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In Surgery: 1922
Washington, D.C., 1922. "Surgery #16." National Photo Co. View full size. Darling Have they ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 5:59pm -

Washington, D.C., 1922. "Surgery #16." National Photo Co. View full size.
DarlingHave they left, can we take off the masks?
Oops!What do you mean this isn't Mr. Smyth?!
No, Dr. Quackenbush - - -keep your eye on the patient!!!!!
ThickWow, those gloves are thick, a wonder they could feel anything.   But that does look like a loop of bowel, maybe even a gall bladder. All identifiable instruments too.
American Gothic-likeThat doc looks a lot like Dr. Byron McKeeby (a dentist) that Grant Wood used a few years later for his "American Gothic" painting.
(The Gallery, D.C., Medicine, Natl Photo)

Operation: 1922
1922. "Surgery, #13." National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. ... The restraints aren't a particularly reassuring sign. Surgery So many differences from now. Interesting that the anesthesiologist ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/31/2012 - 3:51pm -

1922. "Surgery, #13." National Photo Company glass negative. View full size.
Chopped Liver?This says "staged" all over it. They wouldn't let a flash go off that close to ether, and the patient's abdomen looks a lot like that of a mannequin. The thing in the forceps looks a lot like calves liver from the cafeteria. No clamps to hold the incision open visible, either.
[There was no flash, and there is no incision. That's a sponge in the forceps applying iodine or mercurochrome, Dr. Kildare. - Dave]
Natural lightDave is correct, the light from the left is from a large window and there may be some smaller windows behind the photographer. The light bulbs above aren't even on. I speak as a photographer with 30 years of location and studio experience.
Not how my patient would be positioned.The hands and arms tied with narrow tapes against the hard edge - just asking for nerve damage.  The straps holding the knees down.
Well, that still happens, but with padding and something to raise the knees - easier on the low back.  
Yeah, looks like he's prepping the sterile (ha!) area with an iodine based antiseptic.
Anesthesiologists were known to succumb to the ether and other gasses.  There are stories of the whole surgical team dropping. 
(I have been a surgical nurse for over ten years, and love the stories from anesthesiologist of the Time Before Pulse Oximetry.)
The "thing" In the forceps is an iodine swab.
Double up on the etherThe restraints aren't a particularly reassuring sign.
SurgerySo many differences from now. Interesting that the anesthesiologist doesn't wear gloves or a face mask. How does he prevent himself from being affected by the ether fumes? Surgery is frightening enough today, but imagine having no monitors of any kind. The varying shapes of the light shades direct the angle of light from above. Yet I bet the operation turned out well.
No flash?What's your definitive evidence? Looks like flash to me. What else could cause the light to move from left to right with a higher level on the left. And also overpowering the incandescent lights overhead?
Of course there is an artificial light sourceCall it what you like, a flash or a lamp, there is a light on the left that illuminates the scene and overpowers the overhead lamps. Dave doesn't know anymore than anyone else about whether there was flash or not. The evidence is in the photo.
[It's a hydrogen lamp, positioned 93 million miles to the left. - Dave]
MercurochromeI had all sorts of boo boos that were "treated" with Mercurochrome up through the 1960's.  My grandparents must have purchased it by the vat.  How much time do I have left, Doc?
The anesthesiologist looks like he is pouring rubber cement to seal the guy's lips so his screaming won't scare the other patients.
EnlighteningI'm voting with Dave on this one, too. 30+ years of shooting professionally and that nice, broad soft light likes indirect window lighting to me, too. Even the highlights on the glassware over in the back of the room have nice long reflections on them unlike the hotspot left by a flashbulb.
Hot lightsI'm guessing that if those overhead lights were on they would heat up that room in a jiffy!  They do not appear to be on to me at all.  There is no way to aim the lights either I notice.  And the anesthesiologist looks way too close to the ether!
The eyes on the guy on the leftLook at the eyes on the guy on the left side of the picture, notice that they are pointed in different directions.
[Her eyes are pointed in the same direction. - Dave]

