To Surgeon Ruschenburger, U.S.N.
I was born on the 8th day
of February 1838, in the town of Mishawaka, St. Joseph Co,
Indianna [sic]. When 9 months old my parents moved to Duchess Co
in New York, where I resided until 19 years of age. After preparitory
[sic] course at Amenia Seminary, Duchess Co N.Y. I entered
as a student in the Clinical department of Union College, situated in
Schenectady, N.Y. from which school I graduated at 22 years of age.
I have been a student in the Medical
department of Harvard College two years and five months, and as there is
a summer session of the school, have had no other medical instruction.
I have resided for the past five
years in West Medford, Middlesex Co Mass.
Very Respectfully
A. C. Fowler
Naval Yard,
Boston.
Feb. 3rd, 1863.
Questions by the Board:
Dr. A. C. Fowler is requested to
write answers to the following questions.
1. What are the
causes and symptoms of acute dysentery?
2. How is concusion
[sic] distinguished from compression of the brain?
3. What is the
origin, course and distribution of the femoral artery?
4. What is the
composition of atmospheric air, and what changes are affected by its
respiration?
5. Name the
officinal preparations of mercury in common use, with a dose of each?
[sic]
6. Define the terms
“specific gravity”?and [sic] “latent heat.”
Answers by Fowler:
1. Fatigue, and subsequent
exposure to the effects of cold and wet. Malaria with or without the
accompanying effects of fatigue, cold, and moisture.
The irritation of undigested
matter is a cause of dysentery, though more frequently a cause of diarrhoea.
Confinement of a number of persons
in a small poorly ventilated room, especially if the excrementitious
matters are not removed.
Bad food, as sour, worm=laten
rice [sic], etc meats either putrid or in the commencing stage a
putrifaction.
Symptoms. At first a looseness of
the bowels, with or without pain, from an increased secretion of the
mucous membrane; soon, however, the frequency of the discharges
increase, usually to 10 or 12 in 24 hours, though there may be as many
as 30 or 40. The discharges are small and consist of a watery fluid
mixed with flakes of mucous; and occasionally with blood. Towards the
latter part of the complaint there is sometimes found small quantities
of pus. The desire to “go to stool” is frequent, and the act of
defecation attended with great straining and tenesmus. The pulse is
gently accelerated, and weaker than usual. Tongue furred, and there is
an anxious expression of countenance + a peculiar pinched appearance of
the alae of the nose.
2. Concussion is sudden violent; it
is a shock.
Compression may or may not be
sudden; is produced by a blow or tumour.
Concussion [unclear] the whole brain
–
Compression gently affects a portion.
Compression is produced at the
injured part.
Concussion may be the result of
injury to a portion of the brain remote from the injury to the skull.
3. Arises from the external iliac,
at Poupart’s ligament, and pursues a course represented, as near as
possible, by a line drawn from a point midway between the anterior
superior spine of the ischium, and the symphisis pubis to the internal
condyle of the femur, supposing the knee to be bent + turned outward.
It lies in the angle formed by Pouparts lig’t, at the base, the
Sartorius, adductor longus + pectinsus, at sides. The artery terminates
in the Popliteal, at the perforation of the tendon of the adductor
magnus – It is accompanied in its course by the internal sphenous vein +
saphena nerve. The vein lies on inside of the artery at its upper part,
but turns under and gets to the outside + the lower half of its course.
4. Oxygen (1/5th)
Nitrogen (4/5th) aqueous vapour + a trace of carbonic acid.
Respiration consumes the oxygen and furnishes carbonic acid, + aqueous
vapour.
5. Hydrargyrum Chlor. Mite, Calomel
– gr i to gr. 2
Pilulae Hydrargyri – gr 1 to grs 3
Unguentum Hydrargyri – grs 8 to 10
rubbed under armpits
Unguentum Hydrargyri Nitratis (leitr**i
[unclear] ointment).
6. The specific gravity of a fluid,
is determined by an instrument with a bulbous extremity and a graduated
stem; the depth to which the instrument falls, in comparison with its
fall in water, is the Sp. gr. of the fluid.
Latent heat is the sensible heat of
a body.
A. C.
Fowler
Navy Yard, Boston, Mass.
February 3d,
1863.
[Board comment in pencil] totally deficient in Materia Medica.
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