The following books can help in the identification of medical and surgical equipment:

The three volumes of the Pictorial Encyclopedia of Civil War Medical Instruments and Equipment

American Surgical Instruments covers the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and contains a list of American manufacturers of surgical instruments.

If you have a specific question about medical or surgical equipment, the NMCWM accepts research requests for an initial fee of $10. The fee covers up to 1 hour of research--if more is necessary, an additional fee will be charged. Please send research requests and payment* to:

NMCWM
Attn: Director of Research
P.O. Box 470
Frederick, MD 21705

*All requests require prepayment.  Request fee payments may be made in the form of cash, check (made payable to NMCWM), Visa, MasterCard, or Discover (for credit cards, the following are required:  credit card number, expiration date, security code located on the back of the card in the signature line, full name of card holder, billing address and phone number).  

Be sure to include your mailing address and email address. The Museum does not accept phone requests. Please do not ask for general information-- there is so much available that we cannot comply with such a request.

Most of the books referenced here, plus many others, may be purchased online or directly through the Dispensary Museum Store of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.  Some titles may be currently unavailable if they are out of print. Students working on school projects should use the Student Resources section of the online Dispensary Museum Store. Questions concerning titles may be directed to 301-695-5225 or email store@civilwarmed.org.


The Ambulance; Katherine Traver Barkley, 1978, reprinted 1990

American Surgical Instruments: An Illustrated History of Their Manufacture and Directory of Instrument Makers to 1900; James M. Edmonson, 1997

Farmcarts to Fords: A History of the Military Ambulance 1790-1925; John S. Haller, Jr., 1992

Pictorial Encyclopedia of Civil War Medical Instruments and Equipment, Volumes I, II, and III; Gordon E. Dammann, D.D.S.,1983, 1988, and 1998 contain many photographs and descriptions of Civil War medical equipment, including surgical instruments, stretchers, drug kits, prosthetic limbs, medical officers' uniforms and equipment, and many other items.