Medical material requisitioned
by the medical staff during the Civil War
Union Medical Staff and
Materia Chirugica (Surgery Material)
Source for this article: "The
Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion. (1861-65.) Part
III, Volume II, Chapter XIV.--The Medical Staff and Materia Chirugica"
This article is reproduced on this
site to avoid loss of a link to the original and may have been annotated or
greatly edited for research .
Previous to the
outbreak of the rebellion the regular army numbered one thousand one hundred
and seventeen (1,117) commissioned officers and eleven thousand nine hundred
and seven (11,907) enlisted men. The Medical Department was composed of one
Surgeon General with the rank of Colonel; thirty Surgeons with the rank of
Major, and eighty-four Assistant Surgeons holding for the first five years
the rank of 1st Lieutenant, and subsequent to that period, until promotion
to Surgeon, the rank of Captain. The officers of the Medical Department
formed a portion of the General Staff of the army; were not permanently
attached to any regiment or command, but were subject to duty wherever their
services were needed. Experience had demonstrated this system to be the best
for the necessities of an army widely scattered over an immense area of
territory, serving in commands of less than regimental strength, while it
possessed the advantage of increasing the efficiency and value of the
medical force in a professional point of view.
At the beginning of hostilities, in 1861, large forces of State
troops, or militia, responded to the several proclamations of the President
calling for aid in suppressing the rebellion. Each regiment was provided
with a Surgeon and an Assistant Surgeon commissioned by the States in which
the troops had been enlisted. These officers were borne on the muster-rolls
and permanently attached to the regimental organization, being seldom
detached except for urgent reasons.
During the early military operations the administrative duties
pertaining to the Medical Department were performed by officers of the
regular medical staff, detailed for the purpose, or by volunteer Surgeons
appointed as Medical Directors of Divisions, as allowed by the President's
proclamation of May 3, 1861.
On the 22d of July, 1861, Congress passed an act authorizing the
President to raise a force of volunteers, not exceeding 500,000, and
prescribing the organization of this levy into divisions of three or more
brigades, and that "each brigade shall be composed of five or more
regiments, and shall have one Brigadier General, two Aids-de-Camp, one
Assistant Adjutant General with the rank of Captain; one Surgeon,' one
Assistant Quartermaster, and one Commissary of Subsistence." The Surgeons
authorized by this act were known as Brigade Surgeons, and were borne as
such on the official army registers of September, 1861, and January, 1862;
they held the rank of Major.
The duties, prerogatives, and responsibilities of Brigade Surgeons
being somewhat vaguely defined, the following bill was passed by Congress on
July 2, 1862: "From and after the passage of this act Brigade Surgeons shall
be known and designated as Surgeons of Volunteers, and shall be attached to
the general medical staff under the direction of the Surgeon General; and
hereafter such appointments for the medical service of the army shall be
appointed Surgeons of Volunteers."
The Brigade Surgeons, or Surgeons of
Volunteers as they were henceforth called, were assimilated to those of the
regular staff, holding equal rank with the latter under commissions
conferred by the President and confirmed by the Senate. They became eligible
to all the duties and prerogatives pertaining to the medical officers of the
army, whether in the field as Directors of Armies, Corps, or Departments, or
in charge of hospitals, etc. From time to time, by acts of Congress,
additions were made to the regular and volunteer corps, and such changes
effected as were necessarily demanded. The act of April 16, 1862, was one of
the most important of these acts, wherein the rank of Brigadier General was
conferred upon the Surgeon General.
Provisions were also made in this act for
an Assistant Surgeon General and a Medical Inspector General, both with the
rank, pay, and emoluments of Colonel of Cavalry, and for eight Medical
Inspectors with the rank, pay, and emoluments of Lieutenant Colonel of
Cavalry, also for Medical Purveyors and Medical Cadets.
The partial text of the order:
SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That
medical
purveyors shall be charged, under the direction of the Surgeon General,
with the selection and purchase of all medical supplies, including new
standard preparations, and of all books, instruments, hospital stores,
furniture, and other articles required for the sick and wounded of the
army. In all cases of emergency they may pro. vide such additional
accommodations for the sick and wounded of the army, and may transport.
such medical supplies as circumstances may render necessary, under such
regulations as may here. after be established, and shall make prompt and
immediate issues upon all special requisitions made upon them under such
circumstances by medical officers; and the special requisitions shall
consist simply of a list of the articles required, the qualities
required, dated, and signed by the medical officers requiring them.
Approved
April 16, 1862.
