“Every vessel belonging to a citizen of the United States bound from a port in the United States to any foreign port, or being of the burden of seventy-five tons or upwards, and bound from a port of the Atlantic to a port on the Pacific, or vice versa, shall be provided with a chest of medicines.” ... The rest of the section relates to the use of lime or lemon juice. No mention, it will be seen, is made of what this “medicine chest” shall contain nor whether there shall be any one on board capable of using its contents. Naturally there could be no uniformity in the equipment of these chests for the law, not being explicit, left the matter entirely to the ship owners who could use their judgment as to the requirements of their own vessels. Besides, in questioning several sea-going officers, I find that there is no book on First Aid which is generally accepted as being a necessary part of the chest’s contents. Many of them have only a book published in 1877, called “Ritter’s Manual,” the first edition of which was issued some forty years before. The U. S. Public Health and Marine Hospital Service published an excellent book in 1900, called the “Hand Book for the Ship’s Medicine Chest,” but there is no law requiring its adoption by ship’s owners and it is, judging from the opinions expressed by several men with whom I spoke on the subject, considered too technical for the average ship officers. Many of the vessels sailing out of San Francisco provide themselves with chests arranged by a prominent druggist of this city, and they contain a small book, which he has published; it is to be expected that the special preparations which he supplies are particularly dwelt upon. While considering the subject, especially in regards to the needs of a proper book on First Aid, I was impressed with the fact that whatever book was adopted would be of service only to the degree that its contents were understood and appreciated by those using it. I therefore called upon the Secretaries of the “Masters, Mates and Pilots Association” and the “Sailors Union,” of this city, and presented to them for the consideration of their respective organizations, a plan whereby a regular course of lectures bearing on First Aid and kindred subjects should be given weekly to their members. These gentlemen received me very cordially and I can best express their opinions by submitting the letters they sent me which are quoted in full: California Harbor, No. 15, San Francisco, Cal., Nov. 17th, 1908. Lt. G. H. Richardson, M. R. C., U. S. Army, Post Hospital, Presidio. Dear Doctor: