Ruschenberger, W.S.W. (William Samuel Waithman), 1807-1895

William Samuel Waithman Ruschenberger (1807-1895) was a physician in the U.S. Medical Corps from 1826 through the middle of the nineteenth century. He was born in Cumberland, NJ; educated in Philadelphia, PA, and New York, NY; and was appointed surgeon's mate in the U.S. Navy in 1826. His first cruise was aboard the U.S. frigate BRANDYWINE (1826-1829) which made port in several cities in South America including Callao, Peru; Valparaiso, Chile; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He received the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1830 from the University of Pennsylvania and was commissioned surgeon in 1831. From July 1831 through 1832, he was fleet surgeon aboard the USS PEACOCK, serving again in South America. Ruschenberger was sent to Philadelphia in 1833 where he remained until February 1835, at which time he was appointed fleet surgeon to the East India Squadron (1835-1837), again serving on the PEACOCK, this time circumnavigating the world.

Upon his return, Ruschenberger served at the naval station in Philadelphia from 1840 through 1842. That same year he was attached to the Philadelphia Rendezvous, a training facility for seamen and surgeons. Later that year, he requested temporary duty atthe Naval Asylum in Philadelphia to fill in for William P.C. Barton. He remained there until September 1943 and later that year he was stationed at the naval hospital in Brooklyn, New York. While there he set up a laboratory to prepare pure medicinal drugs for naval use and served as a member of the Board of Appointments whose purpose was to form plans and rules for the Naval Academy. He remained in Brooklyn until he was appointed fleet surgeon for the East India Squadron (1847-1849). During this appointment he served aboard the USS PLYMOUTH and visited Brazil, Canton (China), Java and the Malay Peninsula, and the Philippine Islands. From 1850 through 1854, he had shore duty, traveling between Brooklyn, NY, and Washington, DC, though primarily a resident of Philadelphia. He then became fleet surgeon for the Pacific Squadron (1854-1857) and served aboard the USS INDEPENDENCE, visiting Chile, Hawaii, and Panama before returning to the Mare Island (California) Navy Yard at the end of the cruise.

During 1860 and 1861, Ruschenberger was fleet surgeon for the Mediterranean Squadron. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he was named chief surgeon at the Boston Navy Yard, where he served throughout the war. He returned to special duty in Philadelphia after the war (1865-1870) and was promoted to senior officer in the Medical Corps (1866-1869) before retiring with the rank of commodore in 1869. In 1871 he became medical director on the retired list.

Ruschenberger was a member of the Philadelphia College of Physicians, serving as secretary in 1854 and vice president from 1875 through 1883. Also an active member of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, he served as vice president in 1869 and as president from 1869 through 1882. He wrote several books including Three Years in the Pacific (1834); A Voyage Around the World (1838); Elements of Natural History (1850); and Notes and Commentaries during Voyages to Brazil and China (1854). He also wrote pamphlets concerning the rank of naval officers.

He married Mary Wister in the early 1840s, and they had four children. The first two daughters died in 1844, apparently in a cholera epidemic. A daughter, Fanny, and son, Charles, were the surviving children. Charles Wister Ruschenberger graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1869 and served in the Navy until he resigned in 1895.