Surgical Set
date: label: date made
content: 1861-1865
name: label: user
content: Dungan, Jacob S.
label: maker
content: Gemrig, Jacob H.
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: The original owner of this surgical set was Jacob S. Dungan, a surgeon in the U.S. Navy. The Navy Register of 1852 lists Dungan aboard the Steamer Vixon, in 1847, at which point he had been in the service for ten months in the Gulf of Mexico during the war with Mexico. Dungan subsequently served aboard numerous ships including the Sloop Portsmouth out of Portsmouth, New Hampshire during the American Civil War. In 1864 Dungan was assigned to the Naval Asylum in Philadelphia at which time he may have procured his surgical set. By 1869, he was a resident of the State of California. 1886-7 is the last time his name appears in the Navy Register.
label: Description (Brief)
content: The function of this surgical set is for the amputation of limbs. It contains Liston and Catlin knives, bone forceps, a tourniquet, several saws and a universal handle with four interchangeable bone drills. The case is made of rosewood and has brass fittings. The exterior lid has an inlaid rectangular brass plaque which reads "Jacob S. Dungan, U.S.N. 1864". Every instrument has its place in the molded interior which is lined in red velvet. The case has two main compartments and two instrument trays. The trays are also lined with red velvet and have leather tabs at each end of the tray. During the Civil War the United States Army contracted with several surgical instrument makers, including Jacob Gemrig to provide surgical sets for the Union troops.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
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
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MG.316384.01
label: accession number
content: 316384
label: catalog number
content: 316384.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: surgical set
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: rosewood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: brass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: velvet (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: leather (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: ebony (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 4 1/4 in x 16 3/4 in x 6 3/8 in; 10.795 cm x 42.545 cm x 16.1925 cm