An exposition of the case of the assistant-surgeons of the Royal Navy / By a naval medical officer [i.e. J.O. McWilliam].

  • McWilliam, J. O. (James Ormiston), 1807-1861 or 1862.
Date:
1849
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An exposition of the case of the assistant-surgeons of the Royal Navy / By a naval medical officer [i.e. J.O. McWilliam]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    THE ASSISTANT- SURGEONS OF THE EOIAL NAYY. In the Report of the Commissioners for in¬ quiring into Naval and Military Promotion and Retirement, presented to both Houses of Parlia¬ ment by Command of Her Majesty in 1840/ it was clearly shown, that while in the Navy there was great difficulty not only in procuring the services of Medical Officers already on the list, but also in obtaining candidates to enter the service, in the Army no such difficulty was experienced either in the one case or the other.* Sir William Burnett, in his evidence before the Commissioners, declared that a short time before, having “ no candidate for Assistant-Surgeons on the list at all/’ he was obliged to write to the Edinburgh professors and other * Q. 2653. “ During the course of your service as Commissioner and Physician-General, have you found any difficulty in procuring the ser¬ vices of medical officers on the list when you required them?—Very great difficulty.” A. 2612. “ About this time last year I had really no candidate on the list at all. I was obliged to write to my private friends, &c. Some of the Edinburgh professors told me there was a feeling against the navy.” —Evidence of Sir W. Burnett, Director-General, Naval Medical De¬ partment, before the Commissioners, &c., pp. 185, 187. Q. 2644. “ Do you experience any difficulty in finding Surgeons to serve in the army, either by summoning those upon half-pay to serve upon full pay, or by new appointments?—I have no difficulty in finding well-qualified gentlemen.”—Evidence of Sir James McGrigor, Bart., Director-General, Army Medical Department, before the Commissioners, &c., p. 191.