Beside the medical
officers of the regular and volunteer staff, and the medical officers of
regiments, there was a class designated as Acting Assistant Surgeons, who
were private physicians, uncommissioned, serving under contract to do duty
with the forces in the field or in general hospitals. This class was very
large and embraced in its number some of the most eminent surgeons and
physicians of the country. The Medical Cadets were generally young men,
students of medicine, who were assigned to duty in general hospitals as
dressers and assistants. The Medical Department was still further increased
by a number of Hospital Stewards, who were enlisted as needed, and who
performed the duties of druggists, clerks, and storekeepers.
During the years of the war the organization of the Regular Staff
had been increased so as to number one Surgeon General, one Assistant
Surgeon General, one Medical Inspector General, sixteen Medical Inspectors,
and one hundred and seventy Surgeons and Assistant Surgeons; there had been
appointed five hundred and forty-seven (547) Surgeons and Assistant Surgeons
of Volunteers; there were mustered into service between April, 1861, and the
close of the war, two thousand one hundred and nine (2,109) regimental
Surgeons, three thousand eight hundred and eighty-two (3,882) regimental
Assistant Surgeons. During the same period there were employed eighty-five
(85) Acting Staff Surgeons and five thousand five hundred and thirty-two
Acting Assistant Surgeons.(1)
The following record of casualties of the Regular and Volunteer
Staff during the war shows well for the honor of those who are erroneously
supposed to escape the dangers and chances of war: "Thirty-two (32) were
killed in battle, or by guerillas or partizans, and nine (9) by accidents;
eighty-three (83) were wounded in action, of whom ten (10) died; four (4)
died in rebel prisons, seven (7) of yellow fever, three (3) of cholera, and
two hundred and seventy-one (271) of other diseases, most of which were
incidental to camp life or the result of exposure in the field.''(2)
(1) BROWN (H.
E.), The Medical Department of the United States Army from 1775
to 1873, Washington, Surgeon General's Office, 1873, p. 245.
(2) BROWN (H. E.), (loc. cit.), p. 246.
Of the amount of
labor performed by the Medical Staff during the war some idea may be
obtained when it is stated that 5,825,480 cases of wounds and disease
occurred among the white troops and 629,354 cases among the colored
troops.(1)
"The cost of maintaining the Medical Department formed no small
portion of the total expenses of the war, and it is a matter of just pride
that it can be said that the medical disbursing officers performed their
duties faithfully and honestly, and that the immense quantities of medical
supplies distributed all over the country were almost without exception
properly accounted for. The expenditures on behalf of the Medical Department
to the close of each fiscal year, on the 30th of June, from 1861 to 1866,
were as follows:
1861 $194,126.77
1862
$2,371,113.19
1863
$11,594,650.35
1864
$11,025,791.33
1865
$19,328,499.23
1866
$2,837,801.37 |
|
Making a total of
$47,351,982.24 expended during the war (exclusive of salaries of
commissioned officers) for the benefit of the sick and wounded soldiers of
the nation."(2)
After the organization of the forces raised for the suppression of
the rebellion was perfected, the medical service in the field was based upon
an independent hospital and ambulance establishment for each division of
three brigades. The personnel of the division hospital consisted of a
Surgeon in charge, with an Assistant Surgeon as executive officer and a
second Assistant Surgeon as recorder, an operating staff of three Surgeons
aided by three Assistant Surgeons, and the requisite number of nurses and
attendants.
The division ambulance train was commanded by a First Lieutenant of
the line, assisted by a Second Lieutenant for each brigade. The enlisted men
detailed for ambulance duty were a sergeant for each regiment, three
privates for each ambulance, and one private for each wagon. The ambulance
train consisted of from one to three ambulances for each regiment, squadron,
or battery, a medicine wagon for each brigade, and two or more supply
wagons. The hospital and ambulance train were under the control of the
Surgeon-in-Chief of the Division. The division hospitals were usually
located just out of range of artillery fire. Sometimes three or more
division hospitals were consolidated under the orders of a Corps Medical
Director, who was assisted by his Medical Inspector, Quartermaster,
Commissary, and chief ambulance officer.
The medical officers not employed at field hospitals accompanied
their regiments and established temporary depots as near as practicable to
the line of battle. As soon as possible after every engagement the wounded were
transferred from the division or corps hospitals to the base or general
hospitals, which at one time numbered 205; these were under the charge and
command of the Regular or Volunteer Staff, assisted by Acting Assistant
Surgeons, Medical Cadets, and officers of the 2d Battalion of the Veteran
Reserve Corps.
