American Civil War Medicine & Surgical Antiques

Surgical Set collection from 1860 to 1865 - Civilian and Military

Civil War:  Medicine, Surgeon Education & Medical Textbooks

 Dr. Michael Echols  &  Dr. Doug Arbittier

 

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1861 H. Hernstein & Son, U.S. Army Hospital Dept. field set

 

An extremely rare, 99% complete, and original H. Hernstein made U. S. Army Hospital Department marked and specified three tier field surgical set.  Typically field surgical sets would have been issued to the forward operations surgeons as opposed to those issued for use in the rear area hospitals.  This extensive set contains amputation instruments, as well as urological, neurosurgical, and heavy bone cutting forceps used to section large leg and arm bones.  Also included are a complete set of ivory handled minor surgery knives and instruments.

The Medical Department specified the following list as minimal for a 'Field Operating Case', this set meets these standards:

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.

The ivory handled minor surgery instruments are a carry over into the Civil War from the late 1850's, but are not typically seen in later sets during the war when most makers used the heavier cross-checked ebony handles.

The heavy three layer (16 x 6 3/4 x 4 1/2 in.) mahogany case, purple lined case is typical military issue with sliding latches and no key lock.  The cast brass corners pieces are there for re-enforcement as is normal for heavy military issue. 

There are three levels of the purple velvet lined case: lid with removable partition, removable tray, and the lower section for urological  and heavy bone cutting related instruments.   

This is a fine example of a hardcore military-issued field Civil War surgical set for the U. S. Army Hospital Department as was issued to regular regimental surgeons.

H. Hernstein & Son, of New York, was located at 131 and Mercer 393 Broadway, New York city, N.Y., during the Civil War, they produced contract ordered surgical sets for the U. S. Army Medical and Hospital Departments from this address during the Civil War.   Hernstein was a contract maker for this type of field surgery sets from the start and until the end of the War.  The Hernstein & Son mark verifies the set to have been made during the middle years of the War.  

Hermann Hernstein & Son (Hermann and Albert L. Hernstein) 1862-65: 131 Mercer and 393 Broadway (Mid-War)

Hermann Hernstein & Son & Co. 1865: 2 Liberty and 393 Broadway  (Post War)

Hermann Hernstein & Co. 1866-67: 2 Liberty and 393 Broadway

 

Reference: Edmonson

Click on photos to enlarge

Engraved at the factory: 'United States Army Hospital Department'

Military sliding  latches, 'U. S. Army Hospital Department' engraved

 

 

The leather carrying case is in rough shape, but it's rare to ever find one with a set

 

The Hernstein Eagle impression found on later velvet dividers is not present at this point

Above: All three levels of the set

  

Shown  below are all the contents

Buck's rectal bladder trocar with protective cover and thread to hold the cover as a catheter

 

Heavy tissue or muscle retractors

 

The tourniquet is clearly marked 'Hernstein & Son'

 

 

 

Galt style trephine for neurosurgical trepanning

Scalpels, tenaculeum, and bistouries on the left.  On the right is a set of aneurysm needle tips with ivory handle

Ivory handled minor surgery instruments are marked  both 'Hernstein' and 'Hernstein & Son', which is normal

 

Set of large amputation knives, double sided cutting catlins, and a finger or metacarpal saw

Matching ferrules shows these knives are all original for this maker

"Hernstein & Son" markings on all the knives and finger saw

 

Hollow silver catheters on the left and solid steel urinary sounds on the right. 

All the silver catheters may not be original as they are very delicate and would have been constantly

replaced due to collapse and bending or leaving it tied to a patient who needed the catheter to be left in place.

 

Left: silk suture material and two spools of silver wire for suturing.  On the right is a chain saw for cutting large bones.

H. Hernstein & Son, 393 S. Broadway address marked heavy cutting bone forceps

Shown below are the contents of the upper part of the case under the partition

Sequestrum forceps

 

Tissue scissors

 

         Bone brush           Bandage scissors       Olive artery forceps

 

Bullet forceps

 

Elevator and rasp for trepanning

 

Capital amputation saw with spare blade

 

 

Hey saw for neurosurgery

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Topical Index for American Civil War Surgical Antiques 


 

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Direct links to all medical & Civil War collections on this site           

American Surgical Sets:

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American Civil War Medicine & Surgical Antiques

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Last update: Thursday, February 16, 2023