NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Medical Care and Nursing in the US Civil War Introduction -The Civil War was horrific and bloodiest warfare. During the Civil War, medicinal knowledge was tremendously primordial. Doctors were not aware of seriousness of infection, and did not put much effort to prevent it. These issues created interest to know about cure of soldiers in battlefield. Thus the main objective of this paper is to focus on the treatment of wounded soldiers, their nursing and medicines used during civil war. Medical care and nursing during the US Civil War-When the war began on, the Federal army had an entirety 98 medical officers and the Confederacy was just 24.
In 1865, some 13, 000 Union doctors had provided their services in the field and in the hospitals; in the Confederacy, about 4, 000 medical officers and numerous volunteers treated war casualties (Tooker, 2007). Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia met the Army of the Potomac under George B. McClellan at Antietam Creek close to Sharpsburg, Maryland on 1862. At the end of the day, total number of casualties was 23000 besides many others wounded, or missing (Blagg, 2004).
It was remembered as the bloodiest particular day in American military record. Dr. Jonathan Letterman, the Medical Director of the Army of the Potomac, Clara Barton, and Dr. Hunter McGuire, Chief Surgeon and Medical Director of General Stonewall Jackson's Corps, were amongst the nursing and medical personnel involved on that significant day. These three medical professionals provided medical and nursing care to the casualties at Antietam. Due to overflow of wounded soldiers, amputation was the most frequent surgery acted upon during the Civil War.
If the wound had caused loss of a large amount of soft tissue, or if it concerned a joint, the limb was for eternity surgically removed. At that time no attempt was made to maintain sterility during surgery (Alan Hawk, 2002). Approximately 110, 000 Union and 94, 000 Confederate men passed away due to wounds received in combat. Doctors on duty put their best efforts to treat wounded men within 48 hours; most prime care was administered at field hospitals placed far behind the front lines. Those who survived were then shifted by unreliable and congested ambulances-two-wheeled carts or four-wheeled wagons-to army hospitals located in near cities and towns. Stats on number wounded and died in hospital- Roughly 620, 000 men- 360, 000 Northerners and 260, 000 Southerners-died in the four-year conflict, which is the highest figure of total sufferers of all other wars fought by America.
Approximately 175, 000 wounds to the extremities received among Federal troops, about 30, 000 led to amputation and about the same proportion took place in the Confederacy (Encyclopedia of the Civil War). The challenges for doctors and nurses - The medical staff faced great challenges during war due to undersized Medical Department of the Union army. There was only one Surgeon General, thirty Surgeons, and eighty-four Assistant Surgeons prior to the beginning of hostilities in 1861. Some of these surgeons reconciled their Union commissions to join the Confederate Medical Department (The History of Civil War Medicine). Generally soldiers were resided and worked on small or large countryside areas. They were not habituated to infectious diseases such as, measles, mumps, and whooping cough commonly spread during warfare.
The occurrence of other disease in battlefield was diet deficiency. The common maladies were malaria, typhoid fever, dysentery, and measles. Pneumonia, smallpox, yellow fever, and tuberculosis were less prevalent; but all took a heavy toll of lives. To maintain hygiene, concerned citizens of the North supplemented the medical services of the Federal government formed The Sanitary Commission at the outburst of the war. This commission supplied Fresh vegetables, chloroform, brandy and other stimulants, condensed milk, beef stock, bandages, surgeon's silk, and other first aid kits (Disease in the Civil War - 1968 Cunningham). Military surgeons had confined knowledge of the causes of communicable disease and most of the treatments were unsuccessful (The History of Civil War Medicine).
At the start of the conflict, most doctors did not have experience to treat gunshot wound, and very few were experienced in assessing and treating the injuries of war. Though general anesthesia became accessible in 1846 but most of the surgeons were unqualified in surgical techniques and had not carried out surgery earlier. Wounds due to advanced weaponry - The casualties at Antietam were unimaginable. The vital reason for these dreadful casualties is that Rifled barrels were extensively used in the American Civil War. The rifled barrel considerably increased the range at which one could correctly hit a target. The failure of the commanders failed to realize this fact, combined with similar advances in artillery, led to untold casualties and carnage in the war.
Instruments used- Medical instruments in the war were including a depletion pan, a bullet snatcher and a cauterizing iron, and stresses the key liability of any medical staff attending to a bleeding patient was to stop the bleeding at all costs, even if it intended stuffing leaves, moss or anything else useful into the open injury (Coleman, 2003). Major effectual drugs during civil war were quinine, morphia, and other opium derivatives. Whiskey was frequently administered to the injured to bring down reaction. To repress malaria, Whiskey was also mixed with quinine and was administered daily. Other drugs were pepsin, various emetics to control vomiting, cathartics, iodine, and calomel.
Oil of turpentine or ipecac, though neither was very effective for treatment of Dysentery (Thomas Sweeney; M. D; Medicine in the Bloodiest War). Surgeons usually used the following procedure. First the surgeon would cut off the blood flow with a tourniquet. After that he would take a scalpel and slice through the outlying tissue and flesh. Then he would use a capital saw to saw through the bone.
