Apothecary General
Encyclopedia
Apothecary General was a British and American military post held during the times of the American Revolution
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According to British regulations, the Apothecary General, like the Judge Advocate General, was a noncombatant officer who, under directions from the secretary at war, supplied the army with medicines, hospital stores, surgical instruments, etc. Semi-annually he presented a bill to the Treasury, having previously submitted it for approval to the surgeon and physician generals and to the secretary at war, who certified that the medicines specified had been forwarded to their respective destinations. During the American Revolution
the British apothecary general was George Garnier.
His opposite number was Andrew Craigie, Boston
apothecary and first man to hold the rank of a commissioned pharmaceutical officer in an American army. Craigie was appointed commissary of medical stores by Massachusetts
' Committee of Safety, April 30, 1775, present at the Battle of Bunker Hill
, and probably assisted in taking care of the sick and wounded there in a makeshift station behind the lines. When Congress reorganized the Army's Medical Department in 1777, Craigie became the first American Apothecary General. He duties included procurement, storage, manufacture, and distribution of the Army's drug requirements, but he also developed an early wholesaling and manufacturing business.
Dr. Francis LeBaron (1781–1829) served as the United States Army's Apothecary General from 1813-1821. Called upon to improve the Army’s failed system for providing medical supplies early in the War of 1812
, LeBaron's task was doomed by the military’s lack of planning and resources, and further stymied by poor roads. On March 2, 1821, Congress passed an act (3 Stat. 615) reducing the army and reorganizing the staff corps. Section 10 defined the future medical staff as follows:
This act implicitly abolished the old system of titles which had stood since the Revolution, and brought about the elimination of the American Apothecary General and his assistants.
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
.
According to British regulations, the Apothecary General, like the Judge Advocate General, was a noncombatant officer who, under directions from the secretary at war, supplied the army with medicines, hospital stores, surgical instruments, etc. Semi-annually he presented a bill to the Treasury, having previously submitted it for approval to the surgeon and physician generals and to the secretary at war, who certified that the medicines specified had been forwarded to their respective destinations. During the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
the British apothecary general was George Garnier.
His opposite number was Andrew Craigie, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
apothecary and first man to hold the rank of a commissioned pharmaceutical officer in an American army. Craigie was appointed commissary of medical stores by Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
' Committee of Safety, April 30, 1775, present at the Battle of Bunker Hill
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775, mostly on and around Breed's Hill, during the Siege of Boston early in the American Revolutionary War...
, and probably assisted in taking care of the sick and wounded there in a makeshift station behind the lines. When Congress reorganized the Army's Medical Department in 1777, Craigie became the first American Apothecary General. He duties included procurement, storage, manufacture, and distribution of the Army's drug requirements, but he also developed an early wholesaling and manufacturing business.
Dr. Francis LeBaron (1781–1829) served as the United States Army's Apothecary General from 1813-1821. Called upon to improve the Army’s failed system for providing medical supplies early in the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, LeBaron's task was doomed by the military’s lack of planning and resources, and further stymied by poor roads. On March 2, 1821, Congress passed an act (3 Stat. 615) reducing the army and reorganizing the staff corps. Section 10 defined the future medical staff as follows:
- And be it further enacted, That the medical department shall consist of one surgeon general, eight surgeons with the compensation of regimental surgeons and forty-five assistant surgeons with the compensation of post surgeons.
This act implicitly abolished the old system of titles which had stood since the Revolution, and brought about the elimination of the American Apothecary General and his assistants.