Report of Naval Surgeon Isaac Hulse
re: his patients at Naval Hospital Barrancas, dated 3 November 1828
Submitted by John Sharp

Introduction: On 3 November 1828, naval surgeon Isaac Hulse, physician in charge of the Naval Hospital in Barrancas Florida wrote Commodore Melanchthon Taylor Woolsey a status report. Hulse’s account covers the period of March to November 1828 . The report details the number of sailors and marines admitted, their names and rank, diagnosis or the nature of their injury, and the date of their discharge or death. Established in 1826, the Navy Yard at Pensacola and a Hospital at nearby Barrancas Florida, were located in an isolated and notoriously unhealthy area then prone to epidemics of Yellow Fever which ravaged the community on numerous occasions. Mortality at Pensacola was high and many naval officers and men considered the Navy Yard an unhealthy and potentially lethal assignment. For example Naval Constructor Samuel Keep writing to his brother in July 1826 stated emphatically, "I shall not remain here unless I am obliged to do so."

Hulse and his colleagues treated many of the standard maladies afflicting sailors and marines e.g. venereal disease, alcoholism and broken limbs. Most lethal though at Pensacola were Yellow Fever epidemics which occurred with great frequency, as did malaria. Nineteen Century medical science believed Yellow Fever and Malaria were caused by "miasmic influences" which were common in the so called "sickly season" (May –September). The exact cause of Yellow Fever is now known as an acute febrile viral disease, transmitted by mosquitos then regarded before the knowledge of germ theory as simply pests. The last Pensacola epidemic occurred in 1905. Physicians like Isaac Hulse risked and sometimes lost their lives treating yellow fever for the most part they could do little more than diagnose the disease. Hulse himself lost a young daughter to the disease in 1846. Despite Hulse attempts to find a cure there was no effective treatment. Even today, treatment for Yellow Fever is symptomatic and supportive only. The first vaccine was not developed until 1937.

Isaac Hulse born near Coram, Suffolk County, Long Island New York , on August 31, 1797. He graduated from the University of Maryland Medical School and while still a student, he met and married, Amelia Roberts.  Dr. Hulse, joined the Un ited States Navy on May 12, 1823.  His first assignment was that of Surgeon’s M ate aboard the U.S.S. Congress based in Norfolk, Virginia.  His voyages aboard the USS Congress in the following year, took him to Gibraltar, Cadiz, Rio de Janeiro, the West Indies and the west coast of Africa. Back in the United States in 1821 Dr. Hulse was assigned to the Naval Hospital at Norfolk, Virginia, where he remained for two years during and was promoted to Surgeon.  In 1826 he assigned to Florida service at the N aval Hospital in Pensacola.

In contrast to many of his colleagues, Dr. Hulse had requested this most arduous and dangerous assignment. At Barrancas he rented two a story dwelling as a hospital and attempted to bring quality medical care to a hard pressed military community. Hulse spent much time urging the construction of new purpose built hospital (he was particularly keen to move his hospital and his patients from the tempting local grog shops) but because of military construction funding delays, the Naval Hospital was not completed until December 1835 Surgeon Hulse served as commanding officer of the Pensacola hospital three times, spending 19 of his 33-year Navy career in northwest Florida before his death of tuberculosis in 1856. Hulse is buried at Barrancas, National Cemetery located on Naval Air Station Pensacola.

Today Surgeon Hulse's Naval Hospital at Pensacola enjoys world renow n and his reports on the state of his patients continue to provide valuable demographic and medical information for medical and family historians.

[Source: National Archives and Records Administration, Records of Board and Commissions, Record Group 45 Records of the Board and Commissions 1819-90. Commissioners Letters Proposals Reports and Estimates Received from the Commandants of Navy Yard and Naval Stations March 1814 –July 1842, Entry -314, Volume 54 of 250, Pensacola Navy Yard.]

 

It seems appropriate here for me to refer to the obstacles which are opposed to the Hospital Surgeon of this Station in Execution of his duties.

At the commencement of the sickness last season there were no quarters suitable for the reception of the sick, & the best building that could be procured for the purpose was an unfinished one, uninhabitable in winter, situated in a the village of Barrancas: - There are two liquor shops within 100 yards of it with no other barriers between, them [then the] eyes of surgeon. The veteran of the sea must have laid aside his character founded upon long established habits, if he had not occasionally eluded our vigilance & yielded to the temptation. Several instances of intoxication occurred by which the lives of the persons were endangered, the only alternative left was to fend off the offenders to their ships thus depriving them of the benefit of the Hospital & defeating the government in its benevolent designs.

