1845 – 1855 Rollup Traveling Surgeon’s Kit

1845 – 1855 Rollup Traveling Surgeon’s Kit – We have had two or three of these early, most likely pre-war kits, although in good condition, with most of the original instruments remaining, they are now rather hard to find. This kit was found in an estate sale in Southern California and was about to be thrown out, when an astute attendee rescued it and contacted us. The kit, constructed of a fine grade or dark red, Moroccan leather that is decoratively gilded, remains in overall very good condition and retains many of its original instruments. The closure tabs are now missing. The kit contains: four tortoise shell handled instruments, tissue scissors, several probes and two ebony handled knife-like scalpels. One of the tortoise shell handled instruments has the makers Wiegand & Snowden stamped in the blade; Weigand and Snowden were partners in Philadelphia from 1824 to 1855.

At the onset of the Civil War, physicians joining the service, in both the Union and Confederate armies, were not, in general, “surgeons”; for that reason, few entered the army with a full-fledged surgical kit. These modest, pocket kits were all that most had needed, prior to the onset of hostilities, to tend to the usual, everyday needs of their patients. Certainly, the vast majority of newly minted, army surgeons had never completed an amputation, much less significant or invasive surgery; the latter was primarily performed in the burgeoning medical centers located in cities like New York and Philadelphia; therefore, these field kits were used closer to the front lines and contained a smaller and less complex array of instruments.

Measurements: Length (fully opened) – 13”; Width (fully opened) – 11”