WASHINGTON — Many young people of enlistment age have tattoos, and some percentage are required to remove body art that the military services deem inappropriate.

WASHINGTON — Gentian violet (pronounced jen-shen) is not a compound familiar to most modern medical practitioners. Developed in the middle of the 19^th century, this combination of pararosanilines used as a component in dyes was eventually discovered to have antiseptic properties. Through the early part of the 20^th century, it was prescribed by physicians for simple infections and commonly used by mothers to treat thrush in infants.