Cleveland signs the Marine Hospital Service Act creating a commissioned corps

Background. The Marine Hospital Service was an organization of marine hospitals dedicated to the care of ill and disabled sailors in the United States Merchant Marines. It was also the point of origin for several components of the current Public Health Service, including the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the National Institutes of Health, and multiple programs now incorporated into the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Legislative Action. Later in 1889, President Grover Cleveland signed an act into law that formally established the modern Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, then the Marine Hospital Service, under the Supervising Surgeon (later Surgeon General). That same year, Woodworth organized the Marine Hospital Service medical personnel along Army military structure to facilitate a mobile force of health professionals that could be moved for the needs of the service and country.

Legacy. The commissioned corps established by this act is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It consists exclusively of commissioned officers, with no enlisted or warrant officer ranks, though warrant officers have been authorized. The primary mission of this service branch remains the protection, promotion, and advancement of public health and safety.