When people picture the Civil War amputations, they often picture piles of limps stacked around a battlefield and a surgeon as a butcher. However, this picture is not true to the real nature of battlefield medicine. Amputation was the most common surgery throughout the Civil War. The Civil War leads to advancement in amputation and quality of life for those who had amputation. Artificial limbs also came into the picture helping former soldiers lead a better quality life. New technologies lead to amputations being needed. New developments also lead to the possibility of survival for soldiers.
New weapons developed during this time such as the minie ball that caused a shattering effect. Minie balls were made of soft lead and hollow at the base. The mine ball, when fired, would expand. When a minie ball hit soldiers their internal bones would shatter. Doctors created hospitals on the battlegrounds to try to increase the rate of survival for soldiers. For soldier amputation was the only solution. Soldiers would have to under go amputation to avoid gangrene. Gangrene is the death of body tissue due to bacteria or a lack of blood circulation.
The only treatment for gangrene is removal of the damaged tissue. Three-fourths of surgeries performed during the Civil War were amputations. Over 70,000 soldiers lost a limb during the Civil War. In fact, Philadelphia’s South Street Hospital earned the nickname “Stump Hospital”, because of all the volunteer amputee veterans. Amputation was done by quickly cutting off the limb in a circular motion. It wasn’t very common for one to die due to loss of blood. Doctors then would cut skin flaps and sew them to form a rounded stump.
This was known as the “fish mouth” method. It was not common for 11 Thacker soldiers to need multiple amputations on multiple parts of the body. Surgeons also used the flap method, where the bone was dissected and flaps of deep tissue were used to close up the womb during surgery. When soldiers arrived on camp hospitals, they were sorted through. Any wound to the stomach was a death sentence. Few survived the experience. Any soldier wounded to the stomach, head, or chest were placed to the side, because they were most likely to die. Some of the soldier’s bodies would be used to experiment and test.
Doctors used the division, so the doctors could save valuable time and operate on those who were more likely to survive the experience. Many hospitals were nothing more then tents. Hospitals atmosphere were described as “Men screaming in delirium, calling for loved ones, while others laid pale and quiet with the effect of shock”(ehistory). “I notice a heap of amputated feet, legs, arms, hands, &c. , a full load for a one-horse cart. Several dead bodies lie near, each covered with its brown woolen blanket” (Whitman). Doctors were not prepared for the conditions. Many doctors got introduced to surgery on the battlefield. “The surgery of these battle-fields has been pronounced butchery.
Gross misrepresentations of the conduct of medical officers have been made and scattered broadcast over the country, causing deep and heart-rending anxiety to those who had friends or relatives in the army, who might at any moment require the services of a surgeon” wrote Dr. Letterman about his experiences in the Battle of Antietam (Letterman). Doctors only spent about 2 years in medical school and learned most of what they knew from experimenting on the soldiers. Doctors didn’t have sanitation in battlefield hospitals. Surgeries were performed with unwashed hands and unclean instruments.
When something was dropped it was just rinsed off in cool water. Even though there was not any sanitation the chance of survival for stretched then pervious wars. Doctors had medical kits, which included different tool for cutting such as knives, scalpels, bone saws, chain saw, suture and bandages. Thermometers were rarely used. 22 Thacker Doctors did have some painkillers, but they were not always given to all soldiers. The most effective were morphine and opium. What happened after the surgery? Soldiers were transported to a hospital by ambulance.
Soldiers were normally in horrible pain making the trip almost unbearable to deal with. The greatest risks for soldiers were now infection. Many soldiers who survived their infection and an amputation wanted artificial limb. Although artificial limps have been made since the 1500s, the Civil War caused a great demand for artificial limps. In some cases, veterans could stand again with proper artificial limbs and other times with a cane also. This caused the industry of artificial limps to advance greatly. Artificial limbs were very important, because the demand for agriculture had skyrocketed, since leaving for war.
Artificial limbs arms did not offer much purpose, however it made a missing limp less noticeable in public. Artificial limbs were high in demand and it was offered in some states like North Carolina. Expect for artificial arms because, they were seen as less needed then any other limbs. However, artificial limbs were considered to be greatly uncomfortable making many men resort to crutches. James Edward Hanger was the first documented amputee of the Civil War. Hanger describes his loss “No one can know what such a loss means unless he has suffered a similar catastrophe” (Hanger ).
Hanger developed the Hanger limp and his company still makes artificial limbs today. His company is the leading artificial prostatic company in the world today. The first artificial limb prostatic were made of steel and wood. But by 1863, rubber limbs were introduced because it was flexible and had a more natural looking appearance. Some arm models could grasp small objects and others had a Swiss army knife style added to their artificial prostatic limb. The Civil War had a huge impact on the development of amputation.
This era lead to increase in the quality of life for those who endured amputation and lead to great advancements in artificial prostatic limb. It also leads to artificial prostatic limb that are 33 Thacker still used today. Not only were countless lives saved with the revolutionary amputation process, but also men could return home and resume lives. They could possibly walk and work as they did before. 44 Thacker Works Cited “American Civil War Prosthetics. ” Walking in History. N. p. , n. d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. <http://www. clinicalgaitanalysis. com/art/history. html>. Amputation Being Performed. History of Men. N. p. , n. d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. <http://www. nlm. nih. gov/exhibition/lifeandlimb/maimedmen.
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” Civil War. N. p. , n. d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. <http://pacivilwar150. com/ThenNow/Medicine/InstrumentsTechniques>. Thompson, Kevin. “Amputations in Military Surgery during the Civil War. ” Civil War Medical Books. N. p. , n. d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014. <http://www. civilwarmedicalbooks. com/civil_war_amputation. html>. Wegner, Ansley. “Amputations in the Civil War. ” NCpedia. N. p. , n. d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. <http://ncpedia. org/history/cw-1900/amputations>. Whitman, Walt. “An Army Hospital Ward. ” Prose Works. N. p. , n. d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. <http://www. bartleby. com/229/1029. html>.