The following extracts of reports are presented to show the system
of the medical organization in one of the corps of the Army of the Potomac.
The reports, which give in detail the specific duties of each class of
officers, were made in accordance with the following circular letter of
Surgeon T. A. McParlin, Medical Director of the Army of the Potomac:
(1) BROWN (H.
E.), The Medical Department of the United States Array from
1775 to 1873, Washington, Surgeon General's Office, 1873, p. 246.
(2) BROWN (H. E.), (loc. cit.), p. 246.
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
MEDICAL DIRECTOR'S OFFICE,
"September 28, 1864.
"Surgeon J. J. MILHAU, U. S. Army,
"Medical Director Fifth Army Corps.
"Duties of
the Operating Surgeon: 1. The Operating Surgeon shall select steady
and reliable attendants, give them clear and explicit instructions
relative to their respective duties, and assign to each his proper
place. 2. He shall see that all the necessary appliances be at hand
required in performing operative surgery, that the instruments are in
good order and in their proper places, and that a good and sufficient
supply of lint, bandages, ligatures, sponges, plaster, etc., be
conveniently placed and ready for use. 3. He should take charge of all
patients that in the opinion of the Prescribing Surgeon require surgical
attention, make a minute and thorough examination of each case and
determine whether surgical aid is necessary; judge of the best manner of
benefiting the patient, taking into consideration the relation of
important organs, vessels, and nerves in proximity to the wound, what
bearing they may have in the preservation or loss of the patient's life,
and to use every preservative means within the reach of surgical science
to save the life of the patient with as little impairment of all his
functions as possible. 4. An operation being determined upon, he should
have the patient properly placed upon the table and should judge of the
practicability of administering anaesthetics, and if their use is found
necessary should superintend the administration. 5. The patient being
etherized, the Surgeon proceeds with the operation that the case
requires in the most expeditious and scientific manner compatible with
the nature of the · injury, endeavoring to preserve the usefulness of
the parts operated upon to the greatest extent--in operations on the
extremities preserving as great a length of bone as possible and
securing sufficient integument to give a liberal covering to the stump.
Materia Chirurgica (Surgical Materials)
At the beginning of
the war each regimental Surgeon was furnished with suitable equipment for
his regiment for field service, consisting of medicines, stores,
instruments, and dressings, in quantities regulated by the Standard Supply
Table.(1) In action he was
(1) See
Standard Supply Table for Field Service, in Revised Regulations for
the Army of the United States, 1861, p. 304.
Left: Fig. 425 Hospital Knapsack of Wicker-Work, Covered With
Enamelled Cloth. Right: Fig. 426 Regulation Hospital Knapsack
of 1862
 |
accompanied by a hospital orderly, who carried a
knapsack containing a limited supply of anaesthetics, styptics, stimulants,
and anodynes, and material for primary dressings. This hospital knapsack had
been recommended for adoption by an army board in 1859; it was made of light
wood, 18 inches in height, 15 inches wide, and 7½ inches deep, but
subsequently wicker-work, covered with canvas or enamelled cloth, was
substituted for the wood; its weight when filled was 18 pounds. This
knapsack (FIG. 425) was in general use in the first year of the way and
served an excellent purpose. In 1862 it was changed for what was known as
the new regulation knapsack, in which the arrangement and character of the
supplies were modified. The new pattern was 16 inches high, 12½ inches wide,
and 6 inches deep; the contents were packed in drawers, which were more
accessible than in the old style and less liable to become disarranged or
broken.(1) The weight when packed was nearly 20 pounds. (FIG. 426).
Notwithstanding its convenience and general adaptability it was too heavy
and cumbrous to be carried by the Surgeon himself, and, when entrusted to
other hands, was liable, in the vicissitudes of battle, to be lost. In the
early part of 1863 Medical Inspector R. H. Coolidge, U. S. A.. arranged a
field case or companion(2) (FIG.
427) to take the place of the knapsack.
It was something after the plan of the one used in the British service, and
was intended to be carried by the Surgeon himself, if necessary.
Fig 427 Surgeon's Field Companion with corked
bottles
 |
The "companion" is a
leather case 13 inches long, 6 inches wide, and 7½ inches deep; it is
supported by a strap passing over the shoulder, and is provided with a waist
strap to steady it when carried.
