The Surgeon at Work at the Rear during an Engagement

The medical supply messenger, standing in the center of Homer’s composition, emphasizes the surrounding chaos of a field hospital. Harper’s text noted: “The ‘Surgeon at Work’ introduces us to the most painful scene on the battlefield. Away in the rear, under the green flag, which is always respected among civilized soldiers, the surgeon and his assistants receive the poor wounded soldiers. . . . Arteries are tied . . . tourniquets applied, flesh wounds hastily dressed, broken limbs set, and sometimes . . . amputations performed within sight and sound of the cannon. Of all officers the surgeon is often the one who requires most nerve and most courage.”