Monday, October 24, 2011

Archives: Naval Examining Board Logbooks (UPDATED 2)

Naval Examining Board Logbooks
Organizational records
1842-1910
1 box, arranged, unrestricted, partial finding aid available

Three oversize bound volumes: Naval Examining Board Merit Roll 1842-1895; Naval Examining Board Merit Roll 1883-1910; and Medical Corps Admission and Promotion 1855 to September 1902. Names of the people taking the exam from 1861-1863, along with their results, were transcribed by intern Leanne Gradijan into a "Civil War Navy Medical Board Examinations" spreadsheet. This includes the 388 Navy Assistant Surgeon applicants in the Civil War. The examination was split into 10 written/oral parts including “General Aptitude,” “Literary and Scientific Acquirements,” “Anatomy and Physiology,” “Principles and Practice of Surgery,” “Principles and Practice of Medicine,” “Materia Medica,” “Chemistry,” “Obstetrics,” and “Medical Jurisprudence.” Applicants were also required to write essays on assigned topics.

A smaller fifth volume, transferred from the Stitt Library in 2011 includes the essays of exams from 1893 taken by Richard G. Brodrick, Frank C. Cook, James F. Leys, Edward L. M unson, Alfred B. Pusey, Charles E. Riggs, and Edward M. Shipp.

On the spreadsheet's second tab is a list of 462 Civil War Acting Assistant Surgeons (with respective duty stations). This information was taken directly from the Registers of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the Navy of the United States for the years 1861-65. Due to the wartime shortage of physicians, these temporary physicians were placed on the fast-track to duty and were free from taking the examination. Additional information on these Acting Surgeons can be found in the volume entitled “Statements of Service of Acting Medical Officers, 1860-1870” located in the BUMED Record Group (# 52) at the National Archives in Washington, DC.

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