The Snapshots in Time Collection

Hospital Steward Westling, U.S. Navy Dispensary (Detail)

Hospital Steward Westling, U.S. Navy Dispensary (Detail)

This detailed portrait shows a U.S. Navy hospital steward seated in a well-stocked dispensary, his sleeve bearing the caduceus rating badge of the Hospital Corps. Enlisted hospital stewards managed shipboard sick bays and pharmacies, dispensing medicines from shelves like those seen here, in an era before the Navy Nurse Corps was fully integrated into fleet medical care. Project: 218595