Surgical Set
date: label: date made
content: ca 1862-1868
label: associated dates
content: 1921-12-15
name: label: maker
content: Tolle & Degenhardt
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: This surgical set belonged to Andrew Taylor Still, MD, DO, the founder of osteopathic medicine. It is thought he studied medicine with his father a Methodist preacher and physician. At the start of the American Civil War he enlisted as a steward in the 9th Kansas Calvary.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Not all surgical sets used during the Civil War were commissioned by the United States Army. At the beginning of the conflict both the northern and southern armies lacked sufficient supplies including medical equipment. Doctors often brought their own instruments with them when they enlisted. Notes in the accession file indicate that this set was used by Dr. Andrew Still during the Civil War. Additional objects were donated to the Smithsonian by the Still family including books and photographs for an exhibition about osteopathy.
label: Description (Brief)
content: This set contains: Three(3) Knives; Two(2) Trephines; One(1) Handle; One (1) Brush; One(1) Tourniquet; One(1) Hook; Three(3) Saws; One(1) Gouge/Elevator; One(1) Needle.
label: Description
content: Surgical set with “G. TOLLE / DEGENHARD / CHICAGO” and “G. TOLLE. ET Cie / CHICAGO” inscriptions. Several of the instruments have wooden handles. This set belonged to Andrew Taylor Still (1828-1917), the founder of osteopathic medicine, and may have been made for use during the Civil War.
label: Description
content: George Tolle opened a cutlery shop in Chicago in the early 1850s and showed surgical instruments at the local Mechanics’ Fair of 1853. Charles Degenhardt was born in Prussia, ca. 1812, arrived in New York in 1850, settled in Chicago, and showed a case of surgical instruments at the Cook County Fair in 1857. By the early 1860s, Tolle & Degenhardt were advertising as manufacturers of surgical and dental instruments.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Illinois, Chicago
label: associated place
content: United States: District of Columbia
label: associated place
content: United States: Missouri, Kirksville
topic: label: Subject
content: Surgery
label: Subject
content: Surgical instruments
label: related event
content: Civil War
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
label: See more items in
content: Health & Medicine
label: See more items in
content: Civil War Surgical Sets
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Dr. George A. Still
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MG.M-01470
label: accession number
content: 67628
label: catalog number
content: M-01470
objectType: label: Object Name
content: surgical set
label: Other Terms
content: surgical set; Surgical Set; Amputation
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: ebony (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: velvet (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: steel (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: blue (overall color)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 3 1/8 in x 16 in x 8 in; 7.9375 cm x 40.64 cm x 20.32 cm