Existing comment:
Joseph K. Barnes, MD (1817-1883), Surgeon General:
Joseph K. Barnes assumed the duties of Surgeon Genearl in 1864, after William Hammond was removed from the position. Enjoying the strong support of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, Barnes completed the reforms begun by his predecessor. He oversaw the postwar demobilization of the Medical Department and its transition to providing care for veterans. He hired staff at the Army Medical Museum to produce illustrations for the Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion. He also secured funding for the Surgeon General's Library, now the National Library of Medicine. |