"The autobiography of a quack : and the case of George Dedlow"

Dublin Core

Title

"The autobiography of a quack : and the case of George Dedlow"

Subject

Medicine shows
Phantom limb
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Medical care

Description

This tale of a Civil War soldier, George Dedlow, who loses both his arms and his legs but continues to experience sensation in his missing limbs the phantom limb phenomenon was written by Silas Weir Mitchell and grew out of his experience with neurological injuries seen at the Turner's Lane Hospital in Philadelphia . The story was published anonymously in the Atlantic monthly in July, 1866, and then reprinted in this volume thirty years later. Mitchell, in his introduction to this printing, says, was at once accepted by many as the description of a real case. Money was collected in several places to assist the unfortunate man, and benevolent persons went to the ˜Stump Hospital," in Philadelphia, to see the sufferer and offer him aid. The spiritual incident at the end of the story was received with joy by the spiritualists as a valuable proof of the truth of their beliefs.

After the George Dedlow tale, Mitchell published a popular article in Lippincott's magazine entitled Phantom limbs in December, 1871, but it is not until the following year, in Injuries of nerves and their consequences, that he published his findings for the medical community.

Abstract

A book about a Civil War soldier, George Dedlow, who loses both his arms and legs, yet continues to experience sensation in his missing limbs.

Creator

Mitchell, S. Weir (Silas Weir)

Publisher

New York : Century

Date Created

1900

Rights

The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu

Access Rights

Access to the original work depicted requires advance notice. Contact Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu for additional information

Is Part Of

Boston Medical Library Rare Books Collection (1.G.36).

References

View the online catalog record.

View the complete work online at Google Books.

Format

text

Extent

Excerpt (2 pages) from book

Language

English

Type

text

Identifier

DigID0001665

Files

0001665_dref.jpg

Citation

Mitchell, S. Weir (Silas Weir), “"The autobiography of a quack : and the case of George Dedlow",” OnView, accessed March 28, 2024, https://collections.countway.harvard.edu/onview/items/show/6104.