The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1895-03-30
TN PLEASANT PLACES.
YOUNG PHYSICIANS WHO
y WORK FOR UNCLE SAM.

YOUNG PHYSICIANS WHO
v WORK FOR UNCLE SAM.
High Pay and Liberal Allowance for
Lodging, Fuel. Lights and Travel-How
to Apply for the Situations-Doctors on
Warships.
The position of doctor in the army
OF navy is obtainable by passing a
good examination merely The sue
cessful applicant at once receives his
commission, says the Philadelphia
Times. In the navy his sea pay from
the start is $1,7O0 a year. At the
end of three years he becomes passed
assistant surgeon and draws $4,000
per annum. After two years more
have elapsed his emolument is raised
to $4,000. Having gone through the
grade mentioned he becomes a sur
geon, and his remuneration is steadily
lifted until at the end of twenty years
of service it reaches $4,000.
A position of this kind is really
much more desirable in many ways
than that of a line officer in the navy.
The pay is decidedly better, and there
is comparatively little to do. The doc
tor on board of ship of war has no
watch to keep. His sole responsibility
is for the health of officers and crew.
The sanitary regulations of the vessel
are under his charge. When she goes
into port it is his duty to receive the
health officer and answer questions.
Under his direction is the ships dis
pensary, but the medicines are put up
by an apothecary on board.
The proper course to pursue in try
ing to get one of these places is to
write to the secretary of the navy for
permission to appear before the naval
examining board. The applicant must
state in his own handwriting his age,
birthplace and residence, also enclos-
ing letters vouching for his good hab-
its and moral character. He must be
of sound health and between 81 and
26 years old. Having passed the ex-
animation, he is commissioned as as
sistant surgeon and is ordered to the
naval laboratory at New York. There
he stays four months, during which he
is instructed in his duties.
Having become familiar with the
special requirements of a physician in
the navy he is ordered to receiving
ship for six months. Then he is sent
on his cruise and spends couple of
years at sea. Three years after the
date of his admission to the service he
is examined for promotion to the grade
of passed assistant surgeon. There
are ninety assistants and passed assist
ants on the list. On reaching the top
of this list he must wait until there is
vacancy before he can become a full
fedged surgeon. There are fifty sur
geons.
After passing through the grade of
surgeon he becomes a medical in
spector. He then occupies the digni-
fled position of physician of a fleet,
usually with headquarters on board of
the flagship. Having two assistants
he is not obliged to do any work worth
mentioning, save in an extraordinary
emergency. There are fifteen such in
spectors. Finally the navy doctor be-
comes medical director. There are
fifteen medical directors in the service.
Ordinarily they are superintendent of
hospitals and their duties are merely
nominal. They are not expected to 90
to sea. At 81 years of age they retire
on three-fOurths of their highest sea
pay for life.
Though navy doctors have such
easy times as a rule, there are occa-
slons when duties most serious and i'm
portant devolve upon them. Take for
example a recent instance at Rio,
where the yellow fever was wiping out
an average of seventy or eighty lives
day. A young man who wants to
be an army doctor must write to the
secretary of war for permission to ap-
pear for examination before the army
me( lcal board, enclosing documents
similar to those required for the navy.
he must be in sound health, of good
character, graduate in medicine and
between % and % years of age. The
board meets in April and October. at
dates of which notice is given in the
medical journals. The examination
includes morals, habits, physical and
mental qualifications and so manv
branches of knowledge that to pass is
by no means easy. For example, it is
expected that the applicant shall be
acquainted with the rudiments of
geology and botany, and he must know
something about history.
The pay of assistant surgeon is
$1,000. At the end of three years he is
promoted to the rank of captain and gets
50, 200. After ten years he receives
So, 400 and after fifteen years So 800.
On attaining his majority hts remu-
neration is lifted to $3.50 and after
twenty years of service it is raised t.
$4,000. There are 1875 assistant sur
geons, who have the pay of first lieu
tenants mounted during the first fiv,
years and the pay of captains there
after until they are promoted to b
| majors. The surgeons are majors an
there are fifty Of them Afto,. nacSip