Medicine during the American Civil War. Amputation anyone?

I love visiting little towns and small cities just to check them out and look around.

My husband and I went to check out Frederick, Maryland not too long ago. It was a weekend getaway while my parents watched the kiddos, so my husband and I could eat a meal without having to bribe a screaming child or clean spaghetti off the ceiling. As much as I enjoy those lovely things...

One of the stops we made during the trip was to the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.

I wasn't expecting too much from this museum. After all, Frederick is a small town and not too much goes on there. My colleagues were even teasing me that my big weekend getaway was to Frederick. Boy was I surprised once we arrived!

The museum features exhibits and artifacts from the Civil War having to do with the medical care of soldiers on the battlefields. The Civil War took place between 1861 and 1865. During those years, the medical technology was quite limited compared to what we have available today. Several advancements in the medical field were developed in and prompted by needs that arose during the Civil War. Despite these improvements, more American soldiers died during the Civil War from both combat and disease than died in all other wars combined. Some estimates say that over 600,000 Americans were killed during the war.

Changes in weaponry were one of the reasons for the increase in casualties in the Civil War compared to the Revolutionary War

In the Revolutionary war, muskets had a short firing range (50 yards) and were not as accurate as the newer muskets with attached rifles that were accurate up to 500 yards. In addition, the Minié bullets that were invented just before the Civil War would flatten and spread upon impact, creating a wider area of tissue damage for those who were shot. These slower moving bullets typically destroyed tissue but did not exit the body, creating substantial tissue damage and the need for many amputations.

The Civil War took place before the world knew much at all about germs and what causes infection.

Surgeries were performed without antiseptic techniques, and infections were commonplace. However, prior to the Civil War, an infection was typically tended to but would often spread and could lead to sepsis, due to a lack of understanding of how germs work. However, during the Civil War, surgeons learned that it was more effective to amputate the infected part of the body to prevent a systemic infection.

75% of the surgeries performed during the Civil War were amputations.

When amputations took place within a day of the incurred injury, the likelihood of survival was greatly increased.

Civil War medicine was not First Come, First Served.

The concept of triage was also developed and improved during the Civil War. The idea to organize patients needing care into prioritized groups, so that those in the most need received care first, helped to save lives of many soldiers. Triage is an important part of emergency medicine used today.

Medicine was quite limited

During the Civil War, most of the available medicines were botanicals. There were a few medications that actually worked, like morphine, quinine, chloroform, and ether, and camphorated tincture of opium. At the same time, other medicines used at the time contained mercury and arsenic and caused a whole host of other health problems.

If you ever find yourself in or around Frederick, MD, be sure to make a stop at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.

But make sure to do a limb count on your way out!

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History sources:
Reilly 2016
Civil War Medicine: An Overview of Medicine

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All content and photos by @jaymorebeet, taken on July 1, 2016, using a Canon EOS 7D Mark II.