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: William James Gillfillan, M.D.
1. I was born in the county of
Londondary, Ireland, December, 1839.
2. My course of studies at shool
were [sic], Mathematics, English Grammar, Geography, and a very little
philosophy. At College, I studied Latin and some Greek. I am not
acquainted with any of the modern languages.
3. I commenced the study of medicine
in Brooklyn, under Dr. Alexr Cochran and attended lectures at
the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, of which I am a
graduate.
4. I have had no opportunity for the
practice of pharmacy, and have had very little chance of obtaining a
knowledge of the physical properties of drugs, in relation, however, to
the practice of Medicine and Surgery, I have had one year’s experience,
as resident Surgeon in the Brooklyn City Hospital.
5. Girard House, Chestnut, + Ninth,
Sts, 298 Fulton St. Brooklyn, New York.
Wm. James Gilfillan
Naval Asylum, Phil.
March 27th 1863.
Questions by the Board:
Question to be answered in writing,
by Dr Wm J. Gilfillan
1. What is Emphysema, + how
produced?
2. How are wounds classed by
Surgical writers?
3. Describe Dessault’s dressing for
fractured clavicle.
4. What are the composition and the
use of the Liquor Potassa Citratis?
5. Give some of the best methods for allaying nausea, and the
circumstances under which each would be
applicable_
6. Write a prescription, without abbreviations, for a purgative pill
containing four ingredients.
7. What is the composition of the
atmosphere?
8. Describe the course of the foetal
circulation.
9. What are the branches of the
external carotid artery, and how are they distributed?
Answers by Gilfillan:
1. Emphysema may be defined to consist
in a collection of air in the cellular tissue, produced by wounds,
sometime produced in the operation of Paracentesis. Sometimes, but
rarely, produced in the lungs by a forced inspiration.
2. Wounds are divided into
Incised, Lacerated, Punctured & Poisoned some add Gun shot wounds.
3. The dressing (I think that if I
do not confound the names) consists in a strap which passes around the
forearm of the affected side passing up over the shoulder behind the
lower part of the neck to be fastened around the other shoulder. At the
same time passing another strap around the arm and body having a pad in
the axilla.
4. Composed of Potassa, Citric acid,
and water. Used principally as a febrifuge, sometimes used in irritable
stomach.
5. Nausea depends on a variety of
causes when it depends on constipation, use purgatives. When it depends
on acidity use alkalies [sic]. These remidies [sic, correction “e” in
pencil] I have found to be the best. I have found Diaphoretics useful
when it occurs from brief partially narcotized. Emetics are sometimes
useful.
6’. Recipe
Extracti
Jalapa Gr i
Extracti
Colosynthidis Gr ij
Pulveris Rhei
Gr i
Extracti
Hyosciani Gr ¼
Fiat in pilulum
7. Oxygen, Nitrogen, Carbonic acid
gas with a trace of Ammonia.
8. Arterialized blood is carried
through the umbilical vein to the liver. The principal [sic] part going
through the Ductus Venosus, Vena Cava inferior, right Auricle, foramin
[sic] ovale, by means of the Eustachian Valve, left auricle to the left
ventricle, the most of it is then carried to the upper extremities, and
being partly altered in character is carried into the vena cava Superior
into the right auricle to the right Ventricle through the Ductus
Arteriosus, (a little going to the lungs) into the aorta descending to
the lower extremities, carried back through the Hypogastric Arteries
into the umbilical artery to the placenta.
9. Principal branches are, 1st
Superior Thyroid distributed to the upper portion of the gland with a
few twigs to the muscles in its course, 2nd Lingual
distributed to the muscles of the tongue and the organ itself. 3rd
Facial widely distributed to the muscles of the face and nose. 4
Occipital distributed to the occipital region. 5 Posterior Auricular
going to supply the external and muscles of the ear, 6th
Ascending Pharyngeal distributed to the Pharynx. 7th
Temporal divides into anterior & posterior, distributed over the region
of the scalp and temporal muscles. 8th, Internal Maxillary,
giving branches to the Pterygoid muscles, dental branches, and branches
to a ear, and to the face. Some Anatomists speak of a Transverse
facial.
March 27th 1863.
Certificate of Physical Capacity
I declare on honor that, my health at
this time is good and robust, and to the best of my knowledge and belief
I am free from any accidental or constitutional defects, and without any
predisposition to Epilepsy, Phthisis, Gout, Apoplexy, or chronic disease
of any kind.
I am not at present affected with
Varicocele, disease of the urinary organs, hernia, or hemorrhoids; nor
am I aware that there is anything hereditary in my constitution, which
would hereafter be likely to incapacitate me for the arduous duties of a
Medical Officer of the Navy
All my organs of sense are without
imperfection.
Wm J. Gillifan
Candidate for the office of Assistant
Surgeon in the Navy of the United States
U.S. Naval Asylum, Philadelphia
March 27th 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
