Amputations during the civil war were a soldiers best chance of survival. If a solider was wounded during the civil war, their wound was likely to become infected, and the infection could be fatal. Surgeons during this war dealt with hundreds of patients a day; they had to make hard and fast decisions. The Civil War states, "”quickly examined the wound...resolved cutting off the wounded limb…”...”...snatched the knife from between his teeth, where it had been while his hands were busy, wiped it rapidly once or twice across his blood stained apron…”...”the surgeon would look around with a deep sigh and then-’Next’!”. Surgeons in the Civil War were not as medically informed as surgeons today. They were most definitely not sanitary; the surgeon in the quote was holding a knife in his mouth, and wiping his ungloved hands on his already dirty apron. Surgeons did not think to clean their tools or operating tables so they would be covered in filth and blood after each patient. The lack of medical knowledge contributed to the death rates of these soldiers, but the surgeons during these times used the tools provided to their potentials.
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An Amputation being preformed in a hospital tent in GettysburgSurgeons during the Civil War were scarce; there were only 98 registered doctors in the Union Army(North) and the Confederacy(South). Due to the lack of doctors these two armies would take anyone who considered themselves to be a physician; many read directions on the small amount of medical knowledge available and then operated right afterward. According to these untrained physicians, pus was a good thing. The Doctors would take the pus of one infectious solider and transfer it to another, thinking it would help. They did not understand germs and how they spread diseases if contracted; the surgeons were in violations of every rule of sterilization that doctors follow today.
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John Rorer & Sons Surgical and Amputation Set
The John Rorer and Sons set was one of the highest quality in the 1785-1860 era; it was a typical and basic set used all throughout the Civil War. The most important tools in this set are the Bow, or Bone Saw, the Capital Saw, and the Amputation Knife. The Bow was used to cut through minor bones and was considered to be more "modern" because of its small size. The Capital Saw was used for aputating a limb; it was usually used when a life was at stake. The amputation knife was used to lift or separate bone; it was a typical style of pre-1860 amputation knifes. These tools were used to cut through skin without any numbing or anesthesia; surgeons did not even know that was a possibility. The pain that the soldiers went through was insurmountable, and the filth from the knives could make matters worse by spreading disease and infections.
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Civil War Ambulence Crew PhotographAfter amputation was