(One exactly like this is on display at
the Smithsonian in D.C., 2009)
The hospital medicine chest, mess-chest, and bulky hospital supplies
were transported in wagons of the supply train and were often inaccessible
when required. To obviate this
(1) The
contents of the knapsack were: One piece of white wax, 8 oz. simple
cerate, 12 oz. chloroform, 5 yds. adhesive plaster, 2 yds. isinglass
plaster, 1 oz. persulphate of iron, 100 compound cathartic pills, 150
blue mass pills, 150 opium pills, 100 opium and camphor pills, 150
quinine pills, 8 oz. aromatic spirit of ammonia, 16 oz. brandy, 4 oz.
laudanum, 10 bandages, 10 binder's boards, 4 oz. charpie, 2 medicine
glasses, 1 (spirit) lamp, 12 oz. lint, 1 box matches, 1 paper of pins, 1
spool of surgeons' silk, 4 pieces of sponge, 4 (Dunton's) field
tourniquets. 2 spiral tourniquets, 1 piece of tape, 1 spool of lead
wire, 1 spool of silver wire, and 1 spatula.
(2) The
contents of the Surgeon's Companion were; 6½ oz. chloroform, 2 oz. fluid
extract of ipecacuanha. 2 oz. fluid extract of ginger. 2 oz. solution of
persulphate of iron, 24 oz. of whiskey, 2 oz. tincture of opium, 144
compound cathartic pills, 144 colocynth and ipecacuanha pills, 144
sulphate of quinine pills, 144 opium pills, 1 yard isinglass plaster, a
medicine cup, scissors, teaspoon, pins, thread, 4 oz. lint, a towel, 2
doz. bandages, muslin, and corks.
Fig. 428 Medicine Pannier
 |
inconvenience panniers were
provided containing the most necessary medicines, dressings, and appliances;
they were designed to be carried on the backs of pack-animals, but were
found to be inconveniently heavy to be transported in this manner, and were
more generally carried in one of the ambulance wagons and filled from the
medicine chest as required. FIGS. 428, 429 represent the pannier arranged
for army use by Dr. Squibb, of Brooklyn, N. Y.; it consists of a wooden box
strongly bound with iron, 21 1/8 inches in length, 11 5/8 inches in breadth,
and 11 3/8 inches in depth; it weighs, when filled, 88 pounds. The medicines
are well packed in japanned tin bottles and boxes, and room is left for an
adequate supply of dressing material. The pannier had two compartments.(1)
FIG. 429 Upper Tray of Medicine Pannier.
 |
In the early part of
the war medical supplies and instruments had been carried in heavy army
wagons. In March, 1862, a medicine wagon was constructed by E. Hayes & Co.,
of Wheeling, Virginia, in accordance with plans and instructions of Surgeon
Jonathan Letterman, U.S.A. Details of the internal arrangement of this
wagon, could not be obtained. A Board, consisting of Brigade Surgeon William
Hayes and Assistant Surgeons Hammond and Dunster, U. S. A., on April 17,
1862, examined the wagon and reported as follows: "The merits of this
dispensary wagon are so apparent, when compared with the old method of
packing medicines and instruments in unwieldy boxes and transporting them in
the heavy army wagons, that the Board unanimously approves of the same, and
recommend that it at once be sent into the field where it can be practically
tested. The adoption of a vehicle of this or some similar construction for
the transporting of medicines, etc., in the field would be an actual saving
in transportation over the present plan, as a three months' regimental
supply can be carried with case in a single wagon dispensary. The advantage
accruing from the prevention of loss by wastage and breakage, the
convenience of having the whole together and unencumbered by other baggage,
and the readiness of access to medicines, instruments, and dressings in case
of an emergency, are so palpable that it is only a matter of surprise that
some such plan has not been previously adopted."
In November, 1862, Mr. J. Dunton proposed a medicine wagon, a
drawing of which is shown in FIG. 430. It was examined by Medical Inspectors
T. F. Perley and J. M. Cuyler and Surgeons J. Simpson and J. H. Brinton, who
reported, on November 3, 1862, that it was questionable whether it would
answer the purpose for which it was designed, as it was faulty in
construction, and its capacity insufficient to accommodate the entire
hospital
(1) The upper
compartment contained 24 roller bandages, 1 yd. of isinglass plaster, 1
paper of pins, 2 yds. bleached muslin, and 1 pair of scissors. In the
lower compartment were 6½ oz. purified chloroform, 2 oz. fluid extract
of ipecacuanha, 2 oz. fluid extract of ginger, 2 oz. liquor of
persulphate of iron, 12 doz. compound cathartic pills, 12 doz. quinine
pills (3 grs. each), 12 doz. opium pills, 12 doz. pills of compound
extract colocynth (3 grains) and ipecacuanha (½ grain), 24 oz. whiskey,
2 oz. tincture of opium, ¼ lb. patent lint, 1 medicine glass, 1 tinned
iron teaspoon, 1 small piece fine sponge, ¼ oz. silk for ligatures, 1
towel, and 6 corks.
