Extracts from the reports of the Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Navy Department, for 1863 and 1864.

Date:
[1865?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Extracts from the reports of the Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Navy Department, for 1863 and 1864. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    mindful of its true interests when it encourages talent, zeal, and usefulness in so important a service. . . . The rank of Captain, recently conferred on the senior surgeons is not posi- tively of as much value as their former rank of commander, at the time the se- cond grade of the navy, while that of Captain is now the third; so that pro- motion has reduced them one step in the military scale. ^ In point of sea ser- vice there are medical officers who surpass some of the Admirals and Commo- do.es ; and relatively to length of service, the sea-service of many medical offi- cers is larger than that of the senior officer of the line. As preferment has been literally bestowed upon line officers, four new grades having been created since the war, it is not, I hope, presumptuous to propose that those who have equally shared the perils of battle and dangers of climate whose labors have been so great, and whose rewards have been so few, may, at last, receive a fitter recognition of their fidelity and usefulness. _ The war showed the absolute necessity of offering higher inducements m the shape of rank, &c, to medical officers of the army ; and who will deny that the Medical Corps of the navy, so isolated, and necessarily so self-reliant, should embody the best talent and the highest professional and social character the (Government can invite to its service? Some two years since the Medical Department of our army was so reorgan- ized as to make its chief officer a Brigadier General in rank, pay, and emolu- ments: the Assistant Surgeon General and Medical Inspector General Colo- nels ; the inspectors, (16 in number,) Lieutenant Colonels, &c, &c. ihe re- sult docs not appear to have been disastrous to the discipline or efficiency ot tlie- army in any respect. I am so well aware of the feeling existing on this subject, that L should tor- bear to introduce it, did I not as fully know the worth and patriotism of those whose case I plead. 1 can safely refer to the records of the war for any instances of shortcoming, or lack of zeal and interest: and yet while, as a corps, medical offi.cershav< proved so vigilant and efficient on every occasion of danger or duty, it is but seldom, indeed, that they receive a passing notice inofficial despatches, as is- so commonly the practice in the army. Perhaps some reorganization of the Medical Department might overcome the indisposition to entcr'the naval service now so generally manifested by young medical men. We have very considerable difficulty in keeping up die number of officers of the permanent service, while it requires all our exertions to pro- vide, indifferently, for the temporary service Many vessels are in commission without medical officers ; for the simple rea- son that, after all sorts of publicity, we cannot procure them in sufficient num- bers.