adequate personnel, supplies, and hospital facilities to meet the unprecedented expansion and the problems which this global war has thrust upon it.
Over the surgeon general, as over the chiefs of all of the seven bureaus of the United States Navy, is the Secretary of the Navy.
That, in brief, is the setup.
The Bureau of Medicine and Surgery is charged with and responsible for the maintenance of the health of the Navy, for the care of the sick and injured, for the custody and preservation of the records, accounts, and property under its cognizance and pertaining to its duty, and for the professional education and training of officers, nurses, and enlisted men of the Medical Department of the Navy.
It is charged with the upkeep and operation of all naval hospitals, medical supply depots, the naval medical and dental schools, and of all technical schools established for the education or training of members of the Medical Corps, Dental Corps, Nurse Corps, and Hospital Corps.
These four corps make up the principal divisions of the Navy's Medical Department.
Each corps has its own insignia. Officers of the Medical Corps — the Medical, Dental, and Nurse Corps are comprised of officers only — wear a spread oak leaf embroidered in gold, surcharged with a silver acorn. The oak is traditionally sacred to the Druid priest-physicians. The Dental Corps wear the same leaf, but with two small silver acorns, one on each side of the stem. The Nurse Corps wear the insigne of the Medical Corps superimposed on a gold anchor. The Hospital Corps comprises the enlisted personnel of the Navy's Medical Department, who wear the red Geneva cross, plus a small number of commissioned and warrant officers, who wear the gold caduceus. The caduceus is the wing-tipped staff twined with two serpents, and was the ancient symbol of Mercury, the Greek god of healing. These insignia are reproduced on the dedication page.
