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: George D. Harris, M.D.
Charleston Navy Yard Mass.
Nov. 9th 1863.
Surgeon Ruchenberger.
Dear Sir,
I wish to state to you my past and
present situation and I will begin by saying; I was born in the town of
Canaan, Grafton Co. N.H. in the year 1840, Dec. 17; making me now 22
years of age. My education has been Accidemical [sic]. I attended
school one year at Canaan union academy, two years at Kimballs Union
Academy. I began to attend at Canaan in 1857 and at Kimballs Union in
1858 + 9. In Nov. 12th 1860 I began the study medicine and
Surgery with Dr. Currie at Enfield, and remained with him my first year,
the second I studied with Dr. A. R. Bullard was Dr. Currie’s successor,
my third year I went to Petersborough N. H. and there remained with Prof
Albert Smith of Dartmouth Medical College my last year. Oct 30th
/63/ I graduated at the above name College.
My chance for practice has been quite
small; only about a month; which time I attended several cases of
Diphtheria, it being in fact about all the practice, I have over heard
during my course. I see about 200 cases of Diphtheria. I have attended
three full courses of lectures at Hanover N.H. during which time I have
heard several very able lectures on Diphtheria; it a disease that has
constantly been under my observation during my whole course of study.
I am desirous of obtaining a
situation in the U.S. Navy as Acc. [sic] Assist Surgeon; hoping that I
may get that situation.
I remain
your humble servant
Geo. D. Harris M.D.
Questions by the Board:
Dr. George D. Harris is requested to
write answers to the following questions?
1. How is
venous converted into arterial blood?
2. What are
the diagnostic symptoms of apoplexy?
3. What are
the officinal preparations of potassa?
4. What are
the physical properties of hydrogen, and how was it procured in a
separate state?
5. What is
the origin, course and distribution of the right carotid artery?
6. Define
the terms “specific gravity”, “latent heat” and “temperature”?
Answers by Harris:
1. Venous blood is converted into
arterial by passing through the lungs. It comes in contact with the
oxigen [sic] in the lungs and thereby becomes purified. Respiration
purifies it, or at least oxigen that is in the lungs.
2. There would be an effusion of
blood within that membranes of the brain, great compression and a great
determination [sic] to blood in the head, the face would be red,
increased frequency of the pulse. I do/not recollect very much about
the diagnostic symptoms just now.
3. The officinal preparations of
potassa ar [sic] Chlorate of Potassa, Nitrate of Potassa, Carbonate of
Potassa, Iodide of Potassa Sulphate Potassa
4. Hydrogen is
procured by the action of Sulph. – acid on pieces of zinc or iron
filings, and also by the decomposition of water. It exists in nature
and is it exhaled in the form of a sulphuret. It exists in nature and
is owing to the decomposition of animal matter. Its properties are,
then; it is a colorless gass [sic], not very much smell, but when in the
form of Sulphuret it is very disagreeable having the smell of bad eggs.
Combustible when mixed, with oxygin in proportions, 2 of oxygin to one
of hydrogen it explodes with great violence.
5. It rises from
the arch of the aorta, passes up towards the clavicle, and is divided in
to the, internal, and external, carotid The internal goes to supply
the brain, and the external goes to be distributed to the face and
external part of the head.
The external is divided in to the
temporal than in to the superorbital, infraorbital, and then of the
mouth, and the internal has some branches that go to the tongue
6. The terms
specific gravity means to find the weight of different substances in air
and in any substance, the difference between any substance in air and
then in water, as water is taken for a standard.
First weigh your substance in air,
then in water and divide the weight in air by the weight water [sic] and
the quotient will be the specific gravity.
Latent heat, is that heat which is
exhaled from substances, as for nature, that heat which is exhaled from
the body without the application of artificial heat.
Temperature is owing to the
exhalation or vaporization of liquids cause by the latent heat from the
earth.
George D. Harris M.D.
P.O. address West Conaan, N.H.
Nov 9, 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