Anesthesia UnpluggedAs an anesthesiologist, I can't even imagine having such lack of monitors on a patient, let alone using something so volatile and dangerous as ether!
Re: Chopped Liver; Double up on the etherFirst, Dave has all those points correct. As a Certified Surgical Technologist of 15 years, a few additional points.
Clamps are used to grasp and hold tissues, such as bleeding vessels so they can be either tied off with sutures, or cauterized, to stop the bleeding. Not to hold incisions open. Retractors are used for that purpose.
That's the wrong side of the abdomen for a liver, also too low.
The "restraints" are meant to make sure no part of the patient falls off the bed at any time. A dangling leg is hard to see under the surgical drapes, and can cause nerve damage if left too long. Same with compression against a hard edge, if it just gets shifted to one side.
Anesthesiologists for whatever reason, seem to feel (or have felt in the past, anyway) that they don't have germs, or that their breath cannot reach to the sterile surgical area. I cannot count the number of them I have politely scolded for walking into my OR when sterile setups are open and exposed. No such conversations took place in the presence of any patient, however. I let the Circulating nurses deal with them at that point. Buy if I am the only other person in the room scrubbed in and setting up my supplies and equipment, I am responsible for the safety of that setup.
Gloves were not worn on a regular basis as they are today by anyone, including nurses. Gloves were not disposable, and had to be washed, disinfected, checked for defects, patched if required, matched up by size, wrapped and run through the autoclave to make them sterile. It was a laborious process, and they weren't brought out and used cavalierly. If you got blood, or other body fluids on your hands, you washed them. Unless the patient was in isolation, being operated on, or a very few other procedures requiring the patient be protected from exposure to bacteria.
The first use of gloves in surgery came about when the scrub nurse of a particular surgeon developed a skin sensitivity to the carbolic acid used to "sterilize" the patient's skin where the incision was to be made. He required they furnish her with gloves for that reason. He did not use them.
Surgery has changed in many good ways by leaps and bounds in the last century or so, but like so many other things, the more they change, the more they stay the same. You would be amazed to see how many surgical instruments are still exactly like they were 100 years ago. Fortunately, surgical procedures have been vastly improved in that time as well.
(The Gallery, Medicine, Natl Photo)

Just Relax: 1922
Washington, D.C. "Surgery, 1922." From a series depicting pre- and postoperative procedures, as well as surgery itself, at an unnamed hospital. View full size. I had surgery ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2012 - 9:39pm -

Washington, D.C. "Surgery, 1922." From a series depicting pre- and postoperative procedures, as well as surgery itself, at an unnamed hospital. View full size.
I had surgery last week.This picture looks like it came from an entirely different world.  
Something familiar here."Paging Doctor Howard, Dr. Fine and Dr Howard to the pre-postoperative ward."
Not to worry sir..I have years of experience in surgically removing ferrets from the upper lips of balding middle aged men. When you wake up it will all be over.
(The Gallery, D.C., Medicine, Natl Photo)

Beauty Contest: 1922
... "Washington Tidal Basin Beauty Contest -- August 5, 1922." Misses Eva Fridell, 17, and Anna Niebel. National Photo Company glass ... beautiful without all the beauty aids and plastic surgery women have access to today. I Wonder If anybody else showed up ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/09/2018 - 4:38pm -

"Washington Tidal Basin Beauty Contest -- August 5, 1922." Misses Eva Fridell, 17, and Anna Niebel. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size.
Political PowerIt is amazing how quickly women's bathing attire became so much smaller after they got the vote.
Our beauty on the lefthas got the "babyface knees" almost perfect
Looks like the wrong one wonassuming that size, in silver cups, matters.  The one on the right is a beauty.
We've seen these two before:
https://www.shorpy.com/node/356
If they were the winners,what did the losers look like.  The one on the right looks particularly sinister, I certainly wouldn't like to meet her on a dark night!
Thelma and LouiseSeems like the one on the left probably wrestled that cup away from somebody.  And the one on the right looks like she's a street brawler. Ah yes, leave it to Shorpy to find the first two lady wrastlers and foist them on us as beauty queens!  
LovelyWow. There's just something enchanting about the women in the 1920s-era beauty contest photos you post. Maybe it's because they were so naturally beautiful without all the beauty aids and plastic surgery women have access to today.
I WonderIf anybody else showed up for the contest. The one on the right is OK, but the one on the left looks, um, rather plain (I'm trying to be polite!)
YikesI've often had the thought that the 1970s had the worst style and taste in American history, but nah. Nothing will ever beat the 1920s.
I'm thinking of why the port side wonLooks like a red haired lady with beautiful freckles and naturally long hair. The very attractive lass with the dark hair has her hair bobbed.
I'm sure the judges considered that no real lady would bob their hair.
I prefer both.
Both of these ladies are lovely.Although I have to admit that I never knew Joan Cusak was so old.
Left GirlHmm, Maogwai Cat has made me reconsider my opinion of the girl on the left. If she had red hair and green eyes (her eyes seem lightly colored in this picture), she would be striking. In this case, the B&W photo giving her such a lifeless coloring does her no favors, along with the angle of her head.
But I still stand by that the styles of the 1920s were a low point.
They are both winners!Especially if you look at it full size.
And even more if they were wearing something else.
Oddly, red hair has not always been considered attractive. "Red-headed stepchild" was an insult in more than one way.
[Indeed they were -- Eva won the beauty prize and Anna won for best costume.  - Dave]
A Girl With CurlsWashington Post, August 6, 1922.