FIG. 430 "DUNTON'S" Regimental Medicine Wagon
|
 |
supplies for a regiment for three months." The
wagon could be elongated at both ends, or closed, as was desired, and was
arranged so as to be opened on the side.(1) As the organization of the
medical staff was perfected, the cumbrous regimental supplies were curtailed
and the brigade supplies augmented. Each brigade was provided with a
"medicine wagon," which was furnished not only with drugs but with ample
provision of stores, dressings, furniture and appliances, an amputating
table, and a limited amount of bedding. The contents of the medicine wagon
were constantly replenished from the stores of the medical purveyors who
accompanied each army. FIGURE 431 represents the medicine wagon of Perot.(2)
While the internal fixtures and arrangements for transporting supplies in
this wagon were excellent and convenient, the cost of furnishing it was very
great, and on the recommendation of a Medical Board consisting of Surgeons
C. H. Crane, R. O.
FIG. 431 "PEROT'S" Medicine Wagon
 |
(1) This
medicine wagon is erroneously designated by Professor T. LONGMORE (A
Treatise on the Transport of Sick and Wounded Troops, London, 1869,
page 386) as a United States Sick Transport Wagon with side and end
openings.
(2)
CONTENTS OF
PEROT'S MEDICINE WAGON.--Drawer 1 contained an oval keg for 6
galls, of whiskey, with a cock on top and bottom, one to let in air, the
other to draw from. This keg is on a skid and can be drawn out and
filled at the bung. Drawer 2: Stronger ether for anaesthesia,
32 oz.; sweet spirit of nitre, 32 oz.; solution of ammonia, 32 oz.;
turpentine, 1 qt.; castor oil, 4 qts.; brandy, 6 qts.; olive oil, 2
qts.; purified chloroform, 32 oz.; copaiba, 32 oz.; sulphate of quinia,
10 oz.; syrup of squill, 4 lbs. (part in Drawer 9). Drawer
3: 1 sponge-holder for throat, 12 probangs, 1 hinged tongue
depressor, 4 single trusses, 2 bottles ink, 1 bottle mucilage, 1 U. S.
Dispensatory, 1 portfolio (cap size), 2 quarto blank books, 1 order and
letter book, 4 quires writing paper, 1 register of patients, 1 Gray's
Anatomy, 1 Erichsen's Surgery, 1 Packard's Minor Surgery, 1 Longmore on
Gunshot Wounds, 1 tooth-extracting case (army pattern), 1 8-oz.
hard-rubber syringe, 1 self-injecting rubber syringe, 2 thumb lancets,
12 hair pencils, 2 scarificators. Drawer 4: Closet for 3 gall.
can of alcohol, and a vacant drawer for any articles desired. Drawer
5: 1 set splints (6 forearm, 4 leg, 6 large coaptation, 4 small
coaptation), 2 papers pill boxes (turned wood), 1 pair pliers, 1 gimlet,
1 tape measure, 8 pieces binder's board (4 x 17 inches), 8 pieces
binder's board (2½ x 12 inches), razor strop in case, 1 file, 6 glass
penis syringes, 1 corkscrew, 1 set Aiken's tool pad, 8 oz twine (½
coarse), 1 bone, 1 razor. Drawer 6: 2 quires wrapping paper
(white and blue), 2 oz. ligature silk, 1 oz. linen thread (unbleached),
2 papers pins, 4 pieces cotton tape, case containing 25 needles, 1 spool
cotton and thimble, 1 yard gray silk for shades, 8 field tourniquets, 2
screw tourniquets with pad, 12 cupping tins, 2 scissors (large and
small), 1 pocket case, 1 box for sundries, 100 printed envelopes, 1
traveller's inkstand, 24 steel pens, 2 pen-holders, 6 lead-pencils No.
2, 1 stick sealing wax, 1 sheep-skin (dressed). Drawer 7, Dispensing
Case: Wedgewood mortar 2 doz. vials (6 6-oz. 12 4-oz., 3 2-oz. 3 1-oz.)
