The Role Of Hospitals In The Civil War

Civil War Hospitals The methods used and conditions of hospitals during the Civil War are considered barbaric and brutal in comparison to modern medicine. According to Frank Vandiver in his book 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the Civil War, “the wounded on both sides [of the Civil War] tried to stay out of hospitals” (30). Many soldiers lost their lives due to the rampant disease, conditions, and procedures employed by the hospitals. In a statistic by Ina Dixon in an article from Civilwar.org, “of the approximately 620,000 soldiers who died in the war, two-thirds of these deaths were not the result of enemy fire, but of a force stronger than any army of men: disease.” Though hospitals and medical procedures of the Civil War were harsh
Amputation was one of the favored operations. Amputation was “due largely to the...Minie ball ammunition used during the war” (Utoledo.edu). It was easier for doctors to amputate than to remove the bullet and mend the wound. The Minie ball would “shatter” bones and cause “large, gaping wounds” (Utoledo.edu). Chloroform and ether were used to sedate patients, while whiskey was used post-operation to ease the pain. Bloodletting was another remedy to various ailments. As the name implies, bloodletting is the process of draining blood from an individual’s body. Doctors of the Civil War Era believed that the cause of disease was an excess of blood in the body. Excessive sweating and urinating was also strongly encouraged. Laxatives were often prescribed to their patients in hopes of purging them of their illnesses. Mercury was also given to patients to treat illnesses such as syphilis. Ultimately, many of these procedures and methods did more harm than
In June 1861, the United States Sanitary Committee was established. Led by Frederick Law Olmstead, the Sanitary Committee spread the “virtues of clean water, good food, and fresh air” (Utoledo.edu). The Sanitary Committee also encouraged and the hiring of women as nurses. Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, also assisted in the betterment of hospital care. Barton provided “much needed medical supplies and administered relief and care for the wounded states Dixon. William A. Hammond also provided solutions to the disease issue with the invention of his pavilion hospital. This style of hospital was well ventilated and provided large areas to work in. The building of pavilion style hospitals was supported by the United States Sanitation Committee. In addition to creating the pavilion hospital, Hammond also “designed… inspection systems and literally wrote the book on hygiene for the Army”(Civilwar.org). Jonathan Letterman, known as the “Father of Modern Battlefield Medicine” according to Civilwar.org, established an ambulance system that allowed wounded soldiers to be quickly and efficiently transported to hospitals. Soldiers were taken by cart to nearby field hospitals to have their wounds dressed and assessed. If soldiers required further medical attention, they were taken to larger hospitals. Vaccinations began to be administered for diseases such as