WOOD, William Maxwell, surgeon, born in Baltimore, Maryland, 27 May, 1809; died in Owing's Mills, Baltimore County, Maryland, 1 March, 1880. He entered the navy as an assistant surgeon, 10 May, 1829, became a passed assistant surgeon, 1 January, 1835, and was commissioned surgeon, 20 February, 1838. He served on the steamer "Poinsett" on the coast of Florida during the Seminole war in 1838-'41, was appointed fleet-surgeon of the Pacific squadron in 1843, and brought the first intelligence of the opening of the Mexican war from Guadalajara to Mazatlan to Commander Sloat. This information induced the commodore to go immediately to California, when he captured Monterey and began the operations which resulted in the conquest of the state. He was fleet-surgeon of the East India, squadron in 1856-'8 and present at the capture of the Barrier forts in Canton river, China. He was fleet-surgeon of the North Atlantic blockading squadron in the flag-ship" Minnesota" in 1861-'4, and was present at the capture of the forts at Hatteras inlet, 28 August, 1861, in the engagements with the "Merrimac," 8-9 March, 1862, at the capture of Sewall's point and Norfolk in May, 1862, in the sounds of North Carolina in 1863, and on blockade and other operations on the coast in 1863-'5. On 1 July, 1869, he was appointed surgeon-general of the navy and chief of the bureau of medicine and surgery, in which he served until 24 October, 1871, though he was retired by operation of law on 27 May, 1871. He was commissioned a medical director, 3 March, 1871, and resided at Owing's Mills, Baltimore County, Bid., until his death. Dr. Wood was the author of "Wandering Sketches of People and Things in South America, Polynesia, California, and Other Places visited during a Cruise in the United States ships 'Levant,' 'Portsmouth,' and 'Savannah'" (Philadelphia, 1849) ; "A Shoulder to the Wheel of Progress" (New York, 1849); " Hints to the People on the Profession of Medicine " (Buffalo, 1852); and "Fankwei, or the' San Jacinto' in the Seas of India, China, and Japan " (New York, 1859).--His son, William Maxwell, naval officer, born in Baltimore, Maryland, 9 March, 1850, was graduated at the United States naval academy in 1870, was promoted to master, 9 August, 1874, and to lieutenant, 11 December, 1877. He has patented a boat-detaching apparatus (1871), which has been adopted in the United States navy and merchant service, and is the author of the article on " Life-Boats and Boat-detaching Apparatus " in Hamersly's " Naval Cyclopaedia" (Philadelphia, 1881).