View the Daniel S. Young Archives of Medical Illustrations

During the American Civil War, Young was the surgeon of the 21st Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry (O.V.I.). Throughout the war he traveled with the O.V.I. administering medical care to injured soldiers and creating illustrations of soldiers’ wounds. Many of the medical illustrations are dated with the Civil War battle locations.

Young’s artistry paints a portrayal of how illustrations informed medical professionals during the 19th century. His Civil War medical illustrations were crucial in educating doctors on surgical procedures and about previously unseen wounds. While medical illustrations such as Young’s served to educate doctors they were also important in aiding veterans in their pension claims and showing how the war impacted soldiers’ health.

"We expect significant interest in this collection from historians, students, researchers, physicians, scholars and those interested in the American Civil War. The work to digitize and make this collection available online provides open access worldwide," said BennettJones. "Medical illustrations from the American Civil War are important today because they offer valuable insights into the history of military medicine, diseases and the traumas faced by soldiers."

The Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions is an archive and exhibit facility chronicling the history of the health sciences primarily in the Cincinnati area. The Winkler Center's over 35,000 volumes of rare and classic works on health history however broaden that scope to include Europe and date back almost 500 years.