William Whelan
Encyclopedia
Dr. William Whelan was the third Chief of the US Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.
He was born September 1808, in Philadelphia, PA. Upon his graduation from the University of Pennsylvania
in 1828, Dr. Whelan was commissioned a surgeon’s mate in the U.S. Navy (25 March 1828). His service included duty in the West Indian Squadron
, Naval Hospital, Pensacola, FL, where he was on duty during the prevalence there of smallpox and yellow fever, at Naval Hospital Chelsea, MA, and the Navy Yard, Philadelphia. He was promoted passed assistant surgeon in 1834 and was commissioned surgeon on 9 February 1837. From 1837 to 1840, he served in the Pacific aboard USS Falmouth. From 1843 to 1845 he served as fleet surgeon in the Mediterranean Squadron and again from 1849 to 1852. He was appointed Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery 23 September 1853, by the President Franklin Pierce
and confirmed by Congress 23 January 1854. He held this office until his death 11 June 1865. He was thus Chief of Bureau during the American Civil War
and the troubled period that preceded that conflict. The heavy responsibilities connected with the expansion of the Navy Medical Department and the increase of facilities necessary to meet the urgent demands made by the war, were borne to him.
Among the highlights of his career as Chief are:
He was born September 1808, in Philadelphia, PA. Upon his graduation from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 1828, Dr. Whelan was commissioned a surgeon’s mate in the U.S. Navy (25 March 1828). His service included duty in the West Indian Squadron
West Indies Squadron (United States)
The West Indies Squadron, or the West Indies Station, was a United States Navy squadron that operated in the West Indies in the early nineteenth century. It was formed due to the need to suppress piracy in the Caribbean Sea, the Antilles and the Gulf of Mexico region of the Atlantic Ocean...
, Naval Hospital, Pensacola, FL, where he was on duty during the prevalence there of smallpox and yellow fever, at Naval Hospital Chelsea, MA, and the Navy Yard, Philadelphia. He was promoted passed assistant surgeon in 1834 and was commissioned surgeon on 9 February 1837. From 1837 to 1840, he served in the Pacific aboard USS Falmouth. From 1843 to 1845 he served as fleet surgeon in the Mediterranean Squadron and again from 1849 to 1852. He was appointed Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery 23 September 1853, by the President Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...
and confirmed by Congress 23 January 1854. He held this office until his death 11 June 1865. He was thus Chief of Bureau during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and the troubled period that preceded that conflict. The heavy responsibilities connected with the expansion of the Navy Medical Department and the increase of facilities necessary to meet the urgent demands made by the war, were borne to him.
Among the highlights of his career as Chief are:
- The construction and establishment of the naval hospitals at Annapolis, MD (1853) and at MemphisMemphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, TN, Mound CityMound City, IllinoisMound City is a city located along the Ohio River in Pulaski County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 692. It is the county seat of Pulaski County.-Geography:Mound City is located at ....
, IL, and New Bern, NC in the Civil War.
- The establishment of the Naval Laboratory in Brooklyn, NY. The lab, headed by Surgeon Benjamin F. Bache and Passed Assistant Surgeon Edward R. Squibb, experimented with the production of chloroform and ether anesthesia. Squibb’s major contribution was providing the Navy Medical Department with a reliable source of pure pharmaceuticals. In 1857, Dr. Squibb resigned from the Navy and founded the pharmaceutical house that bears his name.
- Establishment of the first NavyNavyA navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
hospital ship, USS Red RoverUSS Red RoverUSS Red Rover was a 650-ton Confederate States of America steamer that the United States Navy captured. After refitting the vessel, the Union used it as a hospital ship during the American Civil War....
in 1862.