The history of the W. I. Squadron now furnishes ample proof that it must necessarily, every summer, encounter considerable disease, & it is desirable in m any points of view that its patients be accommodated at Pensacola: - I humbly conceive therefore, that the comforts of the Hospital are at no point of the union so loudly called for as they are on this station.

I am with great respect
You’re Obedt. Servant
Isaac Hulse
U.S. Hospital 3rd Nov. 1828}

 

Sir,
The following Tabular Statement exhibits the name, the number & the rating of the Cases for which it has been necessary to provide Hospital Accommodation during the past season -



No.	Names	Rank	Disease	When Admitted	Died	When Discharged
1	Samuel Wilson	S	Scrofula & Syphilis	4th March		5 Aug
2	Edw. Blunt	O.S.	Scrofula	27 Sept. ' 27		5 Aug
3	Jno. Bradberry		Sloughing Ulcer	31 May ' 28		31st Oct
4	John Miller	S	Hemorrhoids & Rheumatism	17 June
5	Wm. Hand	S	Chron Hepatisis	17 '		5 Aug
6	Rob. Robinson	S	Phthisis	17 '		5 "
7	John Bettcher	S	Paralysis of hands &feet	24 '		28 Oct
8	Jas. Mc Clellan	M	Dyspepsia	10 July		5 Aug
9	John Lennon	Q Mast	Fistula in Ano	1st June		6 June
10	Jas. Arden	S	Sinus in Ano	1st do		6 June
11	Isaac V. Reddington	O S	Chron. Hepatitis	18 do		3rd July
12	Wm. Grimmond	B. Mte.	Do. & Dysentery	18 do
13	Geo. Hazard	O. S.	Varicose Veins & Ulcers	18 July		5 Aug
14	John Riley	Mar	Gun Shot Wound	22 "		2 Nov.
15	John Hoffman	Mar	Debility & Abscess	22 "		22 Aug
16	Wm. Lach	Boatm.	Pul. & Hepat : Affect	2 Aug		22 Oct
17	Peter Lavalley	O. S.	Hepatitis & Sore throat	2 "		28 "
18	Jas. Cooley	M	Inflamed Tendons	13 "		22 Aug
19	Ebenz. Squires	O. S.	Abscess of the Lungs	13 "		28 Oct
20	Jas. Tee	Gunner	Bibulous Fever & debility	14 "		19 "
21	Jno. Puree	S	Bils. Fever	22 "		28 Aug
22	Jas. Dougherty	S	Debility from do	22 "		25 Oct
23	Jno Knott	Mar	Bil. Fever	22 "		28 Augt
24	Jno. Follins	M.	Yellow Fever	31 "	Sep. 1st
25	Chandler Turner	M	Do -	31 "	" 3
26	John Thompson	S	General debility	31 "		15 Sep
27	Wm. Cohen	Boatm	Yellow fever or bibulous	2 Sept		6 Oct
28	illegible		Yellow fever or Bibulous	2 "
29	Robert Buckley	S	Do	2 "		10 Oct
30	Thos. Harmon	S	Do	2 "		10 Sept
31	Francis Kevouren	O. S.	Do	2 "		10 "
32	Amos Rowland	Mar	Conval from Do	2 "		10 "
33	John Downs	O. S.	Ditto Do	2 "		10 "
34	Samuel Partridge	O S	Do Do	4 "		31 Oct
Number [page 2]	Names	Rank	Disease	Admitted	Died	Discharged
35	Jno. Blade	M	Convales from fever	4 Sept		15 Sept
36	Jas Johnson	S	Bils Cataract	4 "		9 Sept
37	Samuel White	S	Debility from fever	4 "		10 "
38	Wm. Kemp	S	Rheumatic Affected	4 "		31st Oct
39	Anthony Nettle	O. S.	Ulcers	4 "		10 Sept
40	John Mc Donald	Armorer	Bilious fever	8 "		15 "
41	Paul Jones	S	Do	8 "		3 Oct
42	Jas Cooley	M	Venereal Nodes	8 "		30 Oct
43	Jas Mc Crea	S	Bils Rheum fever	10 "		10 "
44	Patrick Tool	Master Arms	Do	10 "		15 Sept
45	William Davis	O. S.	Do	10 "		3 Oct
46	Jacob Myers	S	Do	15 "		3 Oct
47	Henry Hornberry	O. S.	Do	15 "		3 "
48	Wm. Southheart	O. S.	Do	15 "	18 Sept
49	Isaac Mc Dowel	M	Do	15 "		24 Sept
50	Samuel B. Cocke	Lieut.	Do	16 "		6 Oct
51	Isaac Hall	S. Maker	Dropsy & Liver Disease	17 "	19 Sept
52	John Driscol	Boy	Yellow Fever	16 "	18 Sept
53	Edw. R. Thompson	Mid.	Bils fever	20 "		6 Oct
54	Trueman Maddox	Steward	Yellow fever	22 "	27 Sept
55	Francis Rudd	Orderly Sergeant	Do	22 "		10 Oct
56	John Blade	M	Pulm Compl	22 "		3 Oct
57	John Thompson	S	Do "	22 "		31 "
58	Augustus Budd	Mid	Burn from S. [ex]pos	22 "		25 "
59	George Bell	Q Mast	Chr. Dysentery	4 Oct		2 Nov
60	John Hendrix	O S	Chr. Pleurisy	4 "		2 Nov
61	Wm. Lovett	M	Chr. Cataract	4 "		2 Nov
62	Henry Kinnan	M	Chr. Cataract	4 "
63	Henry Worthington	S. Master	Bil fever Covalence	10 "		1st Nov
64	John Hoffman	M	Chr. Diarrhea	23 "
65	John Connor	O S	Injury of Spine	30 "
66	Thomas Manning	Mar	Scorbutic Ulcers	30 "


