By 1862, Surgeons were
solicited by Surgeon General Hammond and staff to forward to the Army Medical
Museum interesting morbid specimens of amputated limbs, images of the same,
projectiles which caused the injuries, etc.. The Medical and Surgical
History (M&SH) is replete with citations regarding the various post-mortem
examinations done by the Union medical staff surgeons. This
information was reported back to the Medical Department and was the beginning of the
Armed Forces Institute Of Pathology.
Union Army Medical
Department
The Union Army's Medical
Department put out special order No. 2 by Dr. Hammond directing surgeons to
collect post-mortem specimens:
CIRCULAR NO.2
Surgeon General's Office Washington DC May 21 1862
Important cases of
every kind should be reported in fall Where post mortem examinations
have been made accounts of the pathological results should be carefully
prepared As it is proposed to establish in Washington an Army Medical
Museum medical officers are directed diligently to collect and to
forward to the office of the Surgeon General all specimens of morbid
anatomy surgical of medical which may be regarded as valuable together
with projectiles and foreign bodies removed and such other matters as
may prove of interest in the study of military medicine or surgery These
objects should be accompanied by short explanatory notes Each specimen
in the collection will have appended the name of the medical officer by
whom it was prepared WILLIAM A HAMMOND, Surgeon-Genera US Army (From The
Army Surgeon's Manual by Wm. Grace)
Confederate Army Medical
Bureau
The Confederate Army
Medical Bureau was also requesting post-mortem evaluations during the War.
This citation is from the M&SH:
CONFEDERATE STATES OF
AMERICA, SURGEON-GENERAL'S OFFICE,
Richmond, Va., August 6, 1864.
Surg. ISAIAH H. WHITE, In Charge of Hospital for Federal Prisoners,
Andersonville, Ga.:
SIR: The field for
pathological investigations afforded by the large collection of Federal
prisoners in Georgia is of great extent and importance, and it is
believed that results of value to the profession may be obtained by a
careful investigation of the effects of disease upon this large body of
men subjected to a decided change of climate and to the circumstances
peculiar to prison life. The surgeon in charge of the hospital for
Federal prisoners, together with his assistants, will afford every
facility to Surg. Joseph Jones in the prosecution of the labors ordered
by the Surgeon-General. Efficient assistance must be rendered Surgeon
Jones by the medical officers, not only in his examinations into the
causes and symptoms of the various diseases, but especially in the
arduous labors of post-mortem examinations.
The medical officers
will assist in the performance of such post-mortems as Surgeon Jones may
indicate, in order that this great field for pathological investigation
may be explored for the benefit of the medical department of the
Confederate Army.
S. P. MOORE,
Surgeon-General
CSA
Scans from Tiemann's catalog c. 1880's.
Click to enlarge
Warning:
The actual instruments sold by Tiemann during the Civil War were similar
to those on these pages, but may not be exactly the same. Many are
exactly the same, but you have to make allowances for sterilization
considerations after 1870.
Click on image to enlarge
Additional instrument drawings from Tiemann's 1870's catalog of
Post-Mortem instruments
List of various dissecting and
post-mortem sets from the 1870's Tiemann catalogue
In the US Army the
following post mortem instruments are furnished in a
mahogany box:
Blowpipe No I Chains and hooks No I Chisel No I Costotome chisel No I Enterotome No I Forceps dissecting No
I Hammer steel No I Knife amputating large No I Knife
amputating small No I Knife cartilage No I Needles and
thread No 2 Saw No I Scalpels assorted No 3 Scissors
straight No I Tenaculum No I
Post-mortem pathology: a
manual of post-mortem examinations,
POST MORTEM
INSTRUMENTS AND THEIR USE
By Henry Ware
Cattell
The results of the
post-mortem examinations performed during the Civil War were published
in the Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion after
the War. See an
example of this six volume work in this collection.
(The
personal edited research notes of Michael Echols, the source of which
may or may not be completely documented)
