This amputation set
is by a minor, but highly respected, instrument maker located in
Baltimore, Maryland prior to and during the Civil War. According
to Edmonson: "At mid-century William Daily and Francis Arnold rose in
importance, becoming the premier instrument makers of Baltimore around
the time of the Civil War and thereafter." "In 1807 the surgeon John
Beale Davidge established the Medical College of Baltimore, the fifth
medical school in the country, which became the Medical Department of
the University of Maryland in 1812. The Baltimore College of
Dentistry, the first school of its kind, originated in 1840 and the next
year conferred for the first time in America the degree of Doctor of
Dental Surgery."
Francis Arnold surgical
instrument maker
1845-59 11 S. Sharpe
1860-74 15 S. Sharpe
Francis Arnold & Son
1875-82 15 S. Sharpe
1883-91 15 Hopkins
Place
There are two instruments, which help
date this set to late 1850's -1860 and the eve of the Civil War: the Satterlee bone
forceps as well as the small 'D' style handled saw. A similar 'D'
saw, by Reinhardt is dated 1860 in Edmonson, page 297, and numerous
Tiemann sets, after 1858, show up with the 'D' style saw prior to the War, but
generally not
after the start of the War. Satterlee's design bone forceps are
common in Army Hospital Department sets from Hernstein and Kolbe' during
the Civil War, whereas most other sets used Liston's design forceps for
large bone forceps. All instruments fit into the original slots to
perfection, proving none were replacements. This set came from a
family who has owned it since the Civil War period and has not been
circulated among dealers or other collectors.
The amputation knives are of the
Civil War straight blade style, but the handles are the large 'beefy'
style favored during the 1840's and 50's. The ferrules on the
knives are not forged as part of the blade, but appear to be a separate
metal piece and unlike any others this collector has observed. All
knife and saw handles are cross-checked. The
cross-checking on the handles of the Satterlee bone forceps are typical
after the late 1850's. The catch on the tissue forceps is the locking
style more common during the Civil War.
The tourniquet is unusually large and
the handle is
more typical of English or French designs on the 'T'. The strap is
faded, but the design is obvious in the photo and typical of pre-War
styles. The strap prongs
are typical of the earlier cast brass type rather than those seen during
the Civil War, which generally have cast and blued iron prongs.
A characteristic of the mahogany wood
case (16 x 6 x 2.5 in.) which pre-dates the Civil War is the inlaid
brass key escutcheon and the ornate brass name plate. Both of
which are more likely seen in the 1830-50's along with the English style
swinging latches on the front of the case, which we do not see after the
War.
