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Civil War: The Middle Ages Of Modern Medicine

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The American Civil War occurred in the United States between 1861 and 1865 after rising tensions between the North and South ultimately snapped. 3 million soldiers fought and 620,000 lives were claimed which was 2% of America’s population of that time. Many of the fatalities were not from combat wounds, but from diseases that plagued the soldiers. Medicine during the Civil War is often referred to as the Middle Ages of American medicine because of the primitive knowledge about medicine. Even so, there were many medical advances during the Civil War such as the creation of the ambulance corps, amputation, anesthesia, and many more. Many of these new procedures and innovations are still used today. Meaning that the Civil War was necessary for modern medicine because new systems and techniques …show more content…
Even though medicine during Civil War is referred to as the Middle Ages of American they were many modern innovations were created during the war. Some of the most significant developments were the creations of the ambulance corps and a triage system created by Dr. Jonathan Letterman the medical director of the Army of Potomac. Dr. Letterman’s ambulance system was first tested in the Battle of Antietam on September 17,1862. In “Civil War Medicine,” Douglas Savage states how effective the ambulance corps were in their first battle, “His ambulances performed well. Within one day, they removed 10,000 wounded from the battlefield and moved them to 71 field hospitals,” (35). Prior to Dr. Letterman’s reformations, all ambulances belonged to the Quartermaster's department and were used as regular wagons. Wounded men and medical supplies were frequently not transported because the wagons were too busy

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