After the bone and flesh was all sliced off, the surgeon would take silk or cotton and sew the major arteries and veins together. Since the time was essence, so the soldiers were carried off from one platform and another soldier was placed it (Beller, Susan Provost, 1992). Clara Barton and a confederate counterpart who nursed wounded-Clara Barton commenced her life span of helping others at the start of the Civil War, when she saw the necessity to aid wounded soldiers. The military had never permitted female nurses in army camps or hospitals earlier to Barton's work with wounded soldiers. She came with the U. S.
Army as it marched and fought in Virginia, nursing the wounded soldiers with a great danger to her own life. Her efforts to bring enhanced medical care and to assist locate misplaced servicemen laid the foundation for her upcoming role as the originator and leader of the American Red Cross. Barton had an experience with the 6 th Massachusetts Infantry and she was devotedly conscious that the U. S. Army Medical Department was ill-equipped for the treatment of casualties. She effectively appealed the military, with the help of U.
S. Senator Henry Wilson of Massachusetts, to help out in bringing provisions and personal aid to battlefields in 1862, a sizeable logistical problem. Barton provided a priceless service early in the war. Barton was solicited by President Lincoln as the war ended to support in locating and recognizing the missing in action, including the thousands of unidentified who died in military prisons. Before her work was completed, more than 22, 000 missing soldiers were recognized (Evans, 2003). Changes took place in medical care from the beginning to the end of the war-During the war period, both the South and the North struggled to get better level of medication and nursing given to soldiers.
Immense advances in medical care resulted from the Civil War. Several times, their efforts supported in the development of modern medication in the United States. Doctors kept complete records on medical and surgical activities during the war; doctors became more skillful at surgery and applying anesthesia, and possibly, a greater understanding of the relationship between cleanliness, diet. In the field of nursing, an important advance took place where esteem for the role of women in medicine increased significantly amongst both doctors and patients. Physicians documented the significance of a speedy emigration to field hospitals, along with the essential role played by public health and good hygiene in saving lives. Another important development was that nursing was recognized as a profession, and the Red Cross was founded by Clara Barton.
It was learnt that surgery became a central branch of medicine during the Civil War and the need for surgical equipment led to the quick growth of manufacturers in the United States. In the next 40 years, there were productions of some of the finest instruments ever made. These models of care maintained today also in contemporary military medicine. The War Between the States provided an ill-fated but best opening to discover the progression of battleground medicine through the offerings of several individuals Dr. Joshua B.
Letterman, Clara Barton, and Dr. Hunter Holmes McGuire to improving the medical care of soldiers on both sides. Conclusion- It is clear that medical facilities were very limited during civil war. Many soldiers survived amputations. If the amputation was done within 24 hours of the injury then there was a 50 % chance of survival. To curb terrible conditions in camp, and the resulting rampant disease, necessary action were taken by The Sanitary commission.
Physicians attributed the primary cause of disease to miasmas emanating from sewage, cesspools, or rotten vegetable matter. As a result, preventative medicine emphasized proper sanitation. Bibliography 1) Alan Hawk; An Ambulating Hospital: Or, How the Hospital Train Transformed Army Medicine; Journal Title: Civil War History. Volume: 48.
Issue: 3. Publication Year: 2002. Page Number: 197. 2) Beller, Susan Provost. Medical practices in the civil war.
Cincinnati, Ohio. 1992. 3) Thomas Sweeney; M. D; Medicine in the Bloodiest War. 1991. 4) Civil War Medicine (Ohio State University Department of History). web 5) Coleman Bruce, Guyton Lecturer Describes Challenges Of Civil War-Era Physicians. Medical Centre News. 2003. web 6) Caring for the Men: The History of Civil War Medicine. Available at: web 7) Evans GE.
Clara Barton. Teacher, Nurse, Civil War heroine, Founder of the American Red Cross. International History of Nursing Journal. 2003. pg: 7580. 8) Blagg CR. Triage. Napolean to the Present Day.
J Nephrology. 2004; 17: 629632. 9) Tooker John, Antietam: Aspects of Medicine, Nursing and the Civil War. 2007. web Medical Care and Nursing in the US Civil War Outline I) Introduction: Medical awareness during the Civil War was tremendously primal. II) Medical care and nursing during the US Civil War Surgeons had no formal training in the art of medicine. The amputations were without anesthesia. III) Statistics on number wounded, died in hospital IV) The challenges for doctors and nurses. Medical staff was not trained to deal with wounds caused due to war weapon.
Most of the soldiers were from rural backgrounds and were not immune to chronic diseases. V) Wounds due to advanced weaponry VI) Instruments used in medical treatment. VII) Major effectual drugs during civil war The painkiller used most often was morphine VIII) Clara Barton and a confederate counterpart who nursed wounded IX) Changes took place in medical care from the beginning to the end of the war Great advances in medical care resulted from the Civil War. X) Conclusion Medical facilities were very restricted during civil war.
Free research essays on topics related to: civil war, wounded soldiers, clara barton, american red cross, medical care
Research essay sample on American Red Cross Clara Barton
