John Maynard Woodworth
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John Maynard Woodworth | |
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1st Surgeon General of the United States | |
In office March 29, 1871 – March 14, 1879 | |
President | Ulysses S. Grant Rutherford B. Hayes |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | John B. Hamilton |
Personal details | |
Born | Big Flats, New York, U.S. | August 15, 1837
Died | March 14, 1879 Washington, D.C., U.S. | (aged 41)
Political party | Republican |
John Maynard Woodworth (August 15, 1837 – March 14, 1879) was an American physician and member of the Woodworth political family.[1] He served as the first Supervising-Surgeon General under president Ulysses S. Grant, then changed to Surgeon General of the United States Marine Hospital Service from 1871 to 1879.
Early life and education
Woodworth was born at
Woodworth was one of the organizers of the Chicago Academy of Science and in 1858 became curator of its museum. In this capacity, he made several trips west of the
Career
Almost immediately upon graduating from medical school, Woodworth was appointed Assistant Surgeon in the
After the war, Woodworth became a companion of the Pennsylvania Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.
Following the
Surgeon General
In 1871, Woodworth was appointed the first Supervising Surgeon of the
The marine hospitals hardly constituted a system in the
The 1870 reorganization converted the loose network of locally controlled hospitals into a centrally controlled Marine Hospital Service, with its headquarters in Washington, D.C. The position of Supervising Surgeon (later Surgeon General) was created to administer the Service. Woodworth began his service in the position on March 29, 1871, and he moved quickly to reform the system. He adopted a military model for his medical staff, instituting examinations for applicants instead of appointing physicians on the recommendation of the local Collector of Customs. Physicians, whom Woodworth placed in uniforms, were no longer appointed to serve in a particular facility, but appointed to the general Service. In this way, Woodworth created a cadre of mobile, career service physicians who could be assigned and moved as needed to the various marine hospitals. The uniformed services component of the Marine Hospital Service was formalized as the Commissioned Corps by legislation enacted in 1889 under Woodworth's successor, John B. Hamilton.
In 1872, Woodworth initiated the publication of annual reports of the Marine Hospital Service. That same year he also served as one of the founders of the American Public Health Association.
From the time of his appointment, Woodworth envisioned broader responsibilities for the Marine Hospital Service, well beyond the care of merchant seamen. In 1873, his title was changed to Supervising Surgeon General. He issued publications on
Woodworth also designed the seal of the Service, which he first used on a publication that he authored in 1874 on Nomenclature of Diseases. The seal consisted of a fouled anchor, to represent the seamen cared for by the Service, and the
Woodworth remained in the position of Supervising Surgeon General until his death in Washington, DC, on March 14, 1879.
References
- ^ Kelly, Howard A.; Burrage, Walter L. (eds.). . . Baltimore: The Norman, Remington Company.
- Office of Public Health and Science (4 January 2007). "Office of the Surgeon General: John Maynard Woodworth (1871-1879)". U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-17.