TITIAN-HAIRED GIRL
WINS BEAUTY PRIZE
Judges Rule None in Tidal Basin
Contest Excelled Miss Fridell
In Pulchritude.
SIXTY IN GRAND PARADE
Miss Niebel Again Awarded First
Honors for Best Bathing Suit
Shown at Beach.
        The old-fashioned titian-haired beauty, without the modern make-up, returned to popularity yesterday by winning the fourth annual beauty contest at the Tidal Basin. A girl with curls, of athletic type and wearing the normal style of bathing suit, Miss Eva Fridell, a 17-year-old Business High school student, took the capital prize, a large silver loving cup. She wore a yellow bathing suit with narrow black stripes around it. Not only is she a regular patron of the beach, but one of the expert divers and swimmers.
        Miss Fridell, whose complexion needed no paint or powder, quickly caught the eye of the judges, Al. J. Frey, Isaac Gans and Arthur Leslie Smith. The winner lives with her parents at 611 Ninth street northeast.
Going Back to High School.
        Last spring she graduated from a two-year course at Business High school, but expects to return in the fall to complete a four-year course.
        The winner of the style show at the beach a few months ago, Miss Anna Niebel, of 1370 Harvard street northwest, again came out as the winner of the best costume for beauty, design and durability. Miss Niebel was awarded a silver loving cup for the suit she wore, which was all blue rubber, with several white stripes at intervals.
        Second prize for the beauty was awarded to Miss Gay Gately, of 1402 Massachusetts avenue southeast. Miss Iola Swinnerton, of 3125 Mount Pleasant street northwest, was awarded second prize for costumes. Both were given engraved gold medals.
Nine Chosen From Sixty.
        Of the 60 girls entered in the contest, nine were picked out to appear before the judges. These were Gay Gateley, Norine Fords, Mae Poole Allen, Eva Fridell, Edith and Aileen Bergstrum, Anna Niebel, Dorothy Parker and Iola Swinnerton.
        The participants were paraded before the judges several times before the winners were chosen. Al. J. Frey, chairman of the judges, is a member of Hochchild Kohn & Co. of Baltimore, Md. He was appointed to select the winner of the beauty contest conducted at Palm Beach, Fla., last winter. The winner of this contest received a check for $1,000 as first prize.
YellowThis is interesting for colourisers.  The article states that Miss Fridell had a yellow suit with black trimmings.  In monochrome the yellow appears quite dark - a common feature (see the picture I colourised of Civil War veterans a while back).  It's easy to assume that yellow in black and white looks pale - but it isn't always so.   And this is an excellent example. 
Orthochromatic FilmPanchromatic film was not invented until the thirties and was first used for the movies. Othochromatic film is most sensitive to blue light. That's why the silent films have such high contrast and the mid 30s and later "talkies" look so much different with their extensive grey tones. Panchromatic film did not get wide use until almost WWII. 
[This was photographed on a glass plate, not film. Panchromatic emulsion for plates first became available in the early 1900s, though they did not come into common usage until the 1920s. Kodak released their first panchromatic film stock in 1913, though it was intended for use in additive-color motion-picture photography. Their regular panchromatic film came in 1922; the first feature film to be shot entirely with it was that year's The Headless Horseman.  - tterrace]
I know, I should have said emulsion. Othochromatic film or emulsion was not in general use until WWII. Even Weston used Orthochromic film in a box camera for his photos. What you see is mostly his darkroom work when you view his photographs.
In color... and if you want to see how I think it looked in colour:
https://www.shorpy.com/node/12695
UncomfortableI have been trying to picture what a rubber bathing suit would be like, and it sounds miserable, but so does a wool bathing suit, like Ms. Fridell is wearing!  
(The Gallery, Bizarre, D.C., Natl Photo, Pretty Girls, Swimming)

