Metal and elastic tourniquets used during the war

[Steve Acker]

Found an interesting statement from a soldier in the 12th New Hampshire. I dont have a lot of period medical knowleges to the description of the tourniquet intrigued me.

The non commissioned officers were provided with tourniquets made of metal and an elastic band for us in case of need in action. I had one, and during the fight placed it around the leg of comrade George Swain next to me, who was badly wounded in the leg. It checked the flow of blood, but the poor fellow died of of wounds the same day.
J.P Fahey, 12th New Hampshire, Bowman’s Brigade, Whipple’s, Division, 3rd Corps

Steve Acker

[DocReynolds]

Re: Metal and elastic tourniquets used during the war

Can't say I've come across similar reference to non-medical pesonnel having any organized "first aid" items, so this is a very interesting item. ( I wonder if it was regimnetally specific), because there has alwasy been the presumption that CW soldiers had to make do with whatever they ahd, rather than issued items. There were a number of toruniquet styels, one basically no different than a belt, and the oterh, more traditional which had the strap, (adjustable) and a screw down plate that could be adjusted...or loosened to regulate flow. According to Allan J. Bollet in his book on CW medicine, amputee patients were at times given a post-op toruniquet that they could tighten if they began to bleed, but that was while in hospital.

So, your find is all the moer itneresting....Would be great to find a QM report...

Pete Bedrossian
150th NY/3rd NC

[Elaine Kessinger]

Re: Metal and elastic tourniquets used during the war

I passed your question on to a coupla friends who reenact medical. Noah Briggs gave me permission to post this reply on his behalf:
Sounds like a case of someone either had a private purchase, or for some
reason, this regt. issued them to the NCOs. I'd say this was a private
purchase and then issued to the NCOs, as this is the first I've heard
of a tourniquet having an elasticized band.

Emergency tourniquets were not normally issued to the troops, nor were
there ever "first-aid kits" as we might know them. The small
"belt-like"one is an emergency tourniquet. The one with the
screw/plates is a "Petit" tourniquet, more likely found in a surgical
kit than in private purchase. It, too, buckles on, but he screw and the
plates allowed one to adjust it as needed to control blood flow during a
procedure. I have examples of both, but I'll have to wait until I get
home to send pics.

Surgeons hated the emergency tourniquets. I think the Hosp. Dept.
sometimes issued them, and that's based on a photo of a packet of them
with a Hosp. Dept. stamp on it. See attached. I think they also came
in Sann Comm or Chris. Comm donations, but I cannot remember. In any
case, the field surgeons hated the emergency ones, be they private
purchase or used out of the medicine backpacks. A well-meaning soul
under the influence of adrenaline can, in their enthusiasm, pull it too
tight to undo it. That also cuts off blood flow to the affected limb,
and denial of circulation is an open invite for gangrene and the saw.

And the Author's name is Alfred J. Bollet, and the specific source is
"Civil War Medicine: Challenges and Triumphs".

Noah Briggs

(He included a PDF file I can't figure out how to attach properly, so more later when my computer ineptitude can be rectified :p )

[dirtyshirt]

Re: Metal and elastic tourniquets used during the war

It is interesting that a common soldier would carry something like that, but it does make sense. I am not sure how common knowledge it was then that one could save a life with it. Could warrant some further research. Good find, Steve!

[Hank Trent]

Re: Metal and elastic tourniquets used during the war

A quick search shows that giving tourniquets to non-medical officers was reported as the practice in foreign armies and the U.S. Navy. No idea how widespread it was in the U.S. Army.

Examples of foreign armies:
http://books.google.com/books?id=rEU...r=&output=html (See #7)

http://books.google.com/books?id=YDW...15&output=html (lower right hand paragraph, 1870)

http://books.google.com/books?id=Dhq...r=&output=html (1862, last paragraph and onto the next page, promoting the use of the elastic tourniquet particularly)

Regulations of the U.S. Navy: http://books.google.com/books?id=hNZ...r=&output=html (see #532)

Perhaps the 12th New Hampshire was subjected to sales pitches like this, and became convinced.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

["Doc" Nelson]

Re: Metal and elastic tourniquets used during the war

Also in the source listed above, "Civil War Medicine: Challenges and Triumphs", the following is referenced:

A Fatal Extremity Wound: The Death of General Albert Sidney Johnston

Confederate Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston surprised Grant at Shiloh in
the first huge battle of the Civil War. His medical director, Dr. David
Wendell Yandell, was at his side on the first morning of the battle. As the
union army fell back early in the fighting, Johnston's forces came upon
the second line of Federal tents which sheltered a large number of un-
attended wounded men. Since no other surgeon was in sight, Johnston
insisted that Yandell "look after these wounded people, the Yankees
among the rest."

Yandell sent a courier to the rear to summon other medical officers
while Johnston rode on. A short time later, a spent minié ball struck the
general just behind the knee, tearing the popliteal artery. Within fifteen
minutes, Johnston bled to death. Ironically, in an unprecidented move,
Yandell had taken precautions of issuing tourniquets to all Johnston's
staff officers. The lifesaving device was in Johnston's pocket, but no one
with him knew how to use it.

[Eric P Giese]

Re: Metal and elastic tourniquets used during the war

Some light reading on the history of their use:

http://www.wjes.org/content/2/1/28

and some great pics of period commercial pieces:

http://www.braceface.com/medical/Articles/tourniquet_dating_methods.htm

in case you are interested. It never fails to impress me how much there is to learn about the mid 19th century..

-e

[chaplain]

Re: Metal and elastic tourniquets used during the war

I'm gonna make a valiant effort to reproduce my own period tourniquets for an Asst Surgeon/orderly/litter bearer impression. Does anybody have an idea of how long the straps were?

[chaplain]

Re: Metal and elastic tourniquets used during the war

I found the answer to my question. Dr. Echols of www.braceface.com kindly emailed me measurements of an original tourniquet in his posession: 1" x 32" strap. If you haven't been to his website, he has an amazing collection of original medical supplies that he has photographed.