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SPANISH
AMERICAN WAR U.S. ARMY MEDICAL DEPARTMENT FOLDING
SURGICAL TABLE – A RARE 19TH CENTURY FIELD
HOSPITAL FIXTURE IN VERY GOOD COMPLETE CONDITION:
The sort of early U.S. Army equipment that for a variety
of reasons did not survive in significant numbers, this
Spanish American War U.S. Army Medical Department
Folding Surgical Table is an impressive piece of early
army medical equipment. Adjacent to the latch which
holds the folded table closed is affixed a 3” by ¾”
brass plate stamped “1898” and “U.S.A. M. DEPT.”,
identifying this table as U.S. Army Medical Department
equipment dating from the Spanish American War.
Manufactured with a nicely
finished furniture-grade oak wood frame which supports a
suspended canvas litter, this folding table is a
substantial medical fixture which would have been
supplied in numbers necessary to equip an army field
hospital during the Spanish American War. The mortised
joints and stout iron hinges and braces were designed to
withstand the rigors of transport via wagon to the site
of a field hospital and substantial enough to support
the weight of a wounded soldier.
Folded for transport, the stretcher measures 37 ½” long,
22” wide, and 6 ½” thick. Extended to its full length
with the legs folded down into position, the stretcher
measures 75” long and approximately 20” high. The
portion of the stretcher which supports the patient’s
head and torso adjusts on a pair of notched steel arms
which allowed the patient to be raised from a supine
position to sitting upright, depending on the
requirements of his treatment and for his comfort. The
adjustment arms and the pins they engage are fully
functional and intact.
As noted above, this table features all the
characteristics of well made furniture, typical of even
the most functional medical, office, and business
furnishings manufactured during the 19TH
Century. The corner joints are all mortised, the upper
edge of the bed frame is contoured, and the legs were
turned on a lathe with detail that was certainly more
decorative than necessary. The frame and legs are full
form and all the joints are solid and intact. When
deployed to accept a patient, the table is very stable.
All of the iron fittings, braces, and hinges are
present, fully functional and intact. The table is
equipped with a heavy duty clasp to keep the unit closed
and a carrying handle - both fixtures that facilitated
moving the table when folded up for transport to and
from the hospitals.
The suspended canvas litter section is fully intact,
albeit showing some signs of use and aging. There is
one notable stain running across the lower end of the
canvas which may very well be a blood stain based on its
pattern and distribution – if so, evidence that this bed
was used in a field hospital setting. Otherwise, in
spite of its age, the canvas has survived quite well
with no damage or rot.
Whether it was due to these tables being used in
tropical climates – an environment which consumed so
much of the Spanish American War equipment; that these
tables were supplanted by improvements in medical
equipment in the interest of sterile and antiseptic
measures in wound treatment; or simply their size and
weight argued for their replacement by lighter and more
mobile treatment tables, these oak and canvas Medical
Stretchers simply did not survive to appear on the
modern collector’s market.
This 19TH Century U.S. Army Medical
Department Folding Surgical Table would be a key
addition to any Spanish American War or military medical
equipment display and would be very difficult to
upgrade. (0929) $550
(It is worth noting that the stamped date of 1898
is consistent with the notation of “U.S.A M. DEPT.” on
the brass plate affixed to this table. The army’s
medical service was known throughout the 19TH
century as the “Medical Department” until its
designation was changed to “Medical Corps’ in 1908.)
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