Stocking-Stuffer: 1922
Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "Oldsmobile sales window." Some of us beyond a certain age might remember ... a plain-jane, no frills model up until he had open heart surgery. His doctor told him it was time he had A/C for his health. The last ... Santa's Failed Head Lights Experiment After this 1922 failed use of modern head light technology to navigate chimneys, on ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 9:56pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "Oldsmobile sales window." Some of us beyond a certain age might remember the Oldsmobile, or even have driven or owned one. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Magritte's Inspiration?I have always been fascinated by Rene Magritte's Surrealist painting of 1938, "Time Transfixed." I've seen it many times at the Art Institute of Chicago, and I've always wondered where the artist got the idea of making a steam locomotive come puffing out of a fireplace. Now I know the answer!
Oil leaksSo this is a brand new car and it has a drip pan underneath it? 
Olds ForeverI am of that age. My step-father had a '48 when he married my mom and was still driving them until the day he died.
Always a plain-jane, no frills model up until he had open heart surgery. His doctor told him it was time he had A/C for his health. The last one he bought was the first he ever owned with any option.
I learned to drive on a '56 Rocket 88. He did appreciate that big V8 engine, and so did I! I was sad when they went out of production.
Merry Christmas and Best Wishes to everyone at Shorpy. 
My first carwas an Olds---a 1965 Cutlass. Being young and foolish I didn't realize that maintenance was required.  I ran it nearly out of oil, the lifters were making lots of racket.  As soon as I gave it it's proper allotment of oil it said "Thank you very much" and we went on our  way. Still being foolish, I didn't know to make sure that the antifreeze solution was correct to withstand a Wisconsin winter, and allowed the radiator to freeze nearly solid.  Once again, when I put in the proper fluids the car said "Thank you very much" and we went on our merry way. What a great car!!
My current car is also an Olds.  This time an Alero. Though not as hardy as the Cutlass was, it too, has been great transportation. 
Not dead yetThis is going to be my favorite surreal window display photo for a long time. My late mother drove a series of Oldsmobile 98s from 1964 until she passed away in 2008. I'm still driving her last car, the 1993 model with a transverse 4.2-litre front end drive, fuel-injected engine that gives me more than 20 mpg in town and 24 mpg on long freeway runs, and it still easily passes the increasingly stringent California smog tests. Its fuel efficiency won't impress many folks these days, but my old Chevy 3/4-ton pickup rarely gave me better than 9 mpg even downhill. I love driving this Olds and can't afford to replace it yet, even though it's getting damned hard to find many parts for it that 1993 Cadillac owners can still take for granted.
Dear SantaCould you send one of those down my chimney tonight too? I promise not to have a fire burning in it.
If my 12" diameter chimney is too small, just have the reindeer kick on the roof and I'll push the remote button to open the garage door.
Santa's Failed Head Lights ExperimentAfter this 1922 failed use of modern head light technology to navigate chimneys,  on December 24, 1923 Santa returned to the traditional use of  Rudolph, with his nose so bright, to guide his sleigh that night.  And the rest went down in history..
Merry Christmas to the Shorpy site.  You guys are great!
MerryeYes, Lucille is longing for a ride in her Merry Oldsmobile!  It's now parked in the back with the Plymouth and the DeSoto and the Edsel and the Mercury.  That's a very clever display gimmick.  
Here's wishing a Merry Oldsmobile to all my fellow  Shorpy regulars, and a great New Year with lots of signage, fascinating people of the past, and—as always—a keener sense of history.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Seasonal OldsmobileThis car must have made one heck of a stocking stuffer. 
OldsmobubbleMy uncle followed the General Motors path of lifetime GM ownership; starting with Chevy, moving on to Pontiac, then Oldsmobile, then Buick, and finally ending with Cadillac. I think of all those cars, the Oldsmobile Aurora was his favorite, although the Cadillac CTS ranked pretty highly too. It’s difficult to imagine that an automaker such as Oldsmobile, with their 107-year history is gone, but with so much model redundancy I suppose it was inevitable. 
I want one of those!Now that's what I call a stocking-stuffer! I really like the way they decorated the sales window to look like somebody's living room. And how thoughtful of Santa, to also put a sparkling-clean tray under the car to catch the oil droppings!  (I wonder if new cars came with one of those trays as standard equipment back then...)
Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year to all our fellow Shorpyites!
Nah - can't be.Hey, is that a reflection of tterrace in one of the ornaments on the tree?  Only kidding naturally.  A very Merry Christmas to everyone in the Shorpy "family", and a special thank you to Dave for providing many enjoyable moments spent on his website this year.
It was so nice of Santato leave something to catch the oil drips.
And I love that lamp.
Christmas CreativityThat is some very creative Christmas advertising! 
Merry Christmas, Shorpy!!!!!
Almost had an OldsI was looking to buy my first car in 1994, and I thought about buying a late 1980's burgundy Olds...I ended up going with a 1986 gold-colored Pontiac Sunbird, instead. 
Tree Topper NeededI see that there is nothing at the top of the tree but if you know of Yosh and Stan Schmenge, you would remember that their custom is to toss a hat onto the top of their tree.   As for Oldsmobiles, when my two oldest sons were ages 2 and 3, we moved next door to neighbors who owned a 1966 sleek powder blue,   chrome-embellished loaded Toronado and they both admired and desired that car, even up until today, ages 46 and 47.  It was a primo dazzler and they were just beginning to notice sharp vehicles and they still talk about it. It was "the car of the year" in 1966 and the word "toronado" had no meaning but it was pretty slick and my Chevy Impala at that time did not impress them.  Merry Christmas and gratitude to all the jolly good producers, contributors and commenters of Shorpy, the best ever website.
The first post WW2 factory hot rodWas an Oldsmobile Super88. This was a big Olds OH valve v8 in a Chevy sedan with Olds trim.  A lot of fun was had in one of these at the early drag strips.
1951 OldsA Rocket 88 as I recall with the OHV V-8 and 4-speed Hydramatic transmission, owned briefly around 1975. Bought from a genuine Little Old Lady who let the transmission seals dry out and the fluid run dry. It would go for a little while on a couple of quarts, but after pumping a few quarts thru, I re-sold the car to someone who could afford to rebuild the transmission. Never did really care for the "frowny face" grille of that period. 
Early Nascar champ not forgottenFor 40 years I owned and drove a 1951 Hudson Hornet, the car that could blow the doors off of the Oldsmobiles of its era.
Oil leaks? Oh yesAs a proud, long-time owner of several old cars manufactured during the 1920s and 1930s, there are indeed good reasons why drip pans were and are used.
Come 'n listen to a story ...Trivia: The Beverly Hillbillies' truck was a 1923 Olds flatbed.
Getting crowded back thereYes, Lucille is longing for a ride in her Merry Oldsmobile! It's now parked in the back with the Plymouth and the DeSoto and the Edsel and the Mercury. 
There's also the Pontiac and the Saturn, not to mention that big Hummer.  And a Saab just pulled in.
Auto mo-bubbling in my merry Oldsmobile.I had a 1973 Olds Cutlass S 2 door. Blue, with white interior. Clean. 350 Rocket.
I wish it had a 455.......
Olds and youth...In my youth, I owned a 1968 (maroon) Cutlass, a 1970 (gold) Cutlass, and a new 1976 Cutlass S (silver) in succession...all good cars and all had the 350 4 bbl. I have many fond memories of driving them as well as the other activities (wink-wink) they were used for. I still can't believe this hallowed marque is gone.
Cutlass was SupremeThe Olds Cutlass Supreme was the best selling car in America in the mid 1970s.  Not too long ago, when I was broke and needed a car, a co-worker sold me his '79 Cutlass Supreme for 200 bucks.  I spent 10 bucks on an AM/FM radio out of a junked Buick Regal (same car, really), and, aside from tires, a water pump and an ignition module, drove it every day for two years without a problem.  My mechanic neighbor waxed rapturous over its bulletproof small block V8, "You can't kill these things!"  If it wasn't for the rusty frame, I might've kept it longer, but I was afraid the trunk was going to fall off in traffic.  Oldsmobile, like Pontiac and Saturn, was the victim of an evolving American market, one where GM could no longer expect buyers to stay with the General over a lifetime of car ownership.  The same could be said for Mercury and Plymouth.  Hummer died because it was an insane product and people finally came to their senses.
Now This Was An OldsmobileThe first of my three daughters, Robin, at the wheel of my 1963  Olds Starfire. Kodachrome slide from 1964.
My last Yank TankMy last American car, and actually the ONLY new car I owned that was truly an American car, was my 1993 Olds Cutlass Cruiser that I ran for 11 years and 271,000+ miles. It drove great in the snow, and was a faithful vehicle until it was just too run down to keep going. I wish this division had been retained by GM, since it had better quality than its other fellow divisions.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Christmas, D.C., Natl Photo)

