Repercussions of the Civil War on Medicine
Medical Knowledge
During the war, surgeons were responsible for curing a wide range of diseases and performing complex operations. Dysentery, smallpox, measles, fevers, and gangrene were all maladies that surgeons had to cure. They attempted to use chemical compounds and various treatments, when all that was necessary was rest and the body's natural restorative ability. Though effective treatment of disease would not be attained under World War Two, during the Civil War, surgeons began to suspect that diseases were transmitted from person to person, and that filth and squalor were integral to contagious illness.
During the war, surgeons were responsible for curing a wide range of diseases and performing complex operations. Dysentery, smallpox, measles, fevers, and gangrene were all maladies that surgeons had to cure. They attempted to use chemical compounds and various treatments, when all that was necessary was rest and the body's natural restorative ability. Though effective treatment of disease would not be attained under World War Two, during the Civil War, surgeons began to suspect that diseases were transmitted from person to person, and that filth and squalor were integral to contagious illness.
Surgery
Surgeons were forced to become more proficient at surgery. The various kinds of injuries they were forced to cope with daily required them to become skilled at complicated procedures. The Civil War, thus, produced a generation of talented surgeons and nurses, who understood far more about medicine and the human body than they might ever have otherwise. The field of prosthesis began to develop as a result of the thousands of amputees the war left in its wake. Doctors developed prosthetic limbs.
Surgeons were forced to become more proficient at surgery. The various kinds of injuries they were forced to cope with daily required them to become skilled at complicated procedures. The Civil War, thus, produced a generation of talented surgeons and nurses, who understood far more about medicine and the human body than they might ever have otherwise. The field of prosthesis began to develop as a result of the thousands of amputees the war left in its wake. Doctors developed prosthetic limbs.
He who wishes to be a surgeon should go to war.
- Hippocrates
Nursing and Hospitals
The Civil War legitimized nursing as a profession and improved hospitals. Hospitals had so far been established wherever was convenient. By the end of the war, hospitals were permanent structures, clean and well-ventilated. Whether or not they understood the importance of cleanliness, doctors were beginning to instate it wherever they could.
The Civil War legitimized nursing as a profession and improved hospitals. Hospitals had so far been established wherever was convenient. By the end of the war, hospitals were permanent structures, clean and well-ventilated. Whether or not they understood the importance of cleanliness, doctors were beginning to instate it wherever they could.
Army Medical Corps
At the end of the war, the US Army had a well-organized medical staff able to treat any manner of wounds. From the dressing stations to field hospitals to army hospitals, the treatment process had been planned out thoroughly. An orderly system based on the seriousness of wounds, it brought order to a formerly chaotic and negligible medical department.
At the end of the war, the US Army had a well-organized medical staff able to treat any manner of wounds. From the dressing stations to field hospitals to army hospitals, the treatment process had been planned out thoroughly. An orderly system based on the seriousness of wounds, it brought order to a formerly chaotic and negligible medical department.