After thatyear, a diploma of graduation from a medical school that had the approvalof the American Medical Association and an examination of the candidate'srecord were substituted for the written examinations. Until 1942, candidates for a commission in theMedical Corps of the United States Navy were required by law to be examinedbefore a board and to pass comprehensive examinations. A surgeon's pay in the ContinentalNavy was originally set at $25 a month, later raised to $30 in1777, Congress provided that no one was to be appointed surgeon orsurgeon's mate without a certificate of examination attesting to his professionalqualifications. At the very outset of the Revolutionin 1775, when the Continental Congress resolved to outfit a naval force,provision was made for the inclusion of surgeons in ships' complements.Ships of 20 or more guns were to carry a surgeon, and smaller vessels asurgeon's mate having warrant officer status.

HyperWar: Administration of the Navy Department in World War II Chapter XIIīureau of Medicine and Surgery Historical BackgroundT HE STORYof the warship doctor in the United States begins concurrentlywith the history of the Navy.

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