Collecting Civil War Medical and Surgical Text Books
Topics: Civil War medical books,
surgical manuals, Confederate, Union, collecting, Hosp. Dept, Medical Dept.,
Medical text books, Civil War
medical books, Antique medical books, Rare medical books
By Dr. Michael Echols
Collecting Civil War
medical and surgical text books falls into both the category of military and
civilian collections. In the case of this collection, the intent is to
document the medical education five years prior to the Civil War, as well as
those medical texts published during the Civil War, for both civilian and
Union or Confederate
military use. The emphasis of the collection is on those text books
purchased and distributed by the Surgeon General's Office or placed in the
library of the Surgeon General during the early days of the War. The
Union Army medical department is well documented and is the main thrust of
the collection.
Since many of the
texts would have seen war time usage, it is to be expected some will show
extensive use and abuse. Some of the books ordered specifically for
the Surgeon General's Library would be expected to be very limited in
circulation. The Surgeon General also dictated what books and texts
were shipped to various hospitals during the War and were sold to the
public after the War to recoup costs.
Those text books
marked "U.S.A. Hosp. Dept." or U.S.A. Medical Dept." are the books
specifically ordered by the Surgeon General's office for the Medical
Department's distribution to the surgeons and hospitals in the field.
The objective of
this particular collection is not to obtain 'perfect' books, but to add the
best possible examples given the age and circumstances of wartime usage.
In some cases, the condition of the books may only be 'good' at best, but
there are so few surviving copies that 'good' is the best that can be
obtained at the time. Of course upgrades are always being sought.
Medical Book Collection.:
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Evaluating and
grading Civil War era medical books
Medical
Education during the Civil War
Index of Civil War era medical
books and manuals in Echols' collection
Inventory of
medical books from Ward "H" at N.Y. Conesus Centre Army Hospital 1865
American Medical Libraries in the Nineteenth
Century
Civil War era medical books purchased by the U. S.
Army Medical Department
U. S. Army Medical Department Logos & Titles
Books in the
Surgeon General's Office library
Information on the
Army Medical Department after the War and what happened to the library
