Civil War era Artificial Prosthetic Eye - Germany or France

Description

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This is an antique/vintage artificial prosthetic glass eye as would have been used by injured soldiers of the Civil War. It is dark brown and includes the unique triangular shape of such old replacements. These eyes were made in the 1800s (until the early 1900s) in France or Germany. Each one is hand-blown from glass to form the basic eyeball. The iris was made seperately and was then attached to the round ball. The two pieces were then formed into a useable eyeball.
The multivolume
1870 Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion
, edited by U.S. Surgeon General Joseph K. Barnes, is regarded as one of the most reliable sources of information on Civil War medicine. Barnes reports
that artificial eyes were dispensed by the federal government
and made of French and German manufactured stock prostheses, which in turn were made of lead and cryolite glass respectively. Ocular prosthetics and the refinement of surgical procedures for treating soldiers with eye injuries would evolve at a much slower rate than prosthetics and rehabilitation for amputees. The need for recovering mobility took precedence over repair of an unsightly eye or socket. Additionally, eye injury and loss happened less frequently than loss of limbs.
Between July 16, 1862, and May 4, 1867, just 49 prosthetic eyes were furnished to wounded soldiers
, compared to 61 hands, 2,391 arms, 4,095 legs, and 14 feet. While it is difficult to determine if these figures, compiled by the U.S. Surgeon General from field reports after the war are exact, they provide a reference point and lead to the conclusion that orthotics were much more common than ocular prosthetics. Michael O. Hughes,
Eye Injuries and Prosthetic Restoration in the American Civil War Year.