History

APPENDIX D
LAW OF 7-8 APRIL 1777

Resolved, That there be one director generalof all the military hospitals which shall be erected for the continentalarmy in theUnited States, who shall particularly superintend all the hospitals betweenHudson and Potowmack rivers:

That there be one deputy director general, who,in the absence of the director general, shall superintend the hospitalsto theeastward of Hudson's river:

That there be one deputy director general, who,in the absence of the director general, shall superintend the hospitalsin thenorthern department:

That when the circumstances of the war shall requireit, there be one deputy director general, who in the absence of the directorgeneral, shall superintend the hospitals in the southern department:

That the director general, or, in his absence,the deputy director general in each respective department, be empoweredand required, with the advice and consent of the commander in chief therein,to establish and regulate a sufficient number of hospitals, at proper places,for the reception of the sick and wounded of the army, to provide medicines,instruments, dressings, bedding, and other necessary furniture, properdiet, and every thing requisite for the sick and wounded soldiers, andthe officers of the hospitals; to pay the salaries and all other expencesof the same:

That there be assistant deputy directors, to superintendthe hospitals committed to their care, and assist in providing the articlesbefore specified, under the orders and controul of the director or deputydirector general of the respective districts:

That there be one apothecary general for eachdistrict, whose duty it shall be, to receive, prepare, and deliver medicines,andother articles of his department to the hospitals and army, as shall beordered by the director general, or deputy directorsgeneral, respectively:

That the apothecaries [general] be allowed asmany mates as the director general, or respective deputy director generals,shall think necessary:

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That there be a commissary of the hospitals ineach of the aforesaid districts, whose duty it shall be, to procure, store,anddeliver provisions, forage, and such other articles as the director, ordeputy director general shall judge necessary for the use of
the hospitals; in the purchase of which, he shall frequently consult withthe commissary and quarter master general, and beregulated by the prices which they give:

That the commissary be allowed such assistantsand store keepers, as the director general, or deputy director generalof thedistrict, shall judge necessary:

That a steward be allowed for every hundred sickor wounded, who shall receive provisions from the commissary, anddistribute them agreeable to the orders of the director general, or inhis absence, of the deputy director general, or physician, or surgeon general,and be accountable to the commissary for the same:

That a matron be allowed to every hundred sickor wounded, who shall take care that the provisions are properly prepared;that the wards, beds, and utensils be kept in neat order, and that themost exact oeconomy be observed in her department:

That a nurse be allowed for every ten sick orwounded, who shall be under the direction of the matron:

That an hostler or stabler be allowed to eachhospital, to receive the horses from the commissary, and to take care ofthewaggon, and other horses belonging to the hospital, pursuant to ordersfrom the director general, or, in his absence, the deputydirector general, or such other officer as he shall appoint:

That there be a clerk in each district, whosebusiness it shall be, to keep the accounts of the hospitals, and to receiveanddeliver the monies agreeable to the orders of the director or deputy directorgeneral:

That a sufficient number of assistant clerks beallowed:

That such officers and soldiers as the generalshall order to guard the hospitals and to conduct such as shall be weeklydischarged the hospitals, to their respective regiments, shall, while onthis duty, obey the director or deputy director general, orthe physicians and surgeons general;

That the director and deputy directors generalbe respectively empowered to appoint and discharge their assistant deputydirectors, and other said officers and attendants of the hospitals, insuch numbers as the necessities of the army may require,and the commander in chief of the department shall, in writing, approve;report of which to be immediately made to Congress,
as hereafter directed:

That there be also one physician and one surgeongeneral in each district, to be appointed by Congress, whose duty it shallbe,respectively, to superintend the practice of physic and surgery in allthe hospitals of the district to which they shall be appointed, and, inthe absence of the director or deputy director general, they shall havepower to order the physicians, surgeons, and other officers of the severalhospitals, to such duty as they shall think proper, and shall report weeklyto the director general, or, in his absence, to the deputy director general,or, in his absence, to the assistant deputy director, the state and numberof the sick and wounded in the hospitals, and the delinquent officers ofthe same, and see that such, as may be fit, shall be delivered every weekto the officer of the guard, to be conducted to the army:

That there be allowed, also, senior physiciansand surgeons, who shall attend, prescribe for, and operate upon, and seeproperly treated, such sick and wounded, as shall be allotted them by thedirector general, deputy director general, or assistantdirector, or physician, or surgeon general; the number for the districtto be determined by the director or deputy directorgeneral, and appointed by the surgeon and physician general:

That there be also such a number of second surgeonsas the director or deputy director general for the district shall judgenecessary, to assist the senior surgeons, and be under the same direction,and to be appointed by the physician and surgeon general as aforesaid:

That there be also such a number of mates as thedirector general or deputy director general of the district shall direct,who shall assist the surgeons in the care of the wounded, and see thatthe medicines are properly and regularly administered, and appointed inthe

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manner before directed for senior and second surgeons:

That a suitable number of covered and other waggons,litters and other necessaries for removing the sick and wounded, shallbe supplied by the quarter master or deputy quarter master general, andin cases of their deficiency, by the director or deputydirector general:

That there be one physician and surgeon generalfor each separate army, who shall be subject to the orders and controulof thedirector general and deputy director general of the district wherein heacts: That his duty shall be, to superintend the regimentalsurgeons and their mates, and to see that they do their duty, to hear allcomplaints against the said regimental surgeons and
mates, and make report of them to the director general, or, in his absence,to the deputy director, or, in their absence, from thesaid army, to the commanding officer thereof, that they may be broughtto trial by court martial for misbehavior; to receive from the directorgeneral or deputy director general, a suitable number of large strong tents,beds, bedding, medicines, and hospital stores, for such sick and woundedpersons as cannot be removed to the general hospital with safety, or maybe rendered fit for duty in a few days; and shall also see that the sickand wounded, while under his care, are properly attended, and dressed andconveyed, when able, to the general hospital, for which last purpose heshall be supplied by the director general, or deputy director, with a propernumber of convenient waggons and drivers:

That each physician and surgeon general of thearmies shall appoint such a number of surgeons, nurses, and orderly men,as the director general or deputy director general shall judge necessaryfor the more effectual care and relief of the sick and wounded, under thecare of such physician and surgeon general as provided in the last foregoingsection; and the said physician and surgeons general shall have under them,in each army, a steward to receive, and properly dispense such articlesof diet as the director general, or deputy director general shall give,or order to be given him by the commissary of the army or hospital:

That whenever any regimental surgeon or mate shallbe absent from his regiment without leave from the said surgeon general,or the commander in chief of the army where his duty lies, the said surgeongeneral shall have power to remove such surgeon or mate, and forthwithto appoint another in his stead:

That the director, deputy directors, physicians,and surgeons general, and all other officers before enumerated, shall betried bya court martial for any misbehaviour, or neglect of duty, as the commanderin chief of the several armies shall direct:

That the physician and surgeon general of eacharmy, shall cause daily returns to be made to him, of all the sick andwounded,which have been removed to the hospitals, all that remain in the hospitaltents, all that are become fit for duty, all that areconvalescent, and all who may have died, specifying the particular maladiesunder which the sick and wounded labour:

That the said physicians and surgeons generalshall cause weekly returns of the same to be made to the director or deputydirector general respectively:

That the physicians and surgeons general of thehospitals, cause like daily returns to be made in every hospital, and thelikeweekly returns to their respective directors, mutatis mutandis:

That the deputy directors general cause the likereturns to be made, once every month, to the director general, togetherwith the names and denominations of all the officers in the respectivehospitals.

And that the director general make a like returnfor all the hospitals and armies of these United States, once every month,to the Medical Committee:

That the Medical Committee have power to appointany of their members to visit and inspect all or any of the medicaldepartments, as often as they shall think proper, to enquire into the conductof such general officers of the hospital as shall bedelinquent in this or any parts of their duty, and to report their namesto Congress, with the evidence of the charges, which shallbe brought against them....

Resolved, That in time of action and onany other emergency, when the regimental surgeons are not sufficient innumber toattend

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properly to the sick and wounded, that cannotbe removed to the hospitals, the director, or deputy director general ofthedistrict, be empowered and required, upon the request of the physicianand surgeon general of the army, to send, from thehospitals under his care, to the assistance of such sick and wounded, asmany physicians and surgeons as can possibly be
spared from the necessary business of the hospitals.

That the director, deputy directors general, assistantdeputy directors, physicians and surgeons general, be, and they are herebyrequired and directed to employ such parts of their time, as may convenientlybe spared from the duties before pointed out to them, in visiting and prescribingfor the sick and wounded of the hospitals under their care.

That the establishment of the medical departmentbe as follows:

1 director general,	6 dollars a day and 9 rations
3 deputy directors general,	5 do.	6 do.
Indeterminate assistant deputy director,	3 do.	6 do.
4 physicians general and 4 surgeons general each,	5 do.	6 do.
1 to each army, physician and surgeon general of the army,	5 do.	6 do.
Senior Surgeons,	4 do.	6 do.
Second Surgeons,	2 do.	4 do.
Surgeons' mates,	1 1/3 do.	2 do.
Apothecaries general,	3 do.	6 do.
Mates,	1 1/3 do.	2 do.
Commissary,	2 do.	4 do.
Clerk, who is to be pay master,	2 do.	4 do.
Assistant clerks,	2/3 do.	1 do.
Stewards,	1 do.	2 do.
Matron,	1/2 do.	1 do.
Nurses,	24-90	1 do.
Stabler,	1 do.	1 do.
Regimental surgeons,	2 do.	4 do.
Ditto, mates	1 1/3 do.	2 do.

Ordered, That the regulations respectinghospitals be published.

SOURCE: Ford, Journals of theContinental Congress, 7: 231-37, 244-46.