It should be at once and widely taught that the cases of opiate addiction that follow war time administration of opiate do not constitute a new medical problem, but simply constitute additional cases of a disease which has existed insufficiently appreciated in this country for over half a century. When the conditions under which wounded and sick must be handled in the emergencies of war, and the higher percentage of urgent and severe cases are taken into account, it will be found that the proportion of wounded and sick soldiers with this addiction-disease is no greater and is very probably not so great as the proportion of people in civil life and practice who have in the past contracted this disease, and are even at present contracting it as a result of opiate medication, unavoidably or otherwise continued to the point of addiction. As the facts of addiction-disease development as a result of unavoidable military therapeutics become known it will be well to remember that the conditions are no different in character and exist in no greater relative proportion than the same conditions in civil life and practice. The principal difference lies in the greater opportunity for early recognition. As to the illegitimate or non-therapeutic contraction of addiction within the army, its dangers are no greater and possibly not as great as in civil life. Some non-medical cases of addiction may have developed within the ranks of the army. It may be said of them, however, that army life and activity and training probably saved many more or less idle and ignorant youths imbued with a spirit of curiosity, and with lack of normal outlet for physical and nervous surplus energies, from the associations and environments which have been taken advantage of by those associated with illicit commerce in the creation of the addict of non-medical origin, which has so increased in the past four or five years. It is my belief that the gathering together of young men presents an opportunity for the education of the youth as to the physical and disease facts of opiate addiction which should be of incalculable benefit in the solution of the narcotic problem and in the suppression and prevention of “underground” and underworld narcotic traffic.