The Case of George Dedlow

So in the course of my various historical treasure hunts, I came upon this nifty little piece of 19th century literature: The Case of George Dedlow. Originally published in the Atlantic Monthly in 1866, it's a curious story about a civil war soldier who successively has all his limbs amputated until he is no more that a torso with a head. In a few short pages it weaves together the history of civil war surgery and medicine, the phenomenology of pain, phantom limb syndrome, the relationship between identity, the self, and the body, and 19th century spiritualism. Tasty. It was written by Silas Weir Mitchell, a civil war surgeon who went on to be a prolific writer and medical researcher. Here's the story behind the story. I'm currently looking into the process of civil war amputation. I'll be sure to report back.