Bedside Manner: 1922
Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "Surgery." From a series of photos depicting pre- and postoperative procedures, as well as surgery itself, at an unnamed hospital. National Photo Company Collection glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/14/2011 - 5:00pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "Surgery." From a series of photos depicting pre- and postoperative procedures, as well as surgery itself, at an unnamed hospital. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Sorry Mister, looks like my watch stopped.Mister. MISTER! HEY MISTER! Doctor! Where the doctor!?!
No VisitorsThey can't get the door open!   Talk about a depressing hospital room, I've seen more cheerful jail cells than this dreary empty room.  By the way, is that a fake mustache?  Is he stifling a giggle or has he already passed?  So many questions, so little time.  Get well soon big guy.  
Literally and Figuratively
At Death's Door!Poor man. Why would she be checking his pulse?
What's with that door title?Talk about a depressing door to be parked next to--even if I had a fighting chance, I think the door (or the blank room) would do me in!
WhoStole all the artwork?  This would be very depressing. Where's Lew Ayres when you really need him?
Nurse!that guy’s dead!
SteamrolleredThat would explain why he's so flat between head and feet. Judging from my historical authority, Bugs Bunny, it happened all the time.
He's dead Jim!
Camp BedNot a good bed for anyone with back problems but maybe our patient is beyond that. Could be Emergency Hospital, Doctors Hospital, or Garfield Hospital where I was born. These are all gone, merged into Washington Hospital Center.
I know this guyHis name is Mr. Valdemar. "I was asleep, now I'm dead. Boooo!" I miss Vincent Price in that scene.
Am I Dead Yet?No! If we can keep you alive till 1965 we can do a bypass for you.
I'm waiting for the StoogesDoctor Howard, Doctor Fine, Doctor Howard!
(The Gallery, D.C., Medicine, Natl Photo)

