cwmednotespage

From the Medical command of Doctor Robert L.
Brodie Major C.S.A. C.M.D.

As the war began there was no standard medical practice.
Most aspiring doctors were required to take two-six month
terms of lectures the second was a repeat of the first.
They had ample education about the body but no theory of
sterilization or germs.
As new recruits were gathered for training in large camps
most fell ill due to the unsanitary conditions and exposure
to childhood diseases. It was’t until 1862 that Chief
Medical Director Jonathan Lettermen developed a system
to get the troops to treatment as quickly as possible and
better sanitize camp conditions.
The first level of care one received was to be bandaged by
an Asst Surgeon on the field, given whiskey for shock or in
some cases morphine for pain. Both Northern and
Southern wounded troops were treated equal on the line
and in field hospitals. If they could not be turned over or
sent back to their unit right away they were transported to a
field hospital as pictured above. Conditions were far from
sanitary and often gruesome. Stacks of arms and legs
were not uncommon as were fragmented bodies and
wounded men lying nearby tormented in pain, from
wounds received in battle.

With the large numbers of deaths, Mortuary Science grew in equal numbers, largely because
families wanted their loved one to be returned home for a more "fit" burial. Not all troops that
received mortal wounds received this treatment. Most were buried in mass graves, and it was
not uncommon to stumble upon the skeleton remains of soldiers, which were over-looked or
buried hastily in shallow graves.

My Medical Impression

It's rumored that when the medicine for the pain ran
                            their lead bullets. The truth is Men
                            did this out of boredum rather then
                            intense pain. This is an example of
                            chewed bullets found in a Redoubt
                            near Virginia

aka Bill Gent

A field hospital had three categories: Mortally wounded, slightly wounded and surgical cases. Most surgical cases were amputations
due to the introduction of the Minie Ball. The damage to tissue and bone were tremendous. After treatment for the most severe cases,
most troops were then sent to a large hospital far from the battlefield where they received further treatment by Surgeons, Stewards,
male and female Nurses, Matrons, Laundresses and Volunteers. Medicine was improving but only slowly. After the war it is estimated
that there was over 500,000 Morphine, Opium and Laudanum addicts. For many, that survived the war, the rage within would linger for
the rest of their years.