Letter of the Day, March 20

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 3754

War Department,
Office of the Surgeon General,
Army Medical Museum and Library,
Corner 7th and B Streets S.W.,
Washington, March 20, 1899

Mr. A Gault,
Gault Artificial Limb Co.
Medford, Minn.

Sir:

Your reply of the 18th inst. Is received. My object is to illustrate the progress in the manufacture of artificial limbs in a section of this Museum. For this purpose I wish to collect old devices and such modern perfected limbs as may best suit my purpose. No attempt is made to show the corrections for all amputations, and reasonable prices will be paid for all devices or limbs, on agreement.

Very respectfully,

Dallas Bache
Col. & Asst. Surgeon General, U.S.A.
In charge of Museum & Library Division

The initial letter turns out to be a quintessentially American one…
Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 3754

A. Gault, Inventor.
A.A. Winkley, Manager.

Office of The Gault Artifical Limb Company
Medford, Minn., March 18th 1899

Dallas Bache Esq.
Col. & Asst. Surgeon Gen. U.S.A.
In charge of the Museum & Library Div., Washington, D.C.

Dear Sir:-

Your favor of the 25th ult., to the Gault Artificial Limb Company, Chicago, was duly received here. I consider your plan a good one as it would place the inferior and superior limbs before the public in a very forcible manner.

My make of limbs is an entirely new departure from any artificial limbs made in this country, and I would be glad to place them in the museum along side of other makes. I am not financially able to advertise them as they should be, and this deprives many unfortunate ones of the opportunity to investigate them for themselves. If samples could be placed there it would give my make of limbs an equal show with the rest, and once seen can be easily understood by those who wear limbs.

But if I understand your communication correctly you want samples of the different kinds of amputations. In my make of legs this would take 4 or 5 samples, as per cut enclosed.* Do you require full sized legs, and when would they be expected to be in Washington? It would seem to me that this would require a good deal of space for such Exhibit, that is, if all Art Limb Companies send full sets of samples. Kindly let me hear from you again regarding this matter, and oblige,

Respectfully yours,
The Gault Artificial Limb Company,
A. Gault Proprietor

*not received for file. Answered March 20.