About Civil War Surgery

An estimated 620,000 soldiers lost their lives during the American Civil War. A third of those died from wounds received during battle, rather than directly on the battlefield. This should give you an idea of how limited treatment options were at the time and how little doctors could do to save somebody's life. Surgery was one of the most common treatment options for wounds, despite the low chances for survival.

History

During the war, the North had 11,000 doctors working with the troops, while the South only had 3,000. Of that number, less than 1 percent had ever performed surgery before the Civil War started. Medical school at the time took two years and there were no official licensing boards, so anybody who passed the final exam graduated. Many doctors took the title only because it helped them land a political post, which meant they eventually went into the battlefield never having seen a patient in their lives.

Considerations

Most Civil War surgeons had a basic kit, containing amputation tools, such as a saw, pliers, hook and a few knives of different sizes. There were no antibiotics available at the time and other powdered drugs were too difficult to carry or too expensive to administer to have them on the field. Chloroform and morphine were widely used during and after surgery.

Effects

The idea of sterilization didn't come into practice until after the middle of the century, well after the war was over. By 1865, few surgeons were washing their hands or boiling instruments before reusing them on the next patient. Bloody sponges and clothes were the norm, and many patients were treated or operated on right on the ground, without the doctors worrying about dirt or other environmental conditions. Gangrene was a common result of such unsanitary situations, as were high fevers, delirium and death.

Features

Amputation was one of the most common types of surgery performed during the Civil War. This was the immediate course of action for broken bones or torn blood vessels, both in the legs and the arms. People who were shot in the head, stomach or chest were treated last or not at all, as they were not expected to survive and doctors couldn't afford the time to work on them. By the end of the Civil War era, experienced surgeons could amputate a limb (using a hand saw) in under 10 minutes.

Significance

"Surgical Fevers," a name used to describe the state of delirium brought on by infections after surgeries, were so serious that 87 percent of people who developed them never recovered. The first 48 hours were critical. If no infection developed, it meant that no blood poisoning or gangrene was present, which in turn meant that the chances for recovery were rather good. Among those who didn't develop a fever, the death rate was just 28 percent.

Resources

• Interesting facts on Civil War medicine