“He had brought his bone saw in its leather case. And his white linen smock, the one he used to save his clothes when he had dirty work in store, and would have Li Chang wash and bleach after. An amputation would be the dirtiest work there was. He remembered the smocks the surgeons wore, layer on layer of red, dried blood darker under fresh red splashes, with the occasional white splinter of bone. Joshua prayed as he rode, prayed hard and desperately, prayed that the smock in his bag would be clean and white when he turned homeward.” WarHistoricalCivil WarSurgeryDoctorCasualtiesAmputation Book:What Heals the Heart Source: What Heals the Heart
“He kept eating, with a stubborn determination like something in a dream, until he heard the door open and close again. There was still some soup in the bowl. He set it on the floor for Major, let his head fall into his hands, and sobbed like a broken-hearted child. Or like a young man, barely more than a boy, waking up with only half a leg.” TraumaSurgeryDoctorAmputationHistorical Medicine Book:What Heals the Heart Source: What Heals the Heart
“Now do you want me to give you something that’ll help you, or would you rather move into the outhouse and try to shoe horses there?” DoctorDoctors And PatientsDoctoringMedical Advice Book:What Heals the Heart Source: What Heals the Heart