In August 1862, Giuseppe Garibaldi, the Italian patriot intent on uniting Italy, was shot at the Battle of Aspromonte when he advanced to arrange a truce with Royal Army soldiers, receiving a bullet that lodged in his right ankle. This albumen carte de visite by photographer Pierre Warner documents the most celebrated medical consultation of that year: Dr. Auguste Nélaton attending Garibaldi at Spezia on October 28, 1862, and declaring that amputation of the foot was not necessary. The caption printed on the mount beneath the image reads "Le Dr Nélaton déclarant que l'amputation n'est pas nécessaire" (Dr. Nélaton declaring that amputation is not necessary), confirming the moment depicted.

Garibaldi reclines in a metal-framed hospital bed, his bandaged right foot elevated in a suspension apparatus of rods and rings, a striped blanket across his lower body and a dark woolen mantle draped over his shoulders. His full beard and steady direct gaze are unmistakable. Nélaton stands at his right, wearing a dark frock coat, waistcoat, and bow tie, one hand resting toward the patient in a posture of authority. A Gothic stone arch, decorative wall bracket, and barley-twist side table furnish the background, lending the scene an unexpectedly formal, staged quality.

The image was produced to glorify Nélaton, whose porcelain-tipped probe located the bullet fragments in Garibaldi's wound and saved the leg from amputation. Nélaton received many honors for his work on this case, including the Legion d'Honneur. After confirming that the bullet remained in Garibaldi's ankle, Italian physicians successfully removed it on November 22nd, and Nélaton's probes began to be mass-produced and shipped worldwide, becoming standard equipment for military surgeons on both sides of the American Civil War.

The photographer's imprint reads "Phot. Pierre Warner" on the lower left and right of the mount face. The caption printed below the image reads: "Le Dr Nélaton déclarant que l'amputation n'est pas nécessaire" (Dr. Nélaton declaring that amputation is not necessary). The reverse bears a pencil notation reading "9/21/13 DLEFX2."