Surgical Amputation Procedure

A graphic photograph of a surgical foot amputation. The procedure is carried out by two male surgeons who are dressed in light colored surgical gowns and light colored caps upon their heads. They wear dark colored (probably rubber) gloves as one holds the foot being amputated and the other holds a saw. Two female nurses act as their assistants. They are donned in light colored surgical gowns and wear nurses' caps upon their heads with their hair pulled on top of their heads. One of the nurses is assisting the surgeon holding the saw, however she is bare handed. The photograph shows the surgical team amputating the left foot of the patient with what appears to be a hack-saw. A male anesthesiologist is at the head of the patient administering anesthesia. He is dressed in a light colored surgical gown and appears to be wearing a bow tie and a dark jacket underneath. His hair is combed to the side and he appears to have his eyes closed. The operating room is lit with a signal high-wattage bulb overhead of the surgical team performing the operation. In the background: a medicine or supply cabinet stand directly behind the surgical team. A privacy screen stands next to the anesthesiologist. Other furniture in the room is a mixture of tables holding linen and surgical supplies and not to mention the operating table itself which is massive in size and hosts the body of the patient along with plethora of linens draped along the length of the table and over the sides. It also appears that the other foot of the patient is missing as well. Whether it was amputated earlier in the same session or in another session is a mystery.The photograph is in extremely poor condition. The actual photograph is faded and the right lower corner is missing. There is a nick at the bottom center and the edges are worn torn and nicked in various places. The photograph has sustained tear damage from having been ripped from a black mat background (probably a photo album page). Holes appear in the photograph near the top center and bottom right and corner. The photograph also gives off a pealing appearance. As if it is pealing itself away from the development paper. The back bears the scars of the black mat background and there is written in pen, "Return to: School of Nursing Westminster College 1840 S. 1300 E. SLC, Ut." Despite its gruesome nature, the photograph gives an accurate depiction of the primitive conditions of early medical procedures