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Doctors During The Civil War Essay

904 Words4 Pages

Throughout the four dangerous years of the Civil War, there were an estimated 620,000 casualties among both the Confederate and Union armies. There would have been thousands more if it weren't for the doctors and their determination to save soldiers in need through the help of medicine. Although medicine during the Civil War was viewed as harmful and unsanitary, it played a crucial role in today's modern medicine, medical advantages, and saving countless lives from life-threatening war wounds and illnesses.

The harder doctors worked out on the battlefields and in the hospitals during the civil war, the more techniques and information they were able to absorb during that time, and for the rest of their careers. When the Civil War started in …show more content…

By the time the Civil War had begun Doctors had not yet grasped all there is to know about different medical techniques. They still had a lot to learn. But as more time went on they were able to gain a greater understanding on how different parts of the body reacted to different types of medicines. From working in the battle fields and in the hospitals, different methods were founded for the recurring type of problems soldiers faced. During the Civil War doctors faced a lot of patients daily, so they were able to have a lot of experience. One source that highlights that is; "Due to the sheer number of wounded patients the surgeons had to care for, surgical techniques and the management of traumatic wounds improved dramatically. Specialization became more commonplace during the war, and great strides were made in orthopedic medicine, plastic surgery, neurosurgery and prosthetics" (Medical Improvements in the Civil War). This quote is showing that since there were so many injuries during the civil war, and thousands of soldiers seeked medical attention, doctors were most of the time able to find the roots of their problems and try to find solutions. Those solutions that doctors came up with, ended up being the start of different medical specialties. Overall, the effort that doctors put in through medicine, benefitted them back then, and even now. The solutions that doctors came up with, helped us get to where medical professionals are today in specialties like prosthetics, orthopedics, plastic surgery, and

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