also a very practical hygienic help, especially as there was a scarcity of fruits last year. scarcity of sugar seems inevitable, though not of serious degree. Some general plan should, however, be immediately worked out, to insure the preservation of various fruits for which the addition of sugar is usually held by housewives to be essential. These fruits should be preserved anyhow, in anticipation of an available sugar supply or for use without sugar if necessary.

The

Drugs in the Army. Practically every state of the Union has a law which provides that those who furnish drugs to the public shall be qualified for this professional work. In our Army the hospital steward who dispenses the medicines ordered by the physician for the sick soldier is detailed from the ranks without requirement of pharmaceutical training.

To remedy this defect and thus increase the efficiency of the Medical Department of the Army, it is proposed to establish a Pharmaceutical Corps, which will be under the command of the Surgeon-General of the Army.

A bill has been introduced to provide a Pharmaceutical Corps in that department. It provides for the establishment of a Pharmaceutical Corps to be composed of a pharmacist director, with rank of major, five deputy pharmacist directors, with the rank of captain, and such number of pharmacists, with rank of lieutenant, and of pharmacist apprentices, as may be needed for the service. The bill delegates to the Pharmaceutical Corps the following duties: To procure by

purchase or manufacture all supplies of medicines, drugs, chemicals, pharmaceutical apparatus, and hospital and surgical dressings necessary for the Medical Department of the Army; to determine the quality and purity of such supplies; to have charge of the medical supply depots of the Army and the storage and safeguarding of such supplies; to provide for the issuance and distribution of such supplies and the dispensing of medicines in the various hospitals, dispensaries, infirmaries, trains and camps of the Army; to properly care for, regulate the dispensing, and to systematically account for all spirituous liquors and habit-forming drugs purchased for the department; to procure by purchase or manufacture such drugs, chemicals, reagents, tests, and biologic products as are used in the laboratories and the medical and surgical practice of the department for the purpose of diagnosis, prophylaxis, or treatment; to account for all moneys received from sales of medical supplies, in accordance with the provisions of the Army regulations or disposed of by order of competent authority; to inspect the department's stores and supplies of drugs, medicines, hospital dressings, reagents. tests and biologic products and determine their deterioration and fitness for use; to co-operate with the other branches of the department in rendering first aid and wound dressing and in the making of diagnostic and chemical tests; to establish and maintain a systematic course of study and training, including the advances made in medicine, pharmacy, and sciences allied thereto, to be pursued by the members of the Army Pharmaceutical Corps who are seeking promotion in the Corps.

The Public Health Service will vaccinate against smallpox or typhoid fever, any persons, free of cost, who will call at any one of the service stations.

Two Aluminum Identification Tags, each the size of a silver half-dollar and of suitable thickness, will be worn by each officer and soldier of the American Expeditionary Forces and by all civilians attached thereto. These tags will be worn suspended from the neck, underneath the clothing, by a cord or thong passed through a small hole in the tag, the second tag to be suspended from the first one by a short piece of string or tape.

In the case of officers the tags will be stamped with the name, rank; regiment, corps, or department of the wearer and the letters "U. S." either in such form as "U. S. Infantry," "U. S. Air Service," "U. S. Tank Corps," or simply the let