Excerpt from Histories of Two Hundred and Ninety-Six Surgical Photographs Prepared at the Army Medical Museum

Private James E. Kelly, company B, s6th Pennsylvania Volunteers, aged twenty-eight years, was wounded at about 9 o'clock of the morning of April 29, 1863, in a skirmish of the First Division, First Corps, on the Rappahannock, nearly opposite the Pratte House, below Fredericks burg. A conoidal musket ball, fired from a distance of about three hun dred yards, shattered his left femur. A consultation of the senior sur geons of brigades decided that exarticulation of the femur was expedient, and the operation was performed, at four in the afternoon, at the Fitz hugh House, by Surgeon Edward Shippen, U. S. Vols, Surgeon-in-chief of the First Division. The single flap method was adopted, and the am putation was accomplished with slight loss of blood. The patient was at first placed in a hospital tent, and was transferred, May 22, to the Corps Hospital, progressing favorably. By May 28, all the ligatures had been removed. On June 15, 1863, the patient was captured by the enemy, and was removed to the Libby Prison, in Richmond. Up to this date there had been no bad symptoms. On July 14, Kelly was exchanged, and was sent to the Annapolis U. S. A. General Hospital. On his admission he was much exhausted by profuse diarrhoea. The internal portion of the wound had united, but the external portion was gangrenous. Applications of bromine were made to the sloughing surface withoutamelioration. A chlorinated soda lotion was substituted, and in the latter part of July there was a healthy granulating surface. On December 23, 1863, the wound had entirely healed, and Kelly visited Washington, and obtained an honorable discharge from service, and a pension. At this date, the picture from which the photograph was taken was drawn by Hospital Steward Stauch, U. S. A., one of the artists of the Army Medical Museum. Kelly then went to his home. Near Black Lick P. O., Indiana County, Penn sylvania. A letter, dated January 12, 1865, was received from him at this Office, and represented him as in excellent health and spirits at that time. In the spring of 1868, Kelly went to New York and had an artificial limb adapted by Dr. E. D. Hudson. At that time the photograph was taken. He could walk quite well after the adaptation of the artificial limb. The specimen is preserved at the Army Medical Museum and is No.

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