American Civil War Medicine & Surgical Antiques

Surgical Set collection from 1860 to 1865 - Civilian and Military

Civil War:  Medicine, Surgeon Education & Medical Textbooks

 Dr. Michael Echols  &  Dr. Doug Arbittier

 

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Harvey D. Jillson, M.D.

U.S. Navy Assistant Surgeon Application

 

By Norman L. Herman, M.D., Ph.D.

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: Harvey D. Jillson, M.D.

 

Boston Navy Yard Dec 24th 1863

 

Dr. Ruschenberger

                            

Dear sir

                                                                    

I was born in Whitingham Vt.  June 19th 1834.  I commenced attending school at the age of 4 years in the Town of Rowe Mass. where I attended until I was 7 years of age after which time, until 19 years of age I lived in Charlemont Mass. where I attended school summer and winter until 12 years of age, after that, – at the district school – until 18 years of age.  In the meantime I attended school at the village academy 4 terms.  When 22 years of age I attended school one term at the Franklin Academy, Shelburn Falls Mass.  I then pursued my studies alone for 6 months, when I commenced reading Medicine under the tuition of J. Wother [?] Martin M.D.  Worcester Mass. where I lived at the time.  I was with Dr. Martin 2 or 3 months when I went into the office of Frank H. Kelly M.D. Worcester Mass. – this change was in consequence of Dr. Martin leaving to the city.  I remained with Dr. Kelly until the spring of 1860: in the meantime I attended one full course of Lectures at Worcester Medical College in the winter of /58 and /59 where I had good opportunities for clinical observation and dissection. I the [sic] pursued my studies until the next winter /59 + 60, when I attended a full course of lectures at Harvard University visited the Mass. Gen Hospital, Boston Dispensary etc.

 

The following April I commenced the practice of Medicine in the Town of Leominster, Mass. where I have been ever since    I graduated at the Worcester School Feb 1861.  The reason of my not graduating the year before was that the Secretary of the College failed to notify me of the meeting of the Trustees so that I was obliged to wait over until the next year.  My opportunities for the practice of Medicine + Surgery have been quite as good falls to the lot of a young physician in a country town.

      

The statement is correct in every particular according to my last recollection.

                                  

Very Respectfully Your Obt Servt

 H. D. Jillson M.D.

 Leominster Mass

 


Questions by the Board:

 

Dr. H.D. Jillson is requested to write answers to the following questions.

                         1.  Name the officinal preparations of potassium, and state the therapeutic use in dose of each?

                         2.  What substances are formed by the chemical union of oxygen and nitrogen?

                         3.  What vessels convey blood to the brain?

                         4.  What are the diagnostic symptoms of laryngitis?

                         5.  What is the difference between chime and chyle?

                         6.  Define the terms “latent heat”, “temperature”, and “specific gravity”? [sic]


Answers by Jillson:

 

         1.  Potassa. Iodidum, Potass. Chloridum, Potass. Nitras, Potassa Sulphus, Potassa Chloratis.  The Iodide of Potass. is used in diseases, of a Scrofulous tendency + in syphilitic diseases, dose from 2 to 4 grains.  The chloride is used principally as a disinfectant, the Nitrate for its caustic properties, the sulphate – I have never used that I recollect of and cannot state confidently its properties and uses.  The chlorate is used in diseases of the mucous membrane dose from 2 to 8 grains

 

         2.  The Peroxide of Nitrogen or laughing gas.  I dont call to mind other preparations not having done aything [sic] in Chemistry since my collegiate course.

 

         3.  The external and internal Carotid arteries are the principle.  The vertebral arteries also perform that function.

 

          4.  Difficult deglutition soreness dryness, heat, smarting or burning sensation in that region.

 

          5.  Chime [sic] is formed in the stomach by the action of the gastric juice upon the food, and is of an acid nature while chyle is formed in the duodenum by the action of the Hepatic secretions upon the food, and is of an alkaline nature.

 

           6.  The natural heat of abody [sic] contained in itself.  By temperature is meant the heat or cold of the body or of the atmosphere as determined by an instrument called a Thermometer.   The weight of a body as compared with that of water.

                                                   

H. D. Jillson

Boston Navy Yard           [Board note in pencil]: Ecclectic practitioner.

Dec 24th /63                               prefers Thomsonianism rather

 


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

Medical Antiques Index

American Civil War Medicine & Surgical Antiques Index

 

Topical Index for American Civil War Surgical Antiques 


 

Contact Dr. Arbittier with questions or if you have Civil War medical related items for sale

 

 

Civil War Medical Collections    Sitemap for entire website 

 

Direct links to all medical & Civil War collections on this site           

American Surgical Sets:

Pre-Civil War:  1 | 2  -   Post-Civil War:  3  -  Civil War 1861-1865:  4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8   INDEX

Medical Text-Books:

1 | 1a | 2 | 2a | 3 | 3a | 4 | 4a | 5 | 5a | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9a | 10 | 11 | 12    INDEX

Surgeon General's Office Library printed catalogues: 1840 | 1864 | 1865
Medical Lecture Cards: 1a | 1b 2 | 34 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21    INDEX

Medical Faculty and Authors:

INDEX

Navy Surgeon Exams:

1863 Navy Surgeon Applicant Exams with Biographies   INDEX ONE | INDEX TWO

Surgeon CDVs, Images

Surgeon's Medical Service Swords, and Pistols

Army: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8    INDEX    

M.S. Surgeon Swords and Pistols:  1 | 2 | 3 | 4  INDEX

Navy: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8   

Hosp Dep't Bottles, Tins, 

U.S. Army Pannier:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

American Civil War Medicine & Surgical Antiques

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Please note: information on this site may not be normally referenced as this is an active and long-term educational research project.  Personal notes may not be properly cited for publication.  Various articles are digitally reproduced under the 'fair-use act' of the copyright laws and are intended for educational purposes only.  Many citations are from Google digital 'books' and can be traced backwards via a search of a unique string in the citation.

 

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Last update: Tuesday, February 01, 2022