In Stitches: 1922
Circa 1922. "Surgery #20." The operation at this unnamed hospital seems to have been a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/09/2008 - 9:55pm -

Circa 1922. "Surgery #20." The operation at this unnamed hospital seems to have been a success. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size.
I wonderWhat the survival rate was back then for operations. The infection rate.  I also wonder how they were stitched up.  I've been stitched and I've been stapled and I prefer the staples.  
FreakyI don't know why, but this picture freaks me out!!  For some reason they all look sinister!!  It's like a scene out of a sci-fi movie!!!
YummyWhatever they removed fell right into the Chuck Wagon below.
We must make hasteRun, the villagers are storming the castle!
WowI don't know why, but this picture makes me nauseous.
["Nauseated." - Dave]
Oh well, .  .  .He didn't need his ovaries anyway.  Wait, .  .  . I mean, .  .  . DOH!
MeathooksAren't surgeons supposed to have delicate hands?  That one looks like he snuck in from the local butcher shop.
[He's the anesthesiologist. - Dave]
O.R.If the operation was so successful why does the guy have a cross on his collar!? And why, for the love of God, is there a waiter in the background? 
What's Up Doc?If you've ever seen the 1999 remake of House on Haunted Hill, the doc in this picture looks a lot like the one from that movie. Creepy.
Your Table Is ReadyWaiter? I don’t think the guy in the back is a waiter.  I think he’s there to block the door should the patient make a run for it. I bet his name is Igor.
Pull yourself togetherThat's kind of nifty how they tied the strips of tape together with the bandage so they can check the wound later without ripping off the tape!  
Still Used TodayThat type of surgical bandage is still sometimes used today.  It's applied as a pressure bandage and also aids in dressing change.  It's probably a good bet this man had either a hernia repair or an appendectomy.  I'm curious as to the cross on the anesthesiologist's gown; does it signify his position or the hospital where he practices?
[From Band-Aid boxes to nurse's caps, the cross was a common medical insignia. - Dave]
Ad NauseamActually the use of nauseous is perfectly correct, Dave.  Look it up yourself:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nauseous
[There's a reason one meaning is listed first and the other is, um, Number 2. - Dave]
In the words of that great lexicographer William Safire:
I always say "I am nauseated" before clapping a handkerchief over my mouth and racing to talk to Ralph on the big white phone, but I don't know anybody else who says that. They all say, Gawd, I feel nauseous, or offer a telegraphic Nauseous, gonna go whoops, and they actually take offense when I correct them with "No, you are nauseated"; in one instance, my lap then became the target of a power boot. Since that time, I have accepted nauseous as a synonym for nauseated, and when I need a word to denote "causing nausea," I rely on disgusting. I realize this caving-in to common usage is permissive and descriptive -- nauseous to prescriptivists -- but it has saved me from the fallout of upchucking friends. 
(The Gallery, Medicine, Natl Photo)

