Dr. William Maxwell Wood and the Reform of Naval Abuses

Abstract

In the winter of 1852, Dr. William Maxwell Wood, surgeon, U.S. Navy, addressed the Irving Literary Institute of Erie, Pa. The members were so impressed with his speech, they recommended it for publication. “Eminently calculated to promote the public good,” was their judgment. His words in “The Naval Institutions of a Republic” are ample evidence of his devotion to the service of his country and his desire to improve conditions for those who were in his care.