Civil War Medical Wooden Arm Splint, maker-marked, as in museums

This is another nice piece from a Civil War medical collection I am working on, it is an original Civil War era Arm Splint. It is marked with “DAY / BENNINGTON, VT. / 3”. It was patented and manufactured by Dr. Almiron M. Day of Bennington, Vermont. He secured his patents during the mid-1850’s. Dr. Day’s splints were generally used in the army hospitals during the Civil War. There is a display of these splints in the National Civil War Medical Museum in Frederick, Maryland (see pictures).

These splints are described and pictured in “Pictorial Encyclopedia of Civil War Medical Instruments and Equipment”, by Dr. Gordon Dammann (see pictures). They are shown in both Volume One and Volume Two. It is 16” long x 3 1/2” wide and this particular splint was designed to be used on the upper and lower portions of the arm. There is also one in the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, PA (see pictures).

When a soldier was wounded, usually the projectile would hit bone, especially when struck in the arm. That is why these splints were so important to the Civil War surgeon. Civil War medical items are always in demand and difficult to find because they were often discarded after use.

The splint retains much of the original varnish finish and both of the thin, red enameled leatherette pieces that held the ties to attach the splints to the patient’s arm are present. It is size "3", which is the larger size. This is a nice piece and would be a great addition to any Civil War Medical display or part of a Civil War collection.