1 pill tile (6x8 inches), 8 oz. fine sponge (small pieces), 1 tin
funnel (pint), 5 yds. adhesive plaster, 4 lbs. patent lint, pestle for
mortar, 4 yds. red flannel (all wool), 2 medicine measuring glasses, 2
yds. gutta-percha cloth, 5 yds. isinglass plaster, 8 doz. assorted
corks, 1 glass graduated measure (4 oz.), 1 minim measure, 10 yds.
bleached muslin, 2 cotton bats, 1 sheet cotton wadding, 1 set
prescription scales and weights, 2 spatulas (3 and 6-inch), 2 glass
urinals, 8 suspensory bandages, 2 lbs. scraped or picked lint, 2¼ yds.
oiled silk, 2¼ yds. oiled muslin, 16 doz. roller bandages, assorted (2
doz. 1 inch by 1 yd., 4 doz. 2 ins. by 3 yds., 4 doz. 2½ ins. by 3 yds.,
2 doz. 3 ins. by 4 yds., 2 doz. 3½ ins. by 5 yds., 1 doz. 4 ins by 6
yds., 1 doz. 4 ins. by 8 yds.), 10 lbs. pressed tow, 1 doz. towels,
aromatic sulphuric acid, tannic acid, spirit of nitrous ether, stronger
ether (for anaesthesia), strong alcohol, alum, aromatic spirit of
ammonia, purified chloroform, Dover's powder, sulphate of morphia, olive
oil, castor oil, laudanum, paregoric, acetate of lead, bicarbonate of
potassa, creasote, fluid extract of colchi-cum seed, fluid extract of
aconite root, fluid extract of ipecac, fluid extract of seneka, tincture
of chloride of iron, solution subsulphate of iron, pure glycerin,
chlorate of potassa, iodide of potassium, bicarbonate of soda, whiskey,
syrup of squill, blue mass, citrine ointment, powdered squill, Hoffman's
anodyne, carbonate of ammonia, solution of ammonia, camphor, collodion,
copaiba, sulphate of copper, alcoholic extract of belladonna, fluid
extract cinchona (aromatic), fluid extract ginger, mercury with chalk,
oil of turpentine, croton oil, permanganate of potassa, Fowler's
solution, chlorinated solution soda, solution chloride zinc, resin
cerate, simple cerate, powdered gum arabic, nitrate of silver
(crystals), fused nitrate silver, sulphate cinchona, citrate iron and
quinia, powdered subsulphate iron, iodide of iron, powdered ipecac,
powdered opium, pills of camphor (2 grains) and opium (1 grain),
compound cathartic pills, opium pills, pills of sulphate of quinia (3
grains), sulphate of quinin, powdered Rochelle salts, sulphate zinc,
blistering cerate, powdered compound extract colcoynth. Drawer
8: 8 oz. Fowler's solution, 8 oz. aromatic sulphuric acid, 8 oz. fluid
extract ipecac, 8 oz. fluid extract seneka, 8 oz. tincture chloride of
iron, 8 oz. pure glycerin, blue mass, empty bottles, 8 lbs. sulphate
magnesia, 8 lbs. flaxseed meal, 10 lbs. farina, 12 lbs. white crushed
sugar. Drawer 9: 16 oz. Hoffman's anodyne, 16 oz. fluid extract
ginger, 16 oz. laudanum, 16 oz. paregoric, 16 oz. chlorinated solution
of soda, 16 oz. solution chloride zinc, 4 lbs. syrup of squill (part in
Drawer No. 2), 8 oz. powdered tartaric acid, 16 oz. subnitrate bismuth,
8 oz. ground cayenne pepper, 16 oz. powdered Rochelle salt, 8 oz. alum,
8 oz. mercury with chalk, 8 oz. powdered ipecac, 8 oz. Dover's powder, 8
oz. acetate lead, 8 oz. bicarbonate potassa, 8 oz. chlorate potassa, 8
oz. iodide polassium, 8 oz. bicarbonate soda, 8 oz. nutmegs, 8 oz.
powdered gum arabic, 8 oz. carbonate ammonia, 8 oz. camphor, 8 oz.
powdered opium, empty bottles, 8 lbs. castile soap. Drawer 10: 2 tin
basins (small, for dressers), 3 wash-hand basins, 2 vacant boxes for
sundries, 1 metal bed-pan. Drawer 11:3 lbs. simple cerate, 24
oz. sulphate cinchona, 16 oz. mercurial ointment, 1 smoothing plane, 1
saw, 1 hatchet, 1 nutmeg grater, 4 oz. white wax, 6 lbs. ground black
mustard seed, 5 lbs. black tea, 1 box for sundries, 2 lbs. candles (half
length). Drawer 12: 2 doz. planed splints, 20 gray blankets, 2 blanket
cases (canvas), 8 gutta-percha bed-covers, 15 bed sacks, 15 pillow cases
(white), 2 leather buckets, 1 coffee mill. The wagon also contained an
amputating table, 3 box lanterns, and 2 camp stools, and four hand
litters were attached outside.
