d. However, the worst of the
inflation was yet to come.[152]

In Summary

Initially the drug supplies for the American Revolutionary Army had
come from stocks largely in the hands of private druggists. However,
this source of supply was totally inadequate for a war that attained
such proportions as the Revolution. Even if stocks of drugs in the
Colonies had been far greater than they were, there is little reason
to believe that shortages would not have developed. After all, a good
many of the suppliers were Loyalists, and others were indifferent to
the cause of American liberty. Even the most patriotic pharmacists
were faced with a complete financial suicide, caught between a
spiraling inflation and a Congress that had no money and only a
promise for the future.

As if all these problems were not bad enough, the internal
organization of the medical department of the army was so chaotic
that, even if adequate supplies were available and if the almost
insurmountable problems of communications and transportation were
solved, it is almost certain that shortages would have developed at
least during the campaign of 1776. Add to this the fact that any
retreating army is subject to loss of supplies and the reasons for the
shortages become very obvious.

The encouragement which Congress, through its Secret Committee, gave
to private shippers for the importation of vital war materials offered
little relief in the field of medical supplies. Importation was, of
course, cut off from England, and France did not directly export any
quantity of medical supplies, at least until 1778. American privateers
found it much more profitable to prey on British shipping than
initiating trade channels with countries which prior to the Revolution
were prohibited from shipping directly to the Colonies. These channels
of commerce did not develop extensively until well after the
Revolution.

Hence the most immediate relief from medical supply shortages was
provided by the American privateers. Drug cargoes from British prize
ships, many of which were en route to New York, served as a most
important source of supply, particularly in 1777 and 1778.

However, even with the most adequate supplies, competition between
different branches of the army and navy and the confiscation of
supplies destined for Continental troops by state militias further
encouraged inflationary trends.

The number of individual drugs mentioned in various inventories was