Binj F. Schiess letter to Dr. Henry Milton Whelpley - October 10, 1918
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[page 1] Pharmacists in the army. There are two identifying peculiarities about a druggist in the army Uncles Sam’s khaki cannot hide, they are the same as can be noted in any drug store; no matter whether in the infantry, cavalry, artillery, etc. they are all the same, I will discuss them from the medical corps standpoint of view because I happen to be in that division of the service. The one is that willing, snappy, band – box personelle, so common in most drug stores; while the other is the sluggish, dragging, and dreamy looking pharmacist, happily not found in the average drug store. There about 90% of the former & 10% of the latter, (In ranks the pharmacists make an elegant & stately appearance excepting that 10%, who so often boob up in the ranks & cause us all to be delayed & get bawled out by the commanding officer, who is a doctor, either first or second lieutenant. I have one druggist in mind he especially walks as though he had a ton on his shoulders, drags his feet & always has a grouch on his face, it’s safe to say he never was in a wide-awake drug
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[page 2] store either to own it, or clerk therein, while marching, he is always out of step, he hasn’t more of a chance to become a sargeant or lieutenant than a rabbit, but that is the only one, the pharmaceutical profession is well represented & the pharmacists at home can be proud of their fellow pharmacists in the army, we show them all how things are done. The work of the pharmacist is that of dispensing drugs, keeping stock thereof, bandaging, nursing, and in general are the doctors’ right hand man. There are times when we all have to stoop and do police work, that is sweeping up, picking up bits of paper, shooting cigar & cigarette snipes, mopping the floors, scrubing this or that. The other day the sargeant said to me, I have some typical drug store work for you, I told him to lead me to it, so he did he took me to the sink and showed me three scrub buckets full of used bottles I knew the rest, so do you Mr. Druggist. The respect paid a druggist in the army is worth while noting, everybody
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[page 3] looks up to him they came with all their ailments, that is, of a minor character, and talk just as confidentially as they do over the drug store counter & ask a remedy therefore. They in turn receive that benevolent treatment & courtesy which we always tried to show them at the store. Next to the doctors in the medical corps, are the dentists and druggists, there was a sort of lacking in military discipline in the medical Corps for a while, know to the other branches of the service as medical discipline & consisted of lazy saluting and a general lack of snappiness which is preached to us from morning till night, “make it snappy”, is all one hears on the drill field. The doctors, who are all lieutenants are not supposed to mingle with the privates, corporals or sargeants, nor visa versa, in the infantry, if a private looks at a lieutenant a little crooked, he is barked at & made to do fatigue duty as punishment. In the medical corps lieutenants became too intimate with the privates, so by a series of lectures & bawling outs by the cap-
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[page 4] tain, it was generally overcome, so the druggist & doctor cannot talk as freely we used to in the drug store or at the doctors office. But those confidential chats still go on in a more secluded manner, there always will be that affinity between the doctor & the druggist which existed at home, the doctor always like to have the druggist in his confidence. This evening, a train load of good looking red cross nurses passed through the camp, well you ought have seen the doctors in the infirmary tumble head long out of the doors to wave & get a glance at the beautiful dames and oh! such eyes as were cast about. The radiance on one doctor’s face especially is something I will remember a long time, he seemed to enjoy the scenery abundantly, moreso than the rest of us, but oh dear, if his wife finds it out, of course nobody here will tell her, as we all have sweethearts & wives that we trifle on just a tweeny little bit once in a while, I suppose it is clearly
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[page 5] understood that a druggist wouldn’t do such a thing, oh no, but everything goes in this man’s army. Signed Binj F. Schiess Ph.G. Camp MaArthur Waco Texas [October] 10, 1918
Details
| Title | Binj F. Schiess letter to Dr. Henry Milton Whelpley - October 10, 1918 |
| Creator | Schiess, Binj F. |
| Source | Schiess, Binj F. Letter to Dr. Henry Milton Whelpley. 10 October 1918. Dr. Henry Milton Whelpley Collection, 1826-1929. A1737. Missouri History Museum, St. Louis, Missouri. |
| Description | Binj F. Schiess sent this letter to Dr. Henry Milton Whelpley. Dr. Whelpley was the dean of the St. Louis College of Pharmacy and editor of the Meyer Brothers Druggist magazine. In this letter, Schiess wrote an article, "Pharmacists in the Army" in which he described the experiences of pharmacists in the army in great detail. This letter was written on Knights of Columbus letterhead. |
| Subject LCSH | World War, 1914-1918; World War, 1914-1918--War Work--RedCross; Camp MacArthur (Tex.) |
| Subject Local | WWI; World War I |
| Site Accession Number | A1737 |
| Contributing Institution | Missouri History Museum |
| Copy Request | Transmission or reproduction of items on these pages beyond those allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the Missouri History Museum: 314-746-4510 |
| Rights | The text and images contained in this collection are intended for research and educational use only. Duplication of any of these images for commercial use without express written consent is expressly prohibited. Contact the Missouri History Museum's Permissions Office at 314-746-4511 to obtain written consent. |
| Date Original | October 10, 1918 |
| Language | English |