This section of the site focuses on Civil War surgical sets, their makers, and the instruments that were included with the original sets. Many of
the sets are marked by use for the U.S. Army medical corps (Union Army). Evidence of use by the medical personel of the United States Army is evident by an engraved plate
on the top of the box that held the instruments. Not all sets used in Civil War medicine were marked in this manner. Some engravings that would bring Civil War medical use to the observer would be:
U.S.A. Hosp. Dept.
U.S.A. Hospital Department
U.S.A. Med. Dept.
U.S.A. Medical Department
There are other variations of these engravings such as U.S.A. Hosptl. Dept. which stands for United States Army Hospital Department (Union Army).
This is an example of a U.S.A. Hosp. Dept. marking.
Another important aspect of collecting an original Civil War era surgical set is dating the item. Just because the set has a U.S.A. engraved plate does not mean it is Civil War era as the Hospital Department was formed many years before the beginning of the Civil War. Many makers attached a label to the inside of the box
containing their name and address. Having this information is very important when making a determination about the date the set was manufactured. This Horatio Kern label is an example that would be found in a Civil War cased surgical set.
Some Civil War cased surgical set makers are:
Horatio G. Kern, George Tiemann, Herman Hernstein, Snowden, Kolbe, Wade & Ford, Brinkerhoff, Otto, Gemring, and Shurtleff.
Pictured above is a U.S.A. Hospital Department cased set showing an important feature in Civil War surgical set indentification: Sliding Military Latch.
Above is a typical Civil War surgical set by Hernstein. Some of the instruments in the set are:
Amputation knives, scalpels, chain saw, bone forceps, artery needles, tourniquet, bone brush, capital saw, Hey's saw, bone chisel, trephine drills, ligature silk.
According to Stephen Smith's Hand-book of Surgical Operations, the following was contained in the regimental surgeon of the U.S. Army pocket case:
One large scalpel; one small scalpel; one artery forceps; one bull-dog forceps; one curved forceps; one dressing forceps; one needle; one sharp pointed bistoury; one probe-pointed bistoury; one long probe-pointed bistoury; one straight scissors; one knee scissors; one flat-curved scissors; one gum lancet;
one tenaculum; one tenotomy knife; one abscess lancet; one exploring needle; one exploring trocar; one seton needle; one spatula; two probes; one director; one double canula; one compound silver catheter; six surgeons needles; one artery needle.
Discussing themes such as Civil War Surgery, U.S.A. Hosp. Dept. Surgical Sets, U.S.A. Med. Dept. Surgical Sets, Medicine, Hospital Surgery, Civil War Surgical Instruments.
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