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: A. Sumner Dean, M.D.
Boston Navy Yard
Nov. 23. 1863
Surgeon W. S. W. Ruchenberger.
Sir,
I was born in Foxboro,
Massachusetts, March 31st 1837. My education has been
academic chiefly, although in part rec’d at the Bridgewater Normal
School
I commenced the study of medicine
in March 1862 under the direction of L. Dickerman M.D. I had
previously read medicine but not under a preceptor.
I am not a graduate.
My opportunities for the practice
of Medicine and Surgery were those offered by a country practitioner –
together with the advantages confered [sic] by the Medical School – I
have attended two full courses of Medical Lectures at Pittsfield Mass.
A. Sumner Dean
Post Office Adress [sic] oxboro, Mass.
Questions by the Board:
Dr. A. Sumner Dean is requested to
write answers to the following questions.
1. What are the
diagnostic symptoms of typhoid fever?
2. What are the
phenomena of respiration?
3. What are the
officinal preparations of sodium?
4. What is
chemical affinity?
5. What parts
enter into the composition of the knee joint?
6. Define the
terms “temperature,” “latent heat,” and “specific gravity”?
Answers by Dean:
1. We observe in the promontory
stage of typhoid fever in the first place depression of lassitude – the
patient has for some time been feeling badly – a heavy feeling in the
head, pains in loins, twitching of the muscles – subsultus
tendenum – the bowels are usually constipated – during this stage the
symptoms are nearly those of simple, accidental fever – but later we
observe the more characteristic symptoms of typhoid fever, to wit the
symptoms of enteric disease together with the eruption, which
signs are considered pathognomonic
2. The process of taking
air into the lungs and expelling it again constitutes respiration
– During inspiration oxygen, the life-giving element is inhaled this
combines with the tissues of the body and carbonic acid a deleterious
compound is formed which is thrown off during ex halation [sic] Although
the lungs are in the central portion of the body, still the effect of
the respiration processes is felt in the distant parts, through the
agency of the circulatory apparatus.
3. The officinal preparations of Sodium Chloride of Sodium;
Carbonate of Soda; Bicarbonate of Soda; Bitartrate of Soda and Potash;
Sulphate of Soda;
4. “Chemical Affinity” is
the attraction which ixists [sic] between the particles of matter and by
the union of these particles a new compound is formed, for example the
nonmetallic chlorine unites with the metallic base Sodium and a new
compound Chloride of Sodium is formed.
5. As the basis of
the knee-joint we have the bone of the thigh, the femur and tibia these
bones have ther [sic] articular extremities tipped with a layer of
cartilage the bones are first united by the lateral ligaments which are
much stronger than the posterior. The anterior ligament is formed by
the tendinous expansion of the rectus muscles which pass over the joint
on a bursa – Patella – and are inserted into the tibia – this joint has
a synovial membrane reflected from the articular cartilages -
6. By “temperature”
is meant the condition of the atmosphere in relation to heat.
By "specific gravity” is
meant the absolute weight of a body as compared with that of distilled
water – or rather the loss of the weight of a body suspended in water
compared with the weight of the water displaced the weight of distilled
water taken as the basis of comparison. By latent heat is meant
that which cannot be indicated by the thermometer.
A. Sumner Dean
Nov. 23 1863.
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