A Horrific War: The American Civil War (1861-1865) - Research Paper

Introduction

The American civil war was fought at a time when the medical field was not developed as it was now. The conflict that raged on from the year 1861 to the year 1865 was gruesome, and it resulted in the deaths of many American soldiers and civilians (Bollet, 2002). Records show that the conflict was spread across America in more than 10,000 places resulting in the deaths of more than 615,000 soldiers and civilians. The number of casualties was not only attributed to the conflict but also the levels of medical expertise during that period. Crucial drugs that are used in the treatment of bacterial, fungal and viral infections had not been discovered at that time. Antibiotic and anaesthetic drugs were only available in limited supply, and the available drugs were only in their experimental phase (Reilly, 2016). This prompted the medical practitioners who were charged with the responsibility of treating the wounded soldiers and civilian casualties to result in primary methods of treatment in their bid to save lives. The physical and psychological complications faced by the soldiers who fought in the American civil war can be efficiently dealt with today, considering the advancement in healthcare and medicine in general (Paciorek & Karras, 2007). This research report outlines various medical issues associated with the American civil war and analyses ways in which medicine has developed since then.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Hospitals

When the civil war started, temporary medical camps and makeshift hospitals were established to treat the wounded. Buildings such as warehouses and churches were converted to hospitals to housing the doctors and the injured (Paciorek & Karras, 2007. The poor sanitary conditions that resulted from poor organization and overcrowding made the treatment process very difficult as the rate of infection increased. However, as the war raged on, the facilities became more organized (Bollet, 2002). Field stations were set up near the battlefield where the injured soldiers received preliminary treatment before being transferred to the main camps. Wounded soldiers were given whisky and opium as a pain-relieving agent, and their wounds were bandaged to stop excessive bleeding. By then, the hospital had adopted a system that dived soldiers into groups as per the severity of their injuries.

Regardless of the various organizational changes in the hospital centres, the problem of sanitation remained a significant challenge. The doctors were not conversant with the idea of infection and how germs and bacteria increased the rate of infection (Reilly, 2016). Infections were easily spread from one patient to the other, as the doctors did not use gloves or protective equipment in the process. Signs of infection, such as pus, were considered a sign of healing. From laundry, surgical equipment and the hospital environment, the hospitals were no place for medical intervention. The poor sanitary conditions led to secondary diseases that eventually claimed the lives of many wounded soldiers.

Civil War Surgeons

In the 1800s, little progress had been made concerning bacteriology and anaesthesia. Medical practitioners were ignorant of conditions that triggered diseases and were more focused on the treatment (Reilly, 2016). It is safe to say that medical doctors who practised during the civil war were not adequately trained. Most of them only attended medical school for two years, and only a handful went for further studies. The medical institutions at the time were underfunded as most of the funds from the federal government were directed to the war (Paciorek & Karras, 2007). For instance, the Harvard school of medicine did not own even one stethoscope (the most basic medical tool), or microscope.

Additionally, many of the civil war surgeons were not experienced in the treatment of gunshot wounds or decapitations (Bollet, 2002). This is attributed to the fact that most medical schools admitted many under-qualified students due to the high demand for doctors. Before the beginning of the civil war, the most qualified surgeons only had experience in dealing with minor complications such as removal of teeth and treating diarrhoea.

The surgeons had to adapt quickly to their work environment. The success rate of their operations was, however, reduced by the fact that they did not have access to sterile scalpels and disinfectants to prevent the wounds of injured soldiers from getting infected (Paciorek & Karras, 2007). They were forced to conduct their surgical operations in the open, therefore exposing the patients to the risk of bacterial infection. The sedation process involved the use of whisky, chloroform and opium that had detrimental effects on the patients.

Anaesthesia was first used in 1846, 15 years prior to the civil war. However, the forms of anaesthetic agents used were primitive and harmed the patients. It is said that anaesthetic agents such as chloroform were used in 75% of the surgeries; the other percentage of patients had to endure painful surgical operations with whisky to reduce the pain (Reilly, 2016). Chloroform was usually administered through the mouth and nose after applying it to a piece of cotton wool or cloth. This method was referred to as the one-drop technique. The other common anaesthetic agent that was used for anaesthetic purposes was ether. Ether was a mixture of alcohol and sulphuric acid (Paciorek & Karras, 2007). The limitation of using ether during the surgical process was that the patients were not entirely unconscious during the surgical procedure. Although they did not feel any pain during the surgeries, they were fully aware of everything throughout the process.

The weapons used by the warring sides were very lethal and caused bodily injuries that had not been seen in previous wars (Paciorek & Karras, 2007). For instance, the minie ball was a kind of slug that could crush the bone and destroy it 3inches around the point of impact. Because of the limited knowledge of the doctors and the urgency of the treatment, the only option available at the time was the removal of the limb. Four out of five surgeries that were performed during the American civil war were amputations (Bollet, 2002). Records show that during the civil war, approximately 50,000 amputations were made with a mortality rate of 26.3% (Reilly, 2016). The most commonly used amputation method was the circular method that allowed the surgeons to cut through the limb quickly with less bleeding. This technique is said to have saved the lives of many soldiers who otherwise could not have survived their injuries. The surgeons later discovered a method that was famously known as the fish-mouth flap. This method left a skin flap around the amputated limb that was used to cover the wound. As the war went on, efforts to reduce the mortality rate associated with amputations were made. It was decided that only 1 out of the 15 union forces surgeons had the clearance to perform amputations and that all amputations had to be done within 24 hours (Reilly, 2016). This was as a result of the public outcry that the number of amputations was too high.

Medicine during the American war was also characterized by the lack of proper medications to treat non-combat related ailments. About 75% of the drugs used at the time were botanical and were not adequate to treat the diseases that were prevalent at the time (Reilly, 2016). The medications that were deemed effective included: quinine for malaria treatment, morphine, ether, and chloroform for anaesthesia. Fowler's solution was another commonly used medication for the treatment of fever and diarrhoea (Paciorek & Karras, 2007). However, the solution contained high concentrations of arsenic that had adverse side effects on the patients. Some of the side effects included loss of teeth, excess generation of saliva, and mouth and cheek gangrene.

Conclusion

To sum up, most of the deaths that resulted from the American civil war were due to the lack of medical expertise and preparedness. Doctors and surgeons lacked Bacterial and anaesthetic knowledge and therefore, could not cure most of the combat-related injuries. Additionally, they lacked proper surgical equipment and medications that were necessary to treat the injured soldiers without exposing them to the risk of infection. On the contrary, they misjudged specific indicators of bacterial and germ infection, such as pus as signs of healing. This is also attributed to the fact that they did not receive adequate medical training and had little or no experience in the treatment of battle-related injuries. However, the civil war period is regarded as a period when many medical developments were made. Doctors had to adapt to the dynamics of the situation and come up with better ways of reducing the mortality rate associated with combat and non-combat related medical problems.

References

Paciorek, J., & Karras, J. (2007). Medicine and its Practice During the American Civil War. TCNJ Journal of Student Scholarship, 9. Retrieved from https://joss.tcnj.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/176/2012/04/2007-Paciorek-Civil-War-Medicine.pdf

Bollet, A. J. (2002). Civil War medicine: challenges and triumphs. Galen Press.

Reilly, R. F. (2016, April). Medical and surgical care during the American Civil War, 1861-1865. In Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings (Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 138-142). Taylor & Francis. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4790547/