From: americancivilwar.com
(National Park Service) This surgeon's operating kit is typical of those used by army doctors. Though they seem ancient by today's standards, the instruments were made of the finest metals with precision and encased in beautiful walnut cases. Confederate instruments were not as fine as those made in northern factories or in Europe, so captured instruments and medical supplies were highly prized. Radical surgery took place in the crudest conditions.
A typical "operating room" was in the open air where the surgeon had plenty of light. Otherwise, it was the room of a farmhouse, the center of a barn, or under a tree. Assistants held lamps over the surgeon to provide light. Patients were placed on a door removed from its hinges and set on sawhorses. With little more than a rag to wipe his hands, the surgeon then began the examination of the wounded soldier and then decided on what course to take.
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