DS as president, one page, 15.75 x 19.5, July 1, 1864. Lincoln appoints Edward J. Whitney “Surgeon of Volunteers in the service of the United States.” Signed at the conclusion in ink, “Abraham Lincoln,” and countersigned by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. Double matted and framed to an overall size of 27 x 31. Intersecting storage folds, one passing horizontally through Lincoln’s signature, Lincoln’s signature and handwritten portions of document a few shades light, but completely legible, and light edge toning, otherwise fine condition. The striking green wafer seal is soiled and cracked, but intact.
Both the North and the South tried to improve the level of medical care given their troop during the Civil War—efforts that led to the advent of modern medicine in the United States. Surgeons gained a better understanding of how cleanliness, diet, and disease all impact the body—surgeons often went days without washing their hands or instruments due to a lack of water—and also established more complete medical and surgical records for future reference. For surgeons like Dr. Whitney here, many operations required the amputation of a limb—of the approximately 175,000 wounds to the extremities received among Federal troops, about 30,000 led to amputation. In spite of the sometimes less than sanitary conditions, some 75 percent of Civil War amputees survived. Whitney, who was promoted for meritorious service during the war, took what he learned in combat and afterward applied it to his private practice, where he gained a reputation as a skilled physician. A highly desirable Lincoln-signed Civil War appointment from the medical profession. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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