1. Civil War Medicine

2. Source of Injury Minnie Ball:  Head or abdominal wound was almost always fatal  Hit to the limb would usually shatter bone  Carried dirt, germs  Sometimes made of lead

3. Disease It is estimated at most, 1 of 3 deaths occurred from battle wounds Many died from disease Typhoid (leading cause of death): Caused by bacteria  High temperature  Stomach pain  Rash Dysentery (2 nd leading cause of death): bleeding and inflammation in the intestines  Dehydration is a major concern Pneumonia (3 rd leading cause of death): Lungs become inflamed filled with fluid  Coughing  Fever  Chest pain  May be bacterial or viral Tuberculosis: deadly infection  Bloody cough  Chest pain  fever Malaria: often caused by a bacteria-carrying mosquito  Anemic (weakening of red blood cells) symptoms  Fever

4. Source of Disease Lack of sanitation in camps  Decomposing food/garbage  Contaminated water supply Salmonella: bacteria in food and water  Not life-threatening  Can result in typhoid

5. Anesthetics Chloroform: 1 st major anesthetic  Administered with a cloth held over nose  Slowed body process  If too much used, it could put soldiers into a coma or lead to death Ether: Similar to chloroform  Highly explosive Whiskey/Alcohol: Used to dull pain/relax the injured  Not commonly used in surgery

6. Medicine Quinine: used to reduce fever; prevent organ failure Morphine: Painkiller, administered orally or as a shot Opium: Oral painkiller  Highly addictive Iodine began to be used to clean wounds  Only used in extreme cases

7. Civil War Hospital Originally tents towards rear of battlefield Later houses, barns, churches, schools used Patients lay on straw/hay Little concern for sanitation

8. North South ~11,000 doctors Slightly better trained and equipped Used chloroform more frequently ~3,000 doctors Less training Blockade resulted in poor level of supply  Less likely to prescribe medicine  Used more ether Medical comparison

9. Amputations 175,000 injuries to federal troops in limbs, 30,000 amputations Usually treated wounds to limbs first 70%-80% of wounds were to the arm and leg If performed within 24hrs, success rate of 50% Gangrene: rotting of flesh due to poor blood flow  Very common after surgery