Naval Hospital, Barrancas } very respectful & yr obedient
2nd Nov 1828 } [signed] Isaac Hulse
Surgeon To Com. M.T. Woolsey

[end document]

i  Melanchthon Taylor Woolsey. Born in Plattsburg New York 1782, appointed Midshipman 1800, during the Quasi-War with France, making a cruise in the frigate Adams during that year and the next. In 1805 he participated in operations late in the war with Tripoli, and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in 1807. After developing a signal code for the Navy, in 1808 Lt. Woolsey was assigned to supervise the building of the brig Oneida for service on Lake Ontario, and commanded her from the time of commissioning in 1810 through the first year of the War of 1812. Promoted to Master Commandant in 1813, Woolsey continued his important work on Lake Ontario, taking part in several actions ashore and afloat. When the conflict ended early in 1815, he remained on the lake station for nearly another decade, with the rank of Captain from 1816 onward. Captain Woolsey was at sea as Commanding Officer of the frigate Constellation during 1824-1827, and was Commandant of the Pensacola Navy Yard, Florida from late 1827 into 1831. With the courtesy title of Commodore, he commanded the Brazilian Station in 1832-1834. His final active service was supervising survey work on the Chesapeake Bay in 1836-1837. His health was by then failing, and Commodore Woolsey died at Utica, New York, on 18 May 1838


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Transcriber's Note: This transcription of Isaac Hulse’s 1828 report was transcribed from digital images made at the National Archives Records Administration, Washington D.C. I have striven to adhere as closely as possible to the original in spelling, capitalization, punctuation and abbreviation (e.g. "…. , " , Do" or "do" for ditto or same as above) including the retention of dashes, ampersands and overstrikes. Where I was unable to discern word or sentence or where it was not possible to determine what was written, I have so noted in brackets. Where possible, I have attempted to arrange the transcribed material in a similar manner to that found in the letters and enclosures.

Abbreviations: The most common abbreviations used in this Hulse report are: Lieut for Lieutenant, Master for Sailing Master, Q. Master for Quarter Master, Mid., for Midshipman, Boatm for Boatswain, Mar or M for Marine S. for Seaman O.S. for Ordinary Seaman and Boy. In the early United States Navy "boys" were enlisted men wh o served as seaman. Boys were usually rated Ordinary Seaman at 18 years of age. Medical terms are defined at Rudy’s list of Archaic Medical Terms

Bibliography:
Dibble, Ernest F., Antebellum Pensacola and the Military Presence. Pensacola Series Commemorating the American Revolution Bicentennial 3, (Pensacola, FL: Pensacola/Escambia Development Commission) 1974.
Hulse, Thomas, "Military Slave Rentals, the Construction of Army Fortifications, and the Navy Yard in Pensacola, Florida, 1824–1863," Florida Historical Quarterly, 88 (Spring 2010), 497–539.
"The Yellow Jack Chronicles: Epidemic at Naval Station Thompson’ s Island, 1823" The Grog Ration, Vol. 5. No. 3, May -June 2010 http://www.history-navy-med.org/Text_Files/2010/TGR%20May-June%202010%20(Final)a.pdf

John G. Sharp
Concord CA May 31, 2011

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