Period 5 US History
9-27-13
As one might
expect, the United States medical field during the civil war was close to
disastrous. Bloody, gruesome, and horrid effects were dawned on the soldiers
and even more gruesome were the treatments that the wounded received. Compared
to the medical services that were offered in Europe, medics were poorly
trained, used inadequate materials, and often would operate just to get the job
done, not really thinking about the effects their actions would cause on the
wounded. Plus, there was always the
chance that the patients could catch disease from he operations, which probably
resulted in almost as many deaths as those who had died on the battlefield. Although
the amount of doctors was in much less quantities in the Confederate than the
Union states, there was still very little doctor influence. What might have
been a more positive involvement during the Civil War was the involvement of
women. Before the war began, women had typical roles in American society that
included managing the household and taking care of the family, but once it
began, women served as nurses and aided the to battlefield healthcare
tremendously.
More rare
diseases, such as bacteria outbreaks, to less rare ones, like pneumonia and
chicken pox occurred among all this action. Because of poor nutrition (caused
by many people all in one place and filthy conditions), bacteria started to
spread on the food, and was one of the causes of very negative effects on the soldiers at the battleground camp. Today, in hospitals, we can appreciate all the medical gadgets, supplies, and care we are given that now in today's standards, we take for granted.
Sources:
Medical Care During the Civil War
Medical Care, Battle Wounds, and Disease
Sources:
Medical Care During the Civil War
Medical Care, Battle Wounds, and Disease
i really like your ideas supporting your topic. it must have been bad not having well trained doctors during the time.
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