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American Surgical Set Makers During the Civil War

Labels used by surgical instrument makers during the Civil War 1861-65

By Dr. Michael Echols

(The following are the personal edited research notes of Michael Echols, the source of which may or may not be completely documented)

Listed below are the known (major) and minor American instrument makers who contracted with the U.S. Army Medical or Hospital Department to supply cased surgical instruments, post-mortem sets, pocket surgery kits, minor surgical cases.  See a list  of the various specifications for contracted sets as revised by the Surgeon General's Office after 1862.  The addresses are the key to telling if the maker label or any address was active during the Civil War. 

Article on three sources of Civil War military surgical sets

It is critical to understand the importance of the addresses in relation to 'when' a given instrument or set was made.  To ignore this information is to deceive yourself.  (Please note: Not all the maker labels below represent the Civil War period, some are pre- and some are post- to bring to your attention that just because you see the name, you have to pay attention to the address to pin-point the correct date.)

Links to Civil War maker information, addresses, and dates
Martin Kuemerle (minor) Louis V. Helmold (minor) D. W. Kolbe (minor) Snowden & Bro. (major) Jacob H. Gemrig (major) Hermann Hernstein & Son (major) George Tiemann & Co. (major) Horatio G. Kern (minor) A. H. Wirz (minor	Otto & Reynders (minor) Max Wocher (minor) William Z. Rees (minor) V. W. Brinkerhoff  (minor) Wade & Ford (minor) Codman & Shurtleff (minor) Jacob J. Teufel (minor) Frederick C. Leypoldt (minor) Julian Tiencken (minor)

(Reference for all maker information: Edmonson's: An Illustrated History of American Instrument Makers)

Instrument Maker Civil War addresses	Instrument Maker Labels
George Tiemann & Co. 1855-63/64: 63 Chatham and 44 Eldridge 1863/64-71: 67 Chatham and 44 Eldridge   All Tiemann Labels: pre & post-Civil War	Tiemann (major Civil War maker)   Civil War Labels
Hermann Hernstein & Son (Hermann and Albert L. Hernstein)   1855-57: 81 Duane and 393 Broadway 1858: 81 Duane, 131 Mercer, and 393 Broadway   H. Hernstein 1859-61: 131 Mercer and 393 Broadway   Hernstein & Son 1862-65: 131 Mercer and 393 Broadway	Hernstein & Son (major Civil War maker)   Civil War Labels   Early Civil War
Jacob H. Gemrig surgical instrument maker   1841-44: 48 N. 6th 1845: 49 S. 8th 1846-65: 43 S. 8th 1866-80: 109 S. 8th	Gemrig (major Civil War maker) (Need 43 S, 8th example)   Post-Civil War Labels
Horatio G. Kern surgical instrument maker   1837: Filbert St. bel. 8th 1838-42: 7 N. 8th 1843-48: 5 N. 8th 1849-59: 293 High 1860-70: 25 N. 6th 1871-89: 21 N. 6th (joined by Horatio G. Kern, Jr., in 1876; Horatio G. Kern, Sr., dies in 1889) 18900-92: 122 S. 12th surgical instruments 1893: 1407 Chestnut	Kern (minor Civil War maker) Civil War Label
Snowden & Bro. (George P. [1832-?] and Henry C. [1838-?] Snowden surgical instrument makers   1858-64: 15 N. 5th.	Snowden & Bro. (major Civil War maker)   Civil War Label   Post-Civil War Label
D. W. Kolbe (Dietrich W. Kolbe) is Civil War;    D.W. Kolbe & Son is post-Civil War   Chas. W. Kolbe is post-Civil War   1856-57: 45 S. 8th 1858: III S. 8th 1859-66: 32 S. 9th 1867-78: 15 S. 9th	Kolbe (major Civil War maker)  Civil War Label Post-Civil War Labels
Louis V. Helmold cutler   1851: 7 Assembly Bldg. 1852: 10th and Walnut 1853-54: 49 S. 10th surgical instrument maker 1855-57: 45 S. 10th 1858-70: 135 S. 10th 1871-1897: 127 S. 10th	Helmold Post-Civil War Label
Martin Kuemerle (various spellings of the name: Kuennerle after 1855. then Kuemerle consistently after 1860; partner of Dietrich W. Kolbe; succeeded by his son-in-law, August H. Wirz, in 1861 or 1862)   1838-43: 2 N. lI th 1844-59: 45 S. 8th 1860: III S 8th	Kuemerle Kuemerle & Kolbe (Need an example of 111 S. 8th label)
Frederick C. Leypoldt 1860-61: 508 North 1863-96: 243 N. 5th	Leypoldt (Need an example of 508 North or 243 N. 5th label)
Jacob J. Teufel 1857: 37 S. 8th 1858-59: 39 S. 8th 1860-82: 103 S. 8th surgical instruments (in association with bro., George W. Teufel after 1879)	Teufel Civil War & Post-War Post-Civil War
Codman & Shurtleff   1858-71: 13 Tremont 1872-94: 13 and 15 Tremont 1896-1900: 13 and 15 Tremont	Codman and Shurtleff Civil War Labels
Wade & Ford (George Wade and William E Ford)   1860-66: 85 Fulton	Wade & Ford Civil War Label
V. W. Brinkerhoff, (a.k.a. Brinckerhoff) (Vanwyck Brinkerhoff)   1856: 12 Gold 1857: 88 John 1858-59: 88 John and 25 Gold 1860-62: 88 William instruments 1863-68: 131 William fancy goods and drugs	Brinkerhoff / Brinckerhoff Pre-Civil War   2nd Half Civil War 131 William
William Z. Rees surgical and dental instrument maker   1842: Walnut, near 5th 1846: E. Walnut, btw. 5th and 6th 1848: 6th, opp. Mayor's Office 1850: 6th btw. Main and Walnut 1851: 30 W. 6th 1853-70: 71 W. 6th dental instruments (1863) surgical instrument manufacturer (1864) surgical instruments (1865)	Rees   Pre-Civil War   (Need example of 71 W. 6th label)
Max (Maximilian) Wocher surgical instrument maker   1840: E. S. Walnut btw. 4th and 5th 1842-52: College cor. George and Plum 1853: II College 1855: 6th btw. Vine and Race 1856-1869: 105 W 6th (surgical and dental instrument maker (1861) surgical and dental instrument manufacturer (1863)   Wocher & Son is post-Civil War era	Wocher Pre-Civil War (1855)   Need Civil War years label   Post-Civil War: Wocher & Son Post-Civil War Wocher & Son
Otto & Reynders (Ferdinand G. Otto and John Reynders)   1860-64: 58 Chatham 1864-75: 64 Chatham	Otto-Reynders Civil War label Otto post-Civil War label
Shepard & Dudley This maker is posted to clear up confusion about when they were instrument makers, which was NOT during the Civil War.  During the Civil War, they were listed as makers of 'rubber goods', see additional research about Shepard and Dudley were NOT surgical instrument makers during the Civil War. Rubber Clothing Co.; Shepard & Dudley, 1860-1894 Rubber Clothing Co. [also listed as F. M & W A. Shepard in advertisements] (Frederick M. & William A. Shepard) 1860-70: 347 Broadway & 150 William   Shepard & Dudley (Frederick M. Shepard and Francis D. Dudley) surgical instruments 1870-75: 150 William 1876-77: 150 William and 33 Gold 1878-94: 150 William	'Shepard & Dudley' was NOT a Civil War maker   Post-Civil War label