Dr. Feelgood: 1922
1922. "Surgery #12." Another selection from the "surgery" series of images, this one showing an anesthesiologist administering ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/05/2008 - 11:22am -

1922. "Surgery #12." Another selection from the "surgery" series of images, this one showing an anesthesiologist administering nitrous oxide prior to the operation. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Precarious looking table...Perhaps the doctors at this hospital went to Cirque du Soleil School of Medicine.
(The Gallery, Medicine, Natl Photo)

General Hospital: 1922
1922. "Surgery #19." Things have progressed a bit since the previous photo. (Are there ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/01/2008 - 6:06pm -

1922. "Surgery #19." Things have progressed a bit since the previous photo. (Are there more? Yew betcha.) National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size.
Wait for it...Because you know someone, somewhere is going to Photoshop an alien popping out of that guy's chest cavity!
Start Guessing!Hernia? Appendix?
Dr HollywoodThe doctor looks like he was sent to a hospital movie set by Central Casting for a 1930's Doctor Kildare film.
No flash again?Amazing image that is lit by apparently natural light that overwhelms the incandescent lights above. Or alternatively there is "flash light". What is the answer? Surely Dave the guru will tell us.
[Windows. Mr. Sun. - Dave]
Game over, man!I'm voting it's a chestburster. But not matter what they're doing, why are there two pastry chefs watching the operation?
--
If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
Time Of Death?12:10
Operation"We have successfully removed the funnybone."
Re: Start GuessingNot a hernia procedure. If you look closely, there is a drain tube protruding from the patient's right side of the incision, with a safety pin attached through the free end. This is to keep the tube from slipping back inside the incision by making the end too large to do so. Hernia operations were not the kind to require any kind of a drain. 
Likely a bowel procedure or some other abdominal case requiring drainage post op. It doesn't seem to be in the right location for a simple appendectomy incision ~ those are lower right quadrant of the abdomen, not midline.
Perhaps a ruptured appendix, or a bowel resection, might have required this kind of incision, in order to have better access to the abdominal cavity so they could flush out the infection as best they could. That type of infection can form very quickly in such cases. And it certainly would require a drain, as previously mentioned.
(The Gallery, Medicine, Natl Photo)

A Little Off the Middle: 1922
Circa 1922, another entry in the "Surgery" series, this one pre-op. The laundry mark on the towel says "Vets ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 9:23pm -

Circa 1922, another entry in the "Surgery" series, this one pre-op. The laundry mark on the towel says "Vets Hospital No. 11 (or maybe 17) Washington D.C." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
I feel sorry for this guyNot only does he have no comments, he's getting shaved by one of the waitstaff. And if all the rooms had doorknobs like that he was sure to die of some post-surgical infection transmitted by doorknob germs. 
(The Gallery, D.C., Medicine, Natl Photo)

Scrub Sink: 1922
1922. "Surgery #9." One last peek inside the OR before moving on to other things. Next ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/02/2008 - 7:42am -

1922. "Surgery #9." One last peek inside the OR before moving on to other things. Next week we'll return. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size.
(The Gallery, Medicine, Natl Photo)
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