Frank Lamb (CP 1539), National Museum of Health and Medicine
Frank Lamb (CP 1539), National Museum of Health and Medicine
Description: Photograph of Frank Lamb, an African American man born 1789, with an inguinal hernia. According to a letter from Dr. Ferdinand Lessing of the Freedman’s Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia to Colonel A.L. Edwards on October 9, 1867, Lamb was born in 1789 at Welden’s Orchard near Halifax, North Carolina. He was nine when the hernia occurred, though it was not as severe then, when he was sold to a man named Baine Lamb for $150. Frankl Lamb was then forced to do hard labor in the woods without a truss, which made the hernia much worse. Lamb was finally sent to the Freedmen’s Hospital on July 17, 1867, but his health was relatively stable. Photo by Kimberly Bros. No. 40 Main St., Norfolk.
An inguinal hernia is a protrusion of contents of the abdominal cavity, usually brought on by weakness or holes in the abdominal wall. It can be very painful, particularly when lifting heavy objects and bending over, which also often make the condition worse.
Caption reads: “Frank Lamb ([colored]) born 1789. With inguinal hernia of 69 years standing. Patient at Freedman’s Hosp. Norfolk, Va in charge of [Ferdinand] Lessing A.A. Surg. U.S.A.”
Date: 1867
Photo ID: CP 1539
Source collection: OHA 75: Contributed Photographs
Repository: National Museum of Health and Medicine, Otis Historical Archives
Rights: No known restrictions upon publication, physical copy retained by National Museum of Health and Medicine. Publication and high resolution image requests should be directed to the NMHM (www.medicalmuseum.mil/)