 

The following citation is from an 1856 publication which listed various 'manufacturers in America':

 

The best cutlers have always been Philadelphia houses:

 

THOMAS SNOWDEN late WIEGAND & SNOWDEN  No 15 North Fifth street Philadelphia and 13 Commerce street is the most extensive manufacturer of Surgical Instruments Elastic Trusses and Syringes in the United States.  Established for more than thirty years and consequently now among the very oldest business houses in Philadelphia his trade extends to all the leading dealers in drugs in the Union.  The quality of the articles made and sold by this house is unsurpassed. 

 

HORATIO G KERN 293 Market street Philadelphia is the next most extensive manufacturer of Surgical and Dental Instruments in the United States.  Mr Kern has long given a prominent share of his attention to the manufacture of improved Dental Instruments and the excellence of the instruments made by him as well as the completeness of his assortment is acknowledged wherever known He has an instrument for every tooth in the head and can furnish dental cases at prices varying from 50 to $500.  This house has been established for upwards of twenty years and possesses facilities for supplying druggists as well as dentists with all articles that come within the limits of the trade.

 

J. H. GEMRIG 43 South 8th street manufactures Surgical Instruments which are very favorably spoken of and highly esteemed by the best surgeons in the country but as he confines his manufacture to sales at retail or to order hia trade is necessarily limited in extent in comparison with the other houses above referred to The greater part of the instruments used in Jefferson College the University of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Hospital are made by him and the esteem in which his workmanship is held by Professors Pancoast Mutter and others of distinction is evidenced by their frequent complimentary allusions to it in their lectures to students Into addition to Surgical Instruments Mr Gemrig manufactures Dental Instruments Elastic Trusses and bandages of every description.