General Audiences
The famous black-and-white nature photographer, Ansel Adams, once said, ”There are always two people in every picture, the photographer and the viewer.” His statement emphasizes that in any event or presentation where more than one person is involved there can be a diversity of opinions about the subject. That is certainly true about the factious reactions the Civil War evokes. Yet, the war produced significant and far-reaching advancements in medicine that benefit everyone today. My presentation brings those entities to one’s awareness, and, hopefully, will change the focus of the war from the divisive issues to those that heal. I present the medical material in a format that can be easily understood by a lay person. It will not involve complex medical theory, procedures, or treatment. It will emphasize the state of medicine during that era and identify the practices that were instituted that have served as foundations leading to a progressive future. The military aspects and battles will be presented only when pertinent to demonstrate a medical point.
In addition to the presentation I display an authentic Confederate surgical kit that belonged to a surgeon from Wytheville, Virginia. One can see the instruments the surgeons carried with them and used as they traveled with the troops. The presentation takes approximately one hour, and I am available for questions afterwards.
Throughout the history of war many wounded were dependent on a comrade for medical assistance or were left in the field until the battle was over. This was also true at the beginning of the Civil War
Lack of awareness of the “germ theory” (microbes cause infectious diseases) and sterility led to many deaths due to infection in the Civil War. Pasteur and Koch proved that microorganisms were the cause of infectious diseases shortly after the war.
Anesthesia was used extensively in surgical procedures during the Civil War: ether, chloroform, and a mixture of the two
Mortality rates from gun shot wounds improved significantly after Letterman’s introduced an Ambulance Corps for transporting the wounded and moved the field hospital to the division level for their treatment. His innovations, known as the “Letterman System,” was in full operation by the time the Battle at Gettysburg was fought