MEDICINE

Surgery and wounded treatment

How were surgeries performed? The patient is given chloroform or morphine to knock them out for the operation. If there is none, the patient is tied down or knocked out by other means such as a wooden plank. If it is a wound in the arm or leg, then the limb is normally amputated.

If the wound is in the gut or head then the patient might not get treated at all. If the doctors do decide to operate then the patient is knocked out and they cut into the wound and get the lead ball. How were surgeries performed?

How did they treat wounds? Men were carted off the battlefield in heaps on old carts. The men who were lucky enough to get picked up often waited for hours or even days to get treated. Hundreds died waiting.

Carl Schurz was a commander in the Potomac’s XI Corps Flesh wounds were cleaned and bandaged and the man was sent out. How did they treat wounds?

Amputations A wounded man is placed on a table covered in a bloody rubber mat. The patient is knocked out with drugs or a wooden plank. The surgeon rinses his saw off with bloody water wipes it with a dirty rag, then begins.

Medical Knowledge The spread of infection was as yet to be discovered. Most men were more terrified of doctors than of enemy soldiers. Nothing was kept clean.

Gangrene Infection/Tuberculosis

Opening Statement. About 620,000 died of diseases during the Civil War.

Where did tuberculosis come from? Bacterium from the air would fly through the air from a cough. It would enter their lungs and go into the blood stream. It would go into the organs with high pressures (such as the lungs or the kidneys).

Where did tuberculosis come from? Continued….. It could give you HIV or lead to alcoholism.

Where did gangrene infection come from? The doctor would put a tourniquet around the wound. It occurred when the blood flow was interrupted. Commonly happens to the toes, fingers, arms, and legs.

Types of Gangrene Infection Dry Gangrene, Wet Gangrene Gas Gangrene, Internal Gangrene Fourniers Gangrene

The affect of Tuberculosis 1400 people died from the Union Army 4878 Confederate

The affect of Gangrene Infection Led to many deaths by amputation Primary 28% Secondary 52%

How Tuberculosis is dealt with today They test your skin with killed extracts of tuberculosis There are 2 types of test They are the Mantoux test an the Heaf test

How tuberculosis is dealt with today continued… Mantoux They inject 0.1 ml of tuberculin into your skin Then they draw a waterproof ink mark onto the injection mark Then you wait 2 to 7 days for the results

How tuberculosis is dealt with today continued… Heaf Test They use a Heaf gun with a head with 6 needles arranged in circle They clean your skin with alcohol then the tuberculin is smeared evenly on the skin

How Gangrene Infection is dealt with today The doctor remove the dead tissue to stop the spreading The doctor will try to increase blood flow by fixing veins They also do hyperbaric oxygen therapy

How Gangrene Infection is dealt with today continued…………………………………………… ………………………………………………………… ……………. During this they treat gas gangrene The do it under increased oxygen content and pressure Your blood will be able to carry more blood an it will slow the growth of bacteria

WHAT CAUSES IT, HOW IT IS CONTRACTED, AND HOW IT IS DEALT WITH TODAY. Pneumonia and Malaria in the Civil War

Pneumonia: where did it come from? Pneumonia was an opportunistic disease in the air. It is caused by Streptococcus and other bacteria. It is also caused by poor hygiene (not a lot of clean water).

Pneumonia: how is it contracted? People mostly contracted Pneumonia through gunshot wounds; if you were wounded with a shot, you were bound to get it. If you were weak, you also may have contracted the disease. Stonewall Jackson was shot by his own men, then died of pneumonia (contracted through the wound).

Pneumonia: what effect did it have on the Civil War? Confederates: disease mainly affected young men cases reported, 583 cases were fatal. Union: 77,000 cases were reported, 25% of the reported cases were fatal. Pneumonia was the 4 th most frequent cause of hospitalization in the Civil War.

Pneumonia: how is it dealt with today? Antibiotics often are used, depending on age, symptoms, and severity of symptoms. How many days of dosage depends on health in general, severity of the disease, and the type of antibiotic.

Malaria: where does it come from? Comes from mosquitoes, specifically Anopheles. Happens in red blood cells (RBCs).

Pneumonia: how is it contracted? A bite from the female Anopheles injects the malaria parasite into the blood stream. This causes the beginning of the spread of the infection.

Malaria: what effect did it have on the Civil War? Only disease able to be cured in the Civil war. 3,000,000 people contracted Malaria, but only 30,000 actually died from it. Prevented and treated successfully with Quinine. Some soldiers in the Siege of Vicksburg used exploded ammo cartridges to smoke out the tents of any mosquitoes.

Malaria: how is it dealt with today? Treatment depends on the geographical area that it is contracted, for there are many treatments for it throughout the world. Drug treatments for it normally last about 7 days.

Clara Barton

Born in 1821 in Oxford, Massachusetts. She was one of the most famous nurses of the Civil War. Was a former schoolteacher working as a clerk in the patent office when war broke out.

Her role in Civil War She recruited women to help gather and prepare supplies for the front lines. She bypassed government and military authorities. Worked in some of the Civil Wars worst battles. The “Angels of the Battlefield” comforted, nursed, and cooked for thousands of wounded soldiers she called “my boys.”

What she did to improve the situation for the soldiers and others. She traveled to Switzerland for a rest and heard about the International Committee of the Red Cross, a neutral agency that brought medical aid to all sides during wartime. She formed The American Red Cross in 1881 and served as its president until she retired in She opened workrooms to help the citizens of Strasbourg make new clothes.

How her actions changed the course of history or improve the quality of living for future generations. It helped disaster victims and provide services to members of the armed forces. The Red Cross helps the victims of over 70,000 disasters nationwide each year. In almost 200 countries a Red Cross, Red Crescent or Equivalent Society works to alleviate human suffering.

Facts about The American Red Cross More than 10 million people learned lifesaving skills last year through their local Red Cross. 11 million people a year receive Red Cross training in first aid, water safety, and other skills that help save lives. More than a million people gave their time to make their neighbors across town or across the country safer by volunteering for the American Red Cross.

More Facts about Clara Barton She first treated wounded soldiers in 1861 when federal troops who had been attacked by Southern sympathizers in Baltimore were brought to Washington D.C. She personally took medicines and supplies to front-line soldiers. She helped doctors treat the wounded, at one point even removing a bullet from the cheek of one soldier and assisting a union doctor at the moment he was shot dead.

Sally Louisa Tompkins

She sponsored a hospital in Richmond, Virginia to treat wounded soldiers. President Davis ordered all private hospitals closed but she got permission to keep hers open because she treated people well. She required the best care for her patients.

Sally Louisa Tompkins She was the only woman in confederate service to receive a commission to be a captain. Her hospital had the least amount of deaths throughout the whole war with only 73. When the soldiers left she gave them durable clothing and a prayer book.

Dorothea Lynde Dix

Began a small school at the age of fifteen Worked many occupations. Dorothea had no formal medical training or experience.

Dorothea Lynde Dix Became the Superintendent of the Union army on June 10 th. Took action during Baltimore Maryland attack. She took a train there too help care for the wounded. Dorothea became friends with Joseph Henry the first Secretary of the Smithsonian.

Dorothea Lynde Dix Dorothea raised funds among her friends to start more hospitals. Dorothea helped get more hospitals and got the government to pay women nurses instead of just males. She required her nurses to be over thirty, be plain looking, and wear dull uniforms because she didn’t want the men attracted to the women.

Dorothea Lynde Dix When she began to recruit women to serve as nurses in the Army Medical Bureau. Recruits nicknamed her “Dragon Dix”. When the war was over Dix worked with people who had disabilities.