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Civil War Medicine: Life Saver or Death Sentence.
The American Civil War was horrific on many levels: from the battlefield to the medical station, and thousands of men lay dead or wounded. It was in this place, the medical station, that my report will ascertain whether the medical treatments, the doctors, and the knowledge of the era caused more harm than good. The Civil War took place in a Golden Age of weapon creation and innovation. From Europe to the United States, weapon makers created some of the deadliest weapons of the age. The French- invented Minie Ball, in conjunction with the newly invented American Springfield Model 1861 Minie-type rifled musket, produced between 1861-1872; the American Henry Repeating Rifle, 1860-1866; the American Spencer repeating rifle/carbine, 1860-1869; and the American Gatling gun, 1862-1911, were all created during this era, and although all of them except for the Springfield saw only sporadic use during the war, they left a trail of death or wounded whenever used. The reason why these weapons were so devastating on the battlefield was because the military tactics at the time were still following traditions from the Napoleonic Wars earlier in the century, yet the weapons had become deadlier due to being rifled which increased bullet accuracy and range.
The war years, 1861 to 1865, not only saw new inventions in weaponry, but also saw new advances in the medical field as a whole. Medically, advances were made in the “[u]se of quinie for prevention of malaria,” “[u]se of quarantine, which virtually eliminated yellow fever,” “[s]uccessful treatment of hospital gangrene with bromine and isolation,” “[d]evelopment of an ambulance system for evacuation of the wounded,” “[u]se of trains and boats to transport patients,” “[e]stablishment of large general hospitals,” and the “[c]reation of specialty hospitals.” Surgical wise, advances included the “[s]afe use of anesthetics,” “[p]erformance of rudimentary neurosurgery,” “[d]evelopment of techniques for arterial ligation,” and the first performance of plastic surgery.[1] As these advances were being pioneered, doctors and nurses had to contend with diseases, such as malaria, dysentery, and yellow fever, in addition ignorance, poor climate and sanitation conditions, bad nutrition and hygiene and lack of proper medicine.[2]
- How could doctors and nurses on both sides treat their patients competently while dealing with changing climates, various sanitary conditions and possibly lack of medical supplies?
- How did the weapons of the age affect the types of injuries soldiers received?
- Were doctors and nurses trained the same, no matter what side they were on?
- How did medical treatment improve from the beginning of the war to the end of the war?
I am hoping to find sources that help to answer the questions above and other questions that may come up while investigations and writing my paper. In addition, I currently have three articles written by two doctors and one MD discussing my area of focus. I also have seven books in mind that should help me in answering my thesis: Were the medical treatments, medical stations, doctors and nurses, and medical knowledge of the era causing more harm than good?
[1] Reilly, Robert F, MD. “Medical and surgical care during the American Civil War, 1860-1865.” Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings 29, no. 2 (2016): 138-142.
[2] Mathiasen, Helle, PhD. “Bugs and Battles during the American Civil War.” The American Journal of Medicine 125, no. 1 (2012): 111.