What type of medical assistance did the civil war have?

Answer 1

When the war broke out in April of 1861 neither side foresaw the horrendous toll the war would have on its soldiers. The US Medical Corp. consisted of a mere 98 surgeons and assistant surgeons. Even before the Battle of Bull Run/First Manassas, hospitals were cropping up all over Washington City (currently District of Columbia). Churches, hotels, schools and even in some of the governmental buildings.

It was highly disorganized and there were as many poorly trained doctors and nurses as there were good ones. Most soldiers died of disease due to poor ventilation in hospitals, unsanitary conditions and over dosage of painkillers.

As the war progressed commissions formed to help streamline medical supplies to hospitals, supervise nursing staff and oversee the quality of medical care given.

The civil war saw a growth in nursing. Thanks to people like Dorthea Dix and Clara Barton who formed procedures and training, many men survived due to the efficiency of these women. Field hospitals and hospital trains (carrying wounded from field to nearby hospitals) staffed drivers, interns, assistants who basically learned on the job.

By wars end many advances had been born out of necessity. A better understanding of disease, wounds and drug addiction advanced medical technology in the United States that would never have been learn at that time if it had not been for the horrors of war.

I would like to add, that there were almost double the deaths due to wounds and disease than there were soldiers killed on the battlefield. A battlefield wound was almost the kiss-of-death. If you were wounded and lived long enough to make it to a field hospital, your chances of survival was low, even for a minor wound. To stop the bleeding they used hot branding irons, arms and legs were cut off with saws. Gangrene, diarrhea and disease ran rampant due the lack of sanitation. To help stop the pain and suffering of the soldiers, opiate (morphine) drugs were handed out like candy, causing many of the surviving soldiers to be addicted. (Watch the movie "Gone with the Wind" the field hospital scene in Atlanta, Georgia)