Hospitals+and+Medicines


 * Hospitals and Medicines **


 * During the the civil war, medical conditions were bad. Many soldiers were wounded or there wasn't enough nurses or resources to take care of them all. Most nurses were untrained and volunteers. The lack of sanitation and water lead to diseases. The living conditions were also brutal and unsanitary. Here is some more information about the hospitals and medicines.**



Diseases were a big impact on the number of soldiers that died. An estimated two times more men died from diseases than gunshot wounds. Diseases spread quickly because of living conditions and practices. Soliders lived in unsanitary shelters and usually didnt bathe or wash their clothes for months. The lack of hygiene and the unsanitary conditions caused diseases to spread rapidly. The number of wounded and lack of clean water also made diseases spread faster. Some diseases included smallpox, scurvy, tuberculosis, rubeola, and much more.

Amputation:

Many serious injuries lead to amputations. An estimated 75% of amputees survived. At the end of the day, a doctor could have stacks of amputated legs up to 5ft high. Amputation was the most common surgery of the civil war. Doctors used hacksaw like tools to cut off limbs. Doctors used the same knives and saws all day, only wiping them on their aprons to start on the next patient. Cases || Deaths || % Fatal || Fingers || 7,902 || 198 || 2.5 || Forearms || 1,761 || 245 || 13.9 || Upper Arms || 5,540 || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1,273 || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">23.0 || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Toes || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1,519 || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">81 || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5.3 || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Shins || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5,523 || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1,790 || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">32.4 || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thighs || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">6,369 || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3,411 || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">53.6 || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Knee Joints || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">195 || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">111 || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">56.9 || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hip Joints || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">66 || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">55 || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">83.3 || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ankle Joints || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">161 || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">119 || <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">73.9 ||

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Medicines and Care:

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Doctors used Chloroform as an anesthetic to reduce torture and trauma. It was applied to a cloth and held over the patients nose or mouth until inhaled or until the patient was unconscious. In serious injuries, the ateries were tied to stop the bleeding. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nurses and doctors:

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Aproximately two thousand nurses served in the civil war. Many of the nurses were female,untrained or had little experience. Some duties that a nurse had were tending and cleaning wounds, comforting the dying, and assisting doctors. Men didn't like the idea of having female nurses because of the horrible sights of the wounded soldiers. We owe the nurses of the civil war a great amount of grattitude.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Resources:


 * **<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|www.sonofthesouth.net] **
 * **<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|www.civilwarhome.com] **
 * **<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|www.rootsweb.ancestry.com] **
 * **<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|www.powerweb.net] **
 * **<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|www.civilwar.bluegrass.net] **