Abbott, and Charles
Sutherland, U. S. A., in June, 1864, the Autenrieth pattern(1) (FIGS. 432,
433) was furnished to the army. An improved wagon, recommended by the
Medical Department and constructed at the Government shops, was adopted
during the last year of the war. Surgical instruments were furnished by the
Government, each medical officer making requisition for his equipment,
receipting for it, and becoming responsible for its condition while in his
possession; no transfers wore allowed, and an annual return was required to
be made to the Surgeon General. On leaving the service it was turned in to
the nearest medical purveyor, who receipted for the same.
The instruments
intended for surgeons and assistant surgeons of the regular and volunteer
staff were comprised in three cases--one for capital operations, containing
amputating, trephining, and resecting instruments;(1) one for general and minor
operations,(2) composed of knives, forceps, catheters, etc.; and a pocket
case.(3) For regimental surgeons and assistant surgeons the field case(4)
was issued; this contained much the same assortment of instruments as those
already mentioned, but were somewhat more closely packed and more easily
transported. Teeth-extracting instruments and dissecting cases were also
furnished to regimental and general hospitals. Great liberality was shown in
providing special instruments and appliances, and every effort was made to
render the surgical equipment as perfect as possible.
(1)
CONTENTS OF
THE AUTENRIETH MEDICINE WAGON.--First Case: Tannic acid, 1 oz.; aromatic sulphuric acid, 8 oz.; powdered gum arabic, 8 oz.; stronger ether, 2
lbs.; Hoffman's anodyne, 1 lb.; alcohol, 64 oz.; alum, 8 oz.; solution
of ammonia, 32 oz.; carbonate of ammonia, 8 oz.; aromatic spirit of
ammonia, 4 oz.; tartar emetic, 1 oz.; nitrate of silver, 1 oz.; fused
nitrate of silver, 1 oz.; subcarbonate of bismuth, 4 oz.; camphor, 8
oz.; simple cerate, 2 lbs.; cerate of cantharides, 8 oz.; resin cerate,
1 lb.; pure chloroform, 32 oz.; collodion, 4 oz.; copaiba, 16 oz.;
creasote, 4 oz.; sulphate of copper, 2 oz.; fluid extract of aconite
root, 4 oz.; extract of belladonna, 1 oz.; fluid extract of cinchona,
aromatic, 16 oz.; fluid extract of colchicum seed, 4 oz.; compound
extract of colocynth, 8 oz.; fluid extract of ipecac, 8 oz.; fluid
extract of ginger, 8 oz.; tincture of chloride of iron, 8 oz.; citrate
of iron and quinine, 2 oz.; solution of persulphate of iron, 4 oz.;
powdered subsulphate of iron, 2 oz.; glycerin, 8 oz.; calomel, 8 oz.;
blue mass, 8 oz.; mercurial ointment, 16 oz.; citrine ointment, 4 oz.;
Dover's powder, 8 oz.; flaxseed, 6 lbs.; flaxseed meal, 12 lbs.;
morphia, ¼ oz.; olive oil, 2 qts.; castor oil, 4 qts.; oil of
turpentine, 1 qt.; croton oil, 1 oz.; powdered opium, 8 oz.; tincture of
opium, 16 oz.; paregoric, 16 oz.; pills of camphor (2 gr.) and opium (1
gr.), 12 doz.; compound cathartic pills, 16 doz.; pills of compound
extract of colocynth (3 gr.) and ipecac (½ gr.), 16 doz.; opium pills,
10 doz.; sulphate of quinine (3 gr.) pills, 12 doz.; chlorate of
potassa, 8 oz.; acetate of lead, 8 oz.; bicarbonate of potassa, 8 oz.;
permanganate of potassa, 32 oz.; iodide of potassium, 8 oz.; sulphate of
quinine, 8 oz.; soap, 8 lbs.; syrup of squill, 3 lbs.; powdered black
mustard, 9 lbs.; bicarbonate of soda, 8 oz.; solution of chlorinate of
soda, 32 oz.; Rochelle salt, 16 oz.; sweet spirit of nitre, 2 lbs.;
solution of chloride of zinc, 1 lb.; sulphate zinc, 1 oz.; sulphate
cinchona, 2 oz.; arrow root, 10 lbs.; extract of beef, 16 lbs.; brandy,
6 qts.; farina, 10 lbs.; nutmegs, 4 oz.; sugar (white, crushed), 15
lbs.; extract of coffee; black tea, 10 lbs.: whiskey, 6 qts.; patent
lint, 6 lbs.; scraped lint, 2 lbs.; roller bandages (assorted), 32 doz.;
suspensory bandages, 8. The wagon also contained surgical instruments,
books, and stationery, prescription furniture and utensils, bed-pans,
urinals, tow, coffee mill, rubber buckets, tin basins, wash-hand basins,
blankets, gutta percha bed-covers, lanterns, and a hatchet. The
medicines were arranged in slides; the hospital stores, dressings,
furniture, utensils, etc., were arranged in drawers or on shelves.
(1)
The
Capital Operating Case contained: 2 amputating knives (one
long, one medium), 2 catlings (one long, one medium), 4 scalpels, 1
cartilage knife, 1 capital saw (long, bow, two blades), 1 metacarpal
saw, 1 chain saw, 1 Hey's saw, 1 trephine (conical), 1 trephine (small
crown), 1 bone forceps (Liston's long, sharp, spring handle), 1 bone
forceps (broad edged, slightly carved, spring handle), 1 bone forceps
(gnawing, spring handle), 1 bone forceps (sequestrum, spring handle), 1
artery forceps, 1 artery needle, 1 artery needle key, 12 surgeon's
needles, 1 tourniquet screw with pad, 1 tenaculum, 1 scissors,
1 chisel, 1 gouge, 1 mallet, 4 drills (with one handle), 2 retractors, 1
raspatory, 1 elevator, 1 brush, 12 yards suture wire (iron), ¼ oz.
ligature silk. 1/8 oz. wax, 1 mahogany case (brass bound, slide catch),
1 leather pouch.
(2) The Minor Operating
Case contained: 1 amputating knife, 3 scalpels, 2
bistouries, 1 hernia knife, 1 finger knife, 1 artery forceps, 1 ball
forceps, 1 gullet forceps, 1 dressing forceps, 1 dissection forceps,
1 artery needle, 1 artery needle key, 12 surgeon's needles, 1
tenaculum, 2 scissors, 1 trocar and canula. 1 Belloc's canula, 1 bullet
probe, 1 director, 1 cutting pliers (small), 6 steel bougies
(silvered, double curve, Nos. 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8, 9 and
10, 11 and 12), 3 silver catheters (Nos. 3, 6, and 9), 6 gum-elastic
catheters (Nos. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11), 24 suture pins (silvered), 6
yards suture wire (iron), ¼ oz. ligature silk, 1/8 oz. wax, 1 mahogany
case (brass bound, slide catch), 1 leather pouch.
(3) The Pocket Case contained: 1 scalpel, 3 bistouries, 1 tenotome, 1 gum lancet, 2 thumb lancets, 1 razor (small), 1 artery
forceps, 1 dressing forceps, 1 artery needle, 6 surgeon's needles, 1
exploring needle, 1 tenaculum, 1 scissors, 1 director, 3
probes, 1 caustic holder, 1 silver catheter (compound), 6 yards suture
wire (iron), ¼ oz. ligature silk, 1/8 oz. wax, 1 Russia leather case.
(4) The Field Case contained: 2 amputating knives (one long,
one medium), 2 catlings (one long, one medium), 3 scalpels, 2
bistouries, 1 hernia knife, 1 finger knife, 1 capital saw (long, bow,
two blades), 1 metacarpal saw, 1 Hey's saw, 1 trephine (conical), I bone
forceps (broad edged, slightly curved, spring handle), 1 bone
forceps (sequestrum, spring handle), 1 artery forceps, 1 ball
forceps, 1 dressing forceps, 1 dissection forceps, 1 artery needle, 1
artery needle key, 12 surgeon's needles, I tourniquet screw with pad, 1
tenaculum, 2 scissors, 2 retractors, 1 trocar and canula, 1 raspatory, 1
elevator, 1 brush, 1 bullet probe, 1 director, 6 steel bougies,
silvered, double curve (Nos. 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8, 9 and
10, 11 and 12), 3 silver catheters (Nos. 3, 6, and 9), 6 gum-elastic
catheters (Nos. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11), 12 yards suture wire (iron), ¼ oz.
ligature silk, ½ oz. wax, 1 mahogany case (brass bound, slide catch), 1
leather pinch; pocket case the same as allowed to staff surgeons.
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