The history of the Hospital Department of the army commences with the siege of Boston in 1775, for the first legislative enactments of the Colonial Congress only legalized what was already in existence, and gave a fixed organization to what the emergencies of the occasion had called into being months before. The army which gathered at Cambridge, after the battle of Lexington, was assembled almost without any effort of public authority; it was rather the spontaneous result of the burst of patriotism and alarm which extended throughout the country, calling the farmer from his plough, the mechanic from his shop, the clergyman from the pulpit, and the physician from the sick bed. Few of these, who thus responded to the call upon their loyalty, had any idea that there would be a war; or, they thought that at worst it would be one of but short duration. Far the larger portion of them looked forward to a compromise with the Mother country, and as a consequence had made arrangements for leaving their homes for but a short period. The parties of men collected at Cambridge formed consequently but a heterogenous mass, without brigade or regimental organization, and as a necessary sequence, without any staff establishment. Among them were many physicians who had come from their native towns, like the rest ready to do anything to assist the cause of liberty; but they held no appointments, except perhaps from the Captains of companies or self-elected Colonels of regiments, and had not the means for establishing a hospital. The Second Provincial Congress of Massachusetts Bay was at this time in session and earnestly occupied in the organization of the troops, and early foresaw the necessity that existed for action looking towards the proper care of the sick and wounded. With rare common sense, their first enactment provided for an examination of all persons asking appointment as surgeons. On the eighth of May, 1775, they ordered: "That the President pro tempore, Doctor Church, Doctor Taylor, Doctor Holten and Doctor Dunsmore be a committee, to examine such persons as are, or may be recommended for Surgeons for the Army, now forming in this Colony. Resolved; That the persons recommended by the Commanding Officers of the several regiments, be appointed as Surgeons to their respective regiments, provided, they appear to be duly qualified, on examination." Doctors Whiting, Bailies, Hall and Jones were subsequently added to this committee, and a proviso adopted that any three present should constitute a quorum. The following extract from Thacher's "Military Journal during the Revolutionary War, from 1775 to 1783," will show the manner in which this original board of medical examiners performed their duty. "On the day appointed, the medical candidates, sixteen in number, were summoned before the board for examination. This business occupied about four hours; the subjects were anatomy, physiology, surgery, and medicine. It was not long after, that I was happily relieved from suspense, by receiving the sanction, and acceptance of the board, with some acceptable instructions, relative to the faithful discharge of duty, and the humane treatment of those soldiers, who may have the misfortune to require my assistance. Six of our number, were privately rejected as found disqualified. The examination was in a considerable degree close, and severe, which occasioned not a little agitation in our ranks." After the battle of Breed's Hill a hospital was established at Cambridge, in several private but commodious houses," and Dr. John Warren, a brother and pupil of Dr. Joseph Warren, who fell while commanding the troops in that battle, was placed in charge. This gentleman had already acquired a fine reputation, both for professional skill and humanity to the sick. He was soon after succeeded by Dr. Isaac Foster, of Cambridge, who was afterwards Deputy Director General. About this same time a hospital was also established at Watertown, and another at Roxbury under charge of Dr. Isaac Rand, and on the twenty-seventh of June a fourth, for the exclusive care of small-pox patients. It may be mentioned here, that in all the legislative enactments of this period, the word "hospital" is not used in the sense of a building for the treatment of the sick and wounded, but in a wider signification, as denoting the whole medical management of the war, or in other words, that "department" or "bureau" of the service having charge of all matters pertaining to medicine and surgery. |