The
following is a dictated translation of the hand-written application to
the U. S. Navy Examination Board during the Civil War by a civilian
physician/surgeon for a position as a medical officer in the Federal
Navy or for promotion to Assistant Surgeon by an Acting Assistant
Surgeon. The actual
applications are in the possession of the author and presented to
enlighten the general public and other researchers as to the education
process before and during the Civil War, the personal history of the
applicants, as well as to show their personal level of medical knowledge
in answering the questions asked by the Navy Board of Examiners.
(Some applicants failed to pass and did not serve or served in the Union
Army.)
This written presentation was first of a part of a two-part exam consisting of a written
exam and an oral exam.
Many of these applications are rich
with highly detailed medical content offering an interesting perspective
on the medical knowledge and practices of the period.
A broad sampling of these exams is presented to
give you a 'picture' of the type of applicant being examined and
admitted to or rejected by the Federal Navy in 1863. Much more detail
on the individuals and their personal and naval history will be
presented in a forth-coming book by Dr. Herman.
(The actual written exam photos are available, but not presented on
these pages due to the size of the files. An
example
of a hand-written exam is on the
List of all Applicants page)
If you have additional information or images for any of these
doctors, please
contact us.
A list with links to
all applicants in this survey of U.S. Navy Applicants for 1863
Example of a handwritten exam given by the Navy Examination Board
Applicant: Edward P. Colby, M.D.
Surgeon WSW Ruchenberger.
Dear Sir
I was born the
city of Cincinnati Hamilton County Ohio on March 4th AD 1839. Received my education in
various places where my family and myself have resided, being an
Claremont N.H. Concord N.H. Boston mass epiglottis Mass. and Brooklyn
N.Y.
My medical preceptor was A. Morrill
MD of Concord N.H. where my medical education was mostly received.
I am a graduate of Long Island
College Hospital at Brooklyn N.Y. of the class of July 1861
I was occupied some five in the
drug business [sic] during which time I was constantly thrown in in
[sic] contact with different members of the medical profession from
where I received continual instruction.
I have been engaged in the
practice of medicine for some eighteen months past
With respect I remain
Dear Sir
Your Obt Servt
Edward P. Colby MD.
Charlestown Navy Yard
April 1st 1863
(Additional, less formal biographical
sketch found after above sketch, filed upside down and backwards)
Born March 4 AD 1839. In Cincinnati,
Hamilton County, Ohio.
Educated partly in Claremont Sullivan
County New Hampshire and partly in Concord Merrimack County New
Hampshire Medical preceptor Dr. Mernie [?] of Concord N.H.
Graduated at Long Island College
Hospital at Brooklyn New York.
I was engaged in the wholesale and
retail drug business during some five years of my life during which time
was receiving constant instruction from various members of the medical
profession.
Very respectfully
Edward P. Colby
Questions by the Board:
Dr. Edward P. Colby is requested to
write answers to the following questions.
1. What is the origin distribution
of the femoral artery?
2. What are the diagnostic symptoms
of typhoid fever?
3. What changes are produced in
atmospheric air by respiration?
4. Name some of the best narcotics
and antispasmodics? [Sic]
5. What are the physical properties
of chlorine, and how was it obtained in a separate state?
6. Define the terms, “specific
gravity”, “temperature,” and “latent heat”?
Answers by Colby:
1. The femoral artery arises at
“pouparts [sic] ligament is a continuation of the external iliac.
Following a winding course around the thigh it pierces the tendon of the
adductor magnus and becomes the popliteal. The guide to the artery in
case of an operation is the sartorius muscle.
The first branch given off is the
superficial epigastric distributed on the external covering of the lower
abdomen.
Another branches the circumflex iliac
distributed on the muscles and coverings of the head and external thigh
Another branches the profunda which
distributed by its branches to the deep seated muscles of the femur and
hip joint
The next branch is the great
anastamosing artery which anastamoses with branches from above and
below.
2. The diagnostic symptoms of
typhoid fever are pain in the head, sometimes loss of a reason generally
wandering, noises in the ears, diarrhoea sometimes accompanied with
bloody discharges, pain and soreness in the inguinal region as if from
hernia or incarcerated flatulence, and rose spots on the abdomen.
3. By respiration oxygen of the
atmosphere is combined with carbon forming carbonic Acid CO2
[sic], and at the same time is changed with moisture and some organic
matter.
4. Some of the best narcotics and
antispasmodics are Opium, Hyasciamus [sic], Tobacco and Cannabis Indica.
5. Chlorine is a heavy gas of a
yellowish green color incapable of supporting animal or vegetable life.
It has the property of discharging permanently all the vegetable colors
by being placed in contact with them. It is quite soluble in water and
unites readily with oxygen hydrogen and many of the metals forming Acids
and chlorides. Chlorine may be obtained in a separate state by heating
common salt or chloride of sodium (NaO) in contact with sulphuric acid
(SO3HO) and conveying the fumes to a proper receptacle where
the free chlorine may be collected by displacement of common error or
mercury but the solvent powers of water are such that it should not be
employed as a reservoir.
6. Specific Gravity means when
applied to solids the relative weight of any body in the air with the
barometer at 30 in and the weight of the same body in pure water.
When applied to liquids Alcohol
usually is the medium for ascertaining the relation it bears to water.
With gas is the atmosphere at 30
inches of the barometer standard.
By Temperature is meant the heat or
coldness of any thing and is usually made manifest by either the
sensibility of the human system or by the expansion and contraction of
the thing affected.
By Latent Heat is meant the amount of
heat any body absorbs in being converted from the gaseous to a liquid or
solid body.
April 1st
1863
Edward P. Colby M.D.
[Board comment in pencil: much
better in surgery than in practice]