Civil War History

Pity the Poor Surgeon Eugene C. Murdoch "A man to succeed . . . must be incredulous; must be cautious, watchful sharp shrewd, cunning, and quick .... He must be a man of will and purpose, with decision of character as firm and unbending as a column of granite . . . ."x These were among the qualities considered essential for a surgeon of the Civil War draft board, or enrolment board, as it was called. The pressures on the surgeon were so demanding, the attempts to mislead or deceive him so ingenious, and the quantity of work so exhausting that it required a man of unusual character to survive at the job. Most met the test; a few did not. A study of the enrolment board surgeon will show why the best medical people frequently shunned the position, why mistakes were made by the surgeons, and why they were often wrongly accused of fraud. It will also show why a small minority were correctly accused of fraud. The point is that while the performance of the enrolment board surgeon was far from perfect, little else about the Civil War draft worked perfectly either, and the showing of the medical people was probably better than anyone had a right to expect. The enrolment board was composed of the provost marshal, the surgeon , and a commissioner. The provost marshal as head of die board was in charge of the enrolment, die draft, the serving of draft notices, the mustering in of draftees and volunteers, and a host of other activities . The commissioner had no specific responsibilities and served as a kind of general clerk without portfolio. The surgeon's duties also were somewhat vaguely defined, although he was expected to participate in all activities of the enrolment board and to conduct the physical examinations of draftees, volunteers, and substitutes. The generally low calibre of enrolment board surgeons is easily explained . The simple fact is that the low pay—equal to that of an assistant surgeon of the army—which ranged from $100 to $130 per month —was not sufficient to induce experienced and talented doctors to accept such appointments. Those who did so were patriots who refused to put a dollar sign in front of their professional skill. But many of the posts had to be filled by young, inexperienced men, or old, incompetent ones. 1 Surgeon's Report, Ky. 6. Over 100 "Surgeon's Reports" were submitted to the Chief Medical Officer or the Provost Marshal General's Bureau; these reports form the basis of this study. Officially tided, Statistics, Medical and Anthropological of the Provost-Marshal-General's Bureau, 2 vols. (Washington, 1875), these reports will be hereafter identified as "SR", followed by the state and district. 18 Dr. Abraham Rothrock wrote that he was on the brink of retirement after thirty-five years of practice when he was notified of his appointment as surgeon of the 17th District of Pennsylvania. That it was a sacrifice for him to accept was made clear when he commented that a surgeon 's salary was "by no means an equivalent for the responsibility, labor, and, in some respects, disagreeable duties connected with the office."2 At Elmira, New York, Dr. Hollis Chubbock remarked that the Federal government ignored enrolment board surgeons and did not pay them in keeping with the heavy responsibilities they bore. "This may account," he noted, "for there being so many young and inexperienced surgeons in the service." Competent surgeons could not easily be induced to abandon their practices.3 Dr. H. O. Crane of Green Bay, Wisconsin, contended that the surgeon's duties were so difficult and unpleasant , and the rewards so inadequate, that few had any regrets about leaving their posts at the war's end. The surgeon at Joliet, Illinois, asserted that no respectable doctor would accept an enrolment board appointment for other than patriotic reasons.4 Among the many problems facing the surgeon was confusion over his official duties and responsibilities. This was especially true of physical examinations. The Reguhtions for the Government of the Bureau of the Provost Marslial General of the United States stipulated that the full membership of the enrolment board should make the final decision on the acceptability...