Disease
What was the primary reason that soldiers had a better chance of dying from disease rather than gunshot wounds during the Civil War?
Doctors didn't know about germs/sanitation, little training
What type of amputation had the highest percentage of casualties?
List the common nicknames for Civil War doctors.
"quacks"
"sawbones"
"butchers"
Which primary source gives the most accurate representation of Civil War medical knowledge?
What disease listed below was not a major problem during the Civil War?
[malaria, dysentary, smallpox, influenza]
Influenza
What percentage of operations were amputations?
75%
This medicine was used to make a patient unconscious for a procedure
ether, chloroform
How were doctors trained to search for bullets within the body?
With their hands
Why were the conditions in Civil War field hospitals often unsanitary?
Doctors did not believe in the importance of cleanliness.
Field hospitals were set up quickly with limited resources.
Doctors and nurses were not trained in proper sanitation procedures.
The phrase "bite the bullet" originated from this time period for what reason?
When medical supplies ran out, patients of battlefield amputations and surgeries were given a bullet to bite to distract them from the pain.
How many years of school did the typical Civil War doctor have?
2 years
How did the Lincoln General Hospital in Washington D.C. help improve Civil War medical care?
It was one of the largest military hospitals, capable of treating over 2,500 patients, and it pioneered the use of new medical technologies like the fanning machine.
Many diseases were spread around camps due to
poor hygiene, lack of sanitation, overcrowding, poor quality food and water, weather, shelter
Why were amputations so common during the Civil War?
The popular musket balls caused extensive damage that was difficult to treat.
or
Amputations were the quickest way to stop infection.
What was the main reason Civil War soldiers did not trust doctors?
Doctors were poorly trained and often made mistakes.
Based on the "Rules for Preserving the Health of a Soldier" document, which of the following was NOT stressed as important for soldiers to maintain?
A. Drinking clean water
B. Proper hygiene and bathing
C. Eating a balanced diet
D. Avoiding exposure to the elements
Eating a balanced diet.
What does this excerpt tell us about how diseases spread among soldiers, and what factors do you think contribute to these outbreaks?
"This disease almost invariably appears among irregular troops in a few weeks after they are assembled in camp. The regiments among whom these cases have occurred are those recently arrived. Most of them reached this city with the disease prevailing. It has been generally of a mild form, soon running through the regiment, and then disappearing. I don't consider its propagation under these circumstances as due to contagion. On the contrary, it springs up from local causes, to which all the men are equally exposed, and those susceptible become its subjects as a matter of course. Among regular troops it is very rarely seen."
The excerpt suggests that diseases among soldiers spread mainly due to environmental factors and troop conditions rather than contagion, as indicated by the quick and mild outbreaks in irregular troops who have recently arrived in camp.
In total, the casualties of the Civil War included 752,000-851,000 soldiers.
How many of these deaths occurred from amputations?
7,053
What improvement to battlefield medicine did Dr. Jonathan Letterman implement as the Medical Director of the Army of the Potomac?
The first dedicated ambulance corps
Improved distribution of medical supplies
Triage system for treating wounded soldiers
What does Source 4 tell us about Civil War medical knowledge and experience?
Lack of sanitation, lack of resources, emphasis on amputation