Civil+War+Medicine

= Civil War Medicine = By Benal Johnson

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**Introduction**
During the Civil War, there was turmoil on and outside of the battlefield, especially in the hospital barracks. Medicine was extremely primitive and the methods of diagnosing the patients dated back to Aristotle. Several poisons were prescribed, such as mercury, and in large doses, were fatal. Sterilization by heat was unknown, and antiseptic surgery was just introduced. Laboratory work was not respected at even the most prestigious academies and colleges, further widening the hole that medical education was already in. However, both the North and South struggled with the same problems in the healthcare system, although the Union blockade during the years 1861-1865 deeply hurt the South' s ability to attain readily made and bottled medicines. But, one thing was sure throughout the entire war; the advance of medicines and sciences had to be a priority.

** The Healthcare System **
The Union Army Medical Bureau (UAMB) was in charge of organizing the ambulance distributions, camp set ups, medical wagons, and medical supplies. The head of the bureau was Clement Finley, who had done very little to help those wounded in the war. However, he was punished after federal officers found out that 1/4th of their men were unfit to fight due to sickness or disease. This was a result of the lack of health examinations of the volunteers as well as the nonexistent method of commissioning physicians both in the North and South. Outraged at this knowledge, the Union formed the United States Sanitary Commission (USSC) in 1861. One of the first tasks of the USSC was to expedite the removal of Clement Finley from his post. They wrote and submitted a full report of Finley and his medical bureau, and persuaded Congress to reorganize the army's medical services. Soon after, Dr. William A. Hammond was appointed as the new president of the UAMB. The USSC and Hammond did much to improve the conditions of the camps, made medicines more accessible, reduced time required to wait for surgery, and launched the ambulance corps.  An ambulance picking up wounded soldiers on the battlefield.

The Confederate Medical Department (CMD) was as degenerated as Union healthcare was, but it was led by a qualified surgeon general. Samuel Preston Moore was the second, and last, Confederate Surgeon General. He improved the hospital barracks, as well as the ambulance corps. However, he was most famous for the Matron Law of 1862; a law stating that non-physicians, including women, were allowed to administratively control military hospitals. This law certainly gave opportunity for many successful surgeons, nurses, and doctors. But, in 1861, the Union blockaded the waters of the South, evoking shortages in food, army supplies, and medicine. This caused the CMD to run downhill, sending scientists to forage for any naturally occurring substances to utilize for their medicinal needs.

**Accessibility** Both the North and the South relied heavily on ready made and bottled medicines, imported from Europe. In Europe, the sciences and the pharmaceutical industry was much farther along. However, when the Union blockaded all surrounding waters of the South in 1861, this greatly affected the Confederate's immediate medical supplies. They were forced to gather naturally occurring anesthetics and antiseptics such as red garden-poppy opium and wood turpentine. The South also had to use native plants to produce alcohol, silver-chloride, and sulfuric and nitric ether (anesthetic). They even had to use thorns as hypodermic needles. Despite these frenzied efforts, the South continued to run out of medicines, relying on drugs obtained in battle.

**Procedures**
A surgeon preparing a soldier for surgery. - Illustrations of procedures of amputations.
 * The underdeveloped science and medical knowledge deeply affected the procedures and medicines used in the Civil War. The most common of these primitive procedures was amputation. Whenever a soldier was shot, and the bullet hit bone, the appendage would have to be amputated. The minie bullets of the time revolved slowly, so when it split bone, it also disintegrated it. Stray dirt and bacteria would also be carried by the bullet into the wounds, so there was a very high chance of infection if the wound was left untreated. Also, heat sterilization was unknown, further complicating the sterilization process. The concept of antisepsis surgery was introduced by Joseph Lister of Europe, and was finally adopted in the 1880's, almost twenty years after the Civil War. The poor conditions of the camp combined with the ignorance of the doctors use of antiseptics caused many soldiers to die of complications and infections. Doctors also believed pain was a medicine all by itself, and only used anesthetics for "major surgeries," while they refused to use it during "minor surgeries" (including amputation). The **//__1862 Manual of Military Surgeries for the Use of Surgeons in the Confederate States Army__ argued that "the lusty bawling of the wounded" (during surgery) was a "powerful stimulant."

//

Medicines
Medicines were usually given out carelessly, as a result of the lack of medical education. Soldiers only went to doctors if their illness worsened, as a result of hearing about the gruesome pain and side effects of the prescribed medicines. Also, drugs were prescribed in large quantities, causing the same effects as the illness of the patients themselves. Another reason for this fear of medicines was that so much was unknown in this industry. Mercury was a commonly prescribed medicine, although it was toxic. Whiskey and bourbon were sold as a "cure-all," causing soldiers to commonly be in a drunk stupor. Chloroform, ether, and opium were used as crude anesthetics, and wounds could also be sterilized through alcohol. Although these principles of pain and drunkenness did not help soldiers, it pushed the North and the South to agree that the science and pharmaceutical industries needed to develop.

A bottle of medical opium, commonly - A box of tools used for amputation. used as a anesthetic.

**North vs. South**


****Post-Civil War Advances**** Although no new medicines were produced during the Civil War, it showed the shortcomings of the drugs and sciences of the time. It gave rise to the pharmaceutical industry, and spurred on huge medical advances in the 20th century. But, more directly after the war, Joseph Lister's (see "**Procedures and Medicines**" subtopic//) methods of antisepsis surgery were more widely used, making for safer surgeries. Health suddenly became more important, as in 1873, there were 178 hospitals, while in 1909 there were 4,359 of them. If the Civil War did not exist, then how would medicines progress? It would be a chaos of drug hoarding, and perhaps the sciences would not have even been like they are today. The Civil War affected everything; it shook the very foundations of America. But, without it, we would not be where we are today.

media type="youtube" key="HZMjIW3lJHQ" height="385" width="480" Episode 2: [|Civil War Medicines Part 2]**// = =
 * This video explains the basis of civil war medicine.

Fun Facts
Civil War Word Search: [|Civil War Word Search] Free Trial of Civil War Game: [|Civil War Game]

**Bibliography**
1."American Civil War Surgical Antiques and Medicine." //American Civil War Surgical Antiques and Medical Books // . Web. 23 May 2010. .

2. "April 2007." Old Picture of the Day //. Web. 17 May 2010. <[] >.

3 . Behling, Ruth A., and Roder, Richard J. "medicine in the Civil War era." In Waugh, Joan, and Gary B. Nash, eds. //Encyclopedia of American History: Civil War and Reconstruction, 1856 to 1869 //, vol. 5. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003. //American History Online //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">. Facts On File, Inc. <[] > (accessed May 12, 2010).

4 . "Civil War Medical Care, Battle Wounds, and Disease." //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">The American Civil War Home Page //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">. Web. 12 May 2010. <[] >.

5 . Finkelman, Paul. "Medicines." //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Encyclopedia of the United States in the Nineteenth Century //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">. Vol. 2. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2001. Print.

6 . "Surgery during Civil War." //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">HubPages //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">. Web. 17 May 2010. <[] >.

7 . TheVintageVamp: Store Profile Contact, Created By. "Hygienic Whiskey ~ For Medical Use ~ Vintage Ad Print from Zazzle.com." //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Zazzle | Custom T-Shirts, Personalized Gifts, Posters, Art, and More//. Web. 23 May 2010. <[|//http://www.zazzle.com/hygienic_whiskey_for_medical_use_vintage_ad_poster-228461682599048846//]// >.//