to which they were assigned. The uniforms displayed the designations for rank and
included the distinctive Public Health Service device or logo. This logo, designed by
Surgeon General John M. Woodworth in 1871 (4), included a fouled anchor (representing
a seaman in distress) and the Caduceus (a winged wand with two entwined serpents) of
Mercury (Greek god of commerce and thieves) that represented the combined operation
of the Marine Hospitals in the care and treatment of merchant seamen and their relation
to maritime commerce. The Army Medical Corps adopted the caduceus as its service
logo in 1902 (5). In some professional medical organization the preferred symbol is the
Staff of Aesculapius, the Greek god of medicine and healing. This consists of a knobbed
wooden staff with a single entwined snake (5).
The ranks in the Public Health Service with their equivalent ranks in the Navy, Coast
Guard and Army are as follows:
PHS Medical Officer Navy, Coast Guard Army
No Rank for Medical
Officers
Ensign 2 nd Lieutenant
Assistant Surgeon Lieutenant, Jr. Grade 1 st Lieutenant
Senior Assistant Surgeon (formerly Passed Assistant) Lieutenant Captain
Surgeon Lieutenant Commander Major
Senior Surgeon Commander Lieutenant Colonel
Medical Director Captain Colonel
Assistant Surgeon-General Rear Admiral Lower Half Brigadier General
Chief of Bureau Rear Admiral Upper Half Major General
Surgeon-General Vice Admiral Lieutenant General
The ranks also carried a title designating the profession of the PHS officer; e.g., Senior
Surgeon, Senior Veterinarian, Medical Director, Veterinary Director, etc. Some non-
medical officers received an admission rank equivalent to Ensign with the designation
“Assistant”. During war time periods or emergencies, personnel in the Reserve Corps
were occasionally called to active duty depending on need.