13. Eaton, T. Jefferson. Carbon., undated

The collection contains a series of 74 brief essays on an array of subjects, 1841-1848, with a few related letters and testimonials, from physicians applying to the Board of Naval Surgeons, for entrance into or promotion in the U.S. Navy. The Board appears to have been convened at the U.S. Naval Asylum in Philadelphia and Surgeon John A. Kearney was its president. Many of the applicants were graduates of the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania. The collection conveys the nature of the essay phase of the naval examination process and identifies many 19th century physicians who entered the U.S. Navy.