Civil War Medical Purveyors and
Store-Keepers
Edited by Dr. Michael Echols
Part One
Created: 9-2009
According to Edmonson
in American Surgical Instruments, page 67: "During his tenure as Medical
Purveyor of the United States Army, Surgeon Richard S. Satterlee placed
contracts with instrument makers, chiefly in Philadelphia and New York
for fabrication of cased instrument sets and related surgical equipment
for the military.
During the course of the War he requisitioned
purchases of over 4,900 amputating and general operating cases; 1,150
cases of trephining, exsecting, post-mortem, and personal instrument;
12,700 minor surgery and pocket cases; and 65,000 tourniquets.
GENERAL ORDERS NO 48
War Department Adjutant General's Office Washington, April 19 1862
Section. 5: And be it further enacted that
Medical Purveyors shall be charged
under the direction of the Surgeon General with the selection and
purchase of all medical supplies including new standard preparations and
of all books instruments hospital stores furniture
and other articles required for the sick and wounded of the army In all
cases of emergency they may provide such additional accommodations for
the sick and wounded of the army and may transport such medical supplies
as circumstances may render necessary under such regulations as may
hereafter be established and shall make prompt and immediate issues upon
all special requisitions made upon them under such circumstances by
Medical Officers and the special requisitions shall consist simply of a
list of the articles required the qualities required dated and signed by
the medical officers requiring them.
As can been
determined by the following information c. 1862, medical supplies were
under strict control by the Medical Department and under the supervision
of bonded officers. This information explains who was in charge of
the medical supplies during and after the war. Combined with the
information contained in the post-war
hospital inventory and
receipt for
medical supplies, we can follow the process as to how surplus
supplies and surgery sets came into the possession of surgeons after the war.
May 20th, 1862
"The Secretary of War is
authorized to add to the Medical
Department of the Army, Medical
Storekeepers, not exceeding six in number, who shall have the pay
and emoluments of Military Storekeepers of the Quartermaster's
Department, who shall be skilled Apothecaries or Druggists ; who
shall give the bond and security required by existing laws for
military storekeepers in the Quartermaster's Department, and they
shall be stationed at such points as the necessities of the army may
require.
General Order No. 55, War
Department, Adjutant General's Office, Washington, May 24th, 1862,
announced the following regulations, which governed the appointment
of Medical Storekeepers :
1st. A board of not less than
three Medical Officers will be
assembled by the Secretary of War to examine such applicants as may,
by him, be authorized to appear before it.
2d. Candidates, to be eligible to
examination, shall not be less than 25 years or more than 40 years
of age; shall possess sufficient physical ability to perform their
duties satisfactorily; and shall present with their applications
satisfactory evidence of good moral character.
3d. Candidates will be required
to pass a satisfactory examination in the ordinary branches of a
good English education, in Pharmacy and Materia Medica; and to give
proof that they possess the requisite business qualifications for
the position.
4th. The board will report to the
Secretary of War the relative merit of the candidates examined, and
they will receive appointments accordingly.
5th. When appointed, each
medical storekeeper will be required
to give a bond in the sum of $40,000, before he shall be allowed to
enter on the performance of his duties.
After having complied with all
the requirements of the above order, the successful candidates were
duly appointed by the President, and commissioned accordingly.
The duties of the position are
defined to be "under the direction of the Surgeon General and
Medical Purveyors, with the storing
and safe keeping of medical and
hospital supplies, and with the duties of receiving, issuing and
accounting for the same according to regulations."
There is no actual rank for
storekeepers; by custom and courtesy those in the quartermaster's
and ordnance departments are styled Captain, and the same title is
at some posts adopted for medical
storekeepers; at others they are simply addressed as " Mr.;"
according as custom has established. The absence of any rank is a
practical inconvenience, as no civilian in the army can command
that subordination and respect from inferiors which attaches to
actual and acknowledged rank in a superior.
A uniform has been established by
regulations for storekeepers in the department to which they belong,
but practically no attention is paid to it, each one wearing what
fancy or convenience dictates, without any mark of rank, however.
Having no assimilated rank, they
are not in the line of promotion; nor are they or their families
entitled to any pensions or bounties under existing laws, should
they be injured or killed, or die from disease contracted while in
the line of their duty; the position being considered rather a civil
than a military addition to the army.
The position of
storekeeper is one of considerable
magnitude and responsibility, the property passing through his
hands, and for which he is accountable while-in his care, amounts to
millions of dollars annually.
The law requires him to receive,
issue, and safely store it; he must keep an account with each item,
and make returns quarterly, accounting for every ounce or yard' or
single thing that comes into his possession, and he must be sure,
too, that he receives all he is charged with, by looking sharply
after those who may be furnishing his depot with supplies; this for
his own protection as well as for the Government.
Enough clerical assistance is
allowed to perform the great amount of labor necessarily
accumulating; system and economy are, however, rigidly enjoined, and
no unnecessary expenses of any kind are allowed in the settlement of
accounts with the Treasury. As he is responsible for the stores
passing through or in his hands, he is also responsible for the
honesty and efficiency of those employed by him, and can therefore
appoint his own clerks.
When a requisition is received
from a Surgeon in charge of a hospital, or of a regiment in the
field, having first obtained the approval of the
Medical Director of the Department in
which it is located, it is at once packed—all the supplies being
conveniently put up for issue according to the Supply Table—and
marked ready for shipment, each package also being marked with the
name of the class to which its contents belong. A packer's list,
giving in detail the contents of each package, is sent by mail,
together with an invoice and blank receipt, to be filled up similar
to the invoice and returned by the receiving officer.
It so happened that four of the
six medical storekeepers appointed as
above authorized, were assigned to duty as Acting
Medical Purveyors; this added largely
to their duties and responsibilities ; as they then became
purchasing and disbursing officers, purchasing supplies in yearly
value from half to two millions of dollars, and paying to the
various claimants against the Army Medical
Department, perhaps as much more, but with no extra
compensation or emolument.
Scientific knowledge is not much
called into play; what is most required is a thorough business
knowledge, a familiarity with the various customs of ordinary
business transactions, sound judgment, and intimate acquaintance
with the regulations, laws, orders, and circulars of the
medical department.
The purchase of medicines proper
is a small part of the expenditures of the
medical department, when compared to the purchase of Dry
Goods, Hardware, Groceries, Liquors, Books and Stationery, &c.,
required in supplying hospitals, so that a varied business knowledge
is necessary, to keep in
view the constant market changes in the price and also in the
quality of supplies required.
I do not wish to convey the idea
that an acquaintance with drugs is unimportant, but which is on the
contrary absolutely necessary; hence the wisdom of appointing
practical druggists to the positions.
CIRCULAR NO 7 Surgeon General's
Office May 7 1863
DUTIES OF MEDICAL PURVEYORS AND
MEDICAL STOREKEEPERS (Edited for research)
1
Medical Purveyors are charged
under the direction of the Surgeon General with the selection and
purchase of all medical and hospital supplies for the Army.
In all cases of emergency
they may provide such additional accommodations for the sick and
wounded of the Army and may transport such medical and hospital
supplies as circumstances may render necessary
3
Medical Storekeepers are charged
under the direction of the Surgeon General and Medical Purveyors
with the storing and safe keeping of medical and hospital supplies
and with the duties of receiving issuing and accounting for the same
according to regulations Medical and hospital supplies transferred
to Medical Storekeepers by Medical Purveyors will be receipted for
as invoiced without breaking packages provided the number of
packages correspond with the invoice that they are in good shipping
condition and that there be no reason to suppose the contents broken
or defective
4 Medical Purveyors will be
responsible for the quality of the medical and hospital supplies
purchased by them and they are directed to have surgical instruments
made in the best manner of the best materials and according to
patterns approved by the Surgeon General
Each instrument is to be
inspected and each chain saw tested on fresh bone by them or under
their supervision before being paid for or issued
9 Medical Purveyors and all other
medical disbursing officers will also render direct to the
Second Auditor of the Treasury
within one month after the expiration of each successive quarter a
quarterly account current of moneys received expended &c during the
quarter Form 3 with an abstract of disbursements Form 4 and proper
vouchers Form 5 A duplicate of the account current and of the
abstract will be forwarded at the same time to the Surgeon General
25
The transfer of surgical
instruments issued to Medical Officers for their personal use is
positively forbidden Each Medical Officer will retain those
instruments in his immediate possession so long as he remains in the
Army and will be held responsible for their complete and serviceable
condition and for their ea y accessibility at all times If the
instruments be lost destroyed or damaged they must be replaced or
repaired as soon as possible by requisition upon the nearest Medical
Purveyor setting fully the causes of such loss or damage If the loss
or damage be from the unavoidable casualties of the service the
expense of replacing or repairing the instruments will be paid by
the Medical Department if from any other causes such expenses must
be paid by the Medical Officer
26
When a Medical Officer leaves the
Army he will deliver his instruments to the nearest Medical Purveyor
taking receipts therefor in detail and if transportation be required
he will take receipts for the package containing the instruments
from an officer of the Quartermaster's Department
28
The Surgeon General Assistant
Surgeon General Medical Inspector General and Medical Inspectors are
allowed the same instruments as Staff Surgeons
29
These instruments will be
accounted for to the Surgeon General on the 31st December annually
Form 11 in which the true condition of each must be stated and if
any be lost or damaged a report of the facts and circumstances
attending such loss or damage must be given
30
Amputating trephining exsecting
general operating and pocket instruments that do nut correspond in
detail with the sets prescribed by regulations w ll be accounted for
on the regular property returns as amputating trephining exsecting
general operating and pocket sets without designating the special
instruments comprising each set or making a special return thereof
33
Applications for microscopes by
medical officers in charge general hospitals will be favorably
considered provided the evidence is satisfactory that the officer
will use the instrument the benefit of science and will report the
results of his observations to the Surgeon General
34
The dissecting case obstetrical
case pocket case for hospitals teeth extracting case medicine case
and medicine panniers be issued receipted and returned for as sets
without stating their contents in detail
38
All empty boxes cans and bottles
in which medical and hospital supplies were received are to be
carefully cleansed and preserved from damage Such as will not be
required for use in the hospital will be disposed of at either
private or sale at least once a year and the net proceeds of such
sales be turned over to the nearest Medical Purveyor and be for by
him as public funds pertaining to the Medical of the Army At
stations near a Medical Purveyor these will be turned over to that
officer
(The army
surgeon's manual, for the use of medical officers, by William
Grace, 1864)
THE
MEDICAL PURVEYING DEPARTMENT OF THE
UNITED STATES ARMY.
Br Hennell Stbyens,
Medical Storekeeper, U. S. A.
The duties of procuring and
issuing the medical supplies of the
army are devolved, under the direction of the Surgeon General, upon
the Medical Purveyors, who are
Medical Officers, detailed for that
duty, there being, in our army, no officers appointed for that
specific purpose.
Soon after their appointment, four of
the Medical Storekeepeers were assigned
to duty as Medical Purveyors, and two of
them still occupy that position, out of the five remaining in the corps.
The relative duties of Medical Purveyors
and Storekeepers will appear from the following extracts from official
orders.
"Medical
Purveyors are charged, under the direction of the Surgeon
General, with the selection and purchase of all
medical and hospital supplies for the Army.
In all cases of emergency they may provide such additional accommodation
for the sick and wounded of the Army, and may transport such
medical and hospital supplies, as
circumstances may render necessary. In all cases of emergency
they shall promptly issue supplies on special requisitions made directly
upon them, and such special requisitions shall consist simply of a list
of the articles and quantities required, and be dated and signed by the
Medical Officer who makes the
requisition. The nature of the emergency most be stated, otherwise the
requisition will be referred to the Medical
Director.
Except in the " cases of
emergency," referred to in the preceding paragraph,
Medical Purveyors and
Medical Storekeepers will issue
medical and hospital supplies only on the
order of the Surgeon General, the Assistant Surgeon General, or a
Medical Director.
Medical
Storekeepers are charged, under the direction of the Surgeon
General and Medical Purveyors, with the
storing and safe-keeping of medical and
hospital supplies, and with the duties of receiving, issuing, and
accounting for the same, according to regulations.
Medical
Purveyors and Medical
Storekeepers will be held responsible that the
medical and hospital supplies issued
or transferred by them, are well packed ; that each article is
designated by the name of the maker or vender; and that each package
is legibly and correctly marked with the address of the officer for
whom it is intended, and with its weight and contents, whether
medicines, hospital stores, instruments, dressings, books and
stationery, bedding, clothing, or furniture and appliances.
Medical
Purveyors and Medical
Storekeepers will give bonds in such sums as the Secretary of War
may require, with security to be approved by him.
Medical Officers, temporarily
assigned to duty as Acting Medical
Purveyors, are not required to give bonds."
Besides procuring and issuing
medical supplies,
Medical Purveyors are disbursing
officers; being charged with the payment of accounts against the
Medical Department, and also of
contract Surgeons, and the civilians employed in hospitals as cooks
and nurses. The principal purveying depots of the army are located
in New York and Philadelphia, each depot having connected with it a
laboratory, where, as far as possible, the supplies required are
manufactured, and put up for issue.
The other depots are divided
into Department and Field depots; the former being located at the
most central point of each military department, the latter being in
close proximity to the scene of active operations ; and drawing
their supplies from the former, who, in their turn, are supplied
from the principal depots. Like every thing else connected with the
army, its medical supplies are on the
most liberal scale.
"The standard of
medical and hospital supplies for the
Army is the Supply Table. It is not the design of the Department to
confine medical officers absolutely
to that table, either in variety or quantity, but only to establish
a standard for their guidance in making requisitions for supplies,
leaving individual preferences to be indulged at the discretion of
the Medical Director or the Surgeon
General. Neither is it supposed that the quantities of the table
will always meet the necessities of unusual emergencies, as during
epidemics, or in unhealthy seasons and localities ; and
medical officers who allow their
supplies to be exhausted through any such contingencies, without
timely notice of their approaching necessities, will be held to a
strict accountability."
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF
PHARMACY, JANUARY, 1865.
Dr. Richard Satterlee, New York
Purveyor's Office
Continuation of
information on Purveyors and Medical Storekeepers
Article on government sale of Civil War hospital inventory to surgeons
Article on sources of Civil War military surgical sets
The Medical Staff and Materia Chirugica"
from the Med. & Surgical History
