American Surgical Set Makers During the Civil War
By Dr. Michael Echols
(The following are the personal edited research notes of
Michael Echols, the source of which may or may not be
completely documented)
Listed below are the
known
(major) and minor American instrument makers who contracted with the U.S.
Army Medical or Hospital Department to supply cased surgical instruments,
post-mortem sets, pocket surgery kits, minor surgical cases. See a
list of the various
specifications for contracted sets as revised by
the Surgeon General's Office after 1862. The addresses are the
key to telling if the maker label or any address was active during the
Civil War.
It is critical to understand the importance of the
addresses in relation to 'when' a given instrument or set was made. To
ignore this information is to deceive yourself.
(Please note: Not
all the maker labels below represent the Civil War period, some are pre- and
some are post- to bring to your attention that just because you see the
name, you have to pay attention to the address to pin-point the correct
date.)
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Martin Kuemerle
Louis V. Helmold
D. W. Kolbe
Snowden & Bro.
Jacob H. Gemrig
Hermann Hernstein & Son
George Tiemann & Co.
Horatio G. Kern |
Otto & Reynders
Max (Maximilian) Wocher
William Z. Rees
V. W. Brinkerhoff
Wade & Ford
Codman & Shurtleff
Jacob J. Teufel
Frederick C. Leypoldt |
(Reference for all maker
information:
Edmonson's: An Illustrated History of American Instrument
Makers)
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Instrument Maker
Civil War addresses |
Instrument Maker
Labels |
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George
Tiemann & Co.
1855-63/64: 63 Chatham and 44 Eldridge
1863/64-71: 67
Chatham and 44 Eldridge
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Tiemann (major Civil War maker)
Civil War Labels
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Hermann Hernstein & Son (Hermann and Albert L. Hernstein)
1862-65: 131 Mercer and 393 Broadway
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Hernstein
& Son (major Civil War maker)
Civil War Labels
|
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Jacob H.
Gemrig surgical instrument maker
1841-44: 48 N.
6th
1845: 49 S. 8th
1846-65: 43 S.
8th
1866-80: 109 S.
8th
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Gemrig
(major Civil War maker)
(Need 43 S, 8th an example)
Post-Civil War Labels
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|
Horatio G.
Kern surgical instrument maker
1837: Filbert St.
bel. 8th
1838-42: 7 N. 8th
1843-48: 5 N. 8th
1849-59: 293 High
1860-70: 25 N.
6th
1871-89: 21 N.
6th (joined by Horatio G. Kern, Jr., in 1876; Horatio G. Kern, Sr., dies
in 1889)
18900-92: 122 S.
12th surgical instruments
1893: 1407
Chestnut
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Kern
(major Civil War maker)
Civil War Label
|
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Snowden & Bro. (George P. [1832-?] and Henry C. [1838-?] Snowden
surgical instrument makers
1858-64: 15 N. 5th.
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Snowden
& Bro. (major Civil War maker)
_small.jpg)
Civil War Label
Pre-Civil War Label
|
|
D. W. Kolbe
(Dietrich W. Kolbe) is Civil War;
D.W. Kolbe & Son is
post-Civil War
Chas. W. Kolbe is post-Civil War
1856-57: 45 S.
8th
1858: III S. 8th
1859-66: 32 S.
9th
1867-78: 15 S.
9th
|
Kolbe
(major Civil War maker)
Civil War Label
Post-Civil War Labels
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|
Louis V. Helmold
cutler
1851: 7 Assembly
Bldg.
1852: 10th and
Walnut
1853-54: 49 S.
10th surgical instrument maker
1855-57: 45 S.
10th
1858-70: 135 S.
10th
1871-1897: 127 S.
10th
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Helmold
Post-Civil War Label
(Need example of 135 S. 10th
label |
|
Martin
Kuemerle (various spellings of the name: Kuennerle after
1855. then Kuemerle consistently after 1860; partner of Dietrich
W. Kolbe; succeeded by his son-in-law, August H. Wirz, in 1861 or 1862)
1838-43: 2 N.
lI th
1844-59: 45 S.
8th
1860: III S 8th
|
Kuemerle
Kuemerle & Kolbe
(Need an example of 111 S.
8th label) |
Frederick C. Leypoldt
1860-61: 508
North
1863-96: 243 N.
5th
|
Leypoldt
(Need an example of 508
North or 243 N. 5th label) |
Jacob J. Teufel
1857: 37 S. 8th
1858-59: 39 S. 8th
1860-82: 103 S. 8th
surgical instruments (in association with
bro.,
George W. Teufel after 1879)
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Teufel
Post-Civil War
(Need example of 103 S. 8th lable) |
|
Codman &
Shurtleff
1858-71: 13
Tremont
1872-94: 13 and
15 Tremont
1896-1900: 13 and
15 Tremont
|
Codman and Shurtleff
Civil War Labels
|
Wade & Ford
(George Wade and William E Ford)
1860-66: 85 Fulton
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Wade & Ford
Civil War Label
|
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V. W. Brinkerhoff (Vanwyck Brinkerhoff)
1856: 12 Gold
1857: 88 John
1858-59: 88 John and 25 Gold
1860-62: 88 William instruments
1863-68: 131 William
fancy goods and drugs
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Brinkerhoff
Pre-Civil War
|
|
William Z.
Rees surgical and dental instrument maker
1842: Walnut,
near 5th
1846: E. Walnut,
btw. 5th and 6th
1848: 6th, opp.
Mayor's Office
1850: 6th btw.
Main and Walnut
1851: 30 W. 6th
1853-70: 71 W.
6th dental instruments (1863) surgical instrument manufacturer
(1864) surgical instruments (1865)
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Rees
Pre-Civil War
(Need example of 71 W.
6th label)
|
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Max (Maximilian)
Wocher surgical instrument maker
1840: E. S.
Walnut btw. 4th and 5th
1842-52: College
cor. George and Plum
1853: II College
1855: 6th btw.
Vine and Race
1856-1869: 105 W
6th (surgical and dental instrument maker (1861) surgical and
dental instrument manufacturer (1863)
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Wocher
Post-Civil War |
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Otto & Reynders
(Ferdinand G. Otto and John Reynders)
1860-64: 58 Chatham
1864-75: 64 Chatham
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Otto-Reynders
(Need an example of 58 Chatham label)
Otto post-Civil War label |
Contents of Military
specified surgical cases and kits during the Civil War
Source: "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"
(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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