Essays from the Board of Naval Surgeons of the United States Navy Bureau and Medicine Department

During the 19th century, applicants seeking admission into the Medical Corps of the United States Navy or Assistant Surgeons desiring promotion were required to submit themselves to examination by a Board of Naval Surgeons appointed by the Secretary of the Navy. By the 1860s, the board was convened on an annual basis at the close of each academic year.

After a physical examination and submission of a statement attesting to age, birthplace, and education, each applicant was assigned an essay topic to be considered in a set amount of time. On the basis of the essay's merits, the board determined whether or not to proceed with the examination process. Subsequent steps of the examination process included a series of written answers to questions, an oral examination consisting of identification of chemical and therapeutic substances, patient diagnosis, and cadaver dissection. An Assistant Surgeon seeking promotion presented testimonials from the surgeons with whom he had been associated as well as his case book. The Board of Naval Surgeons then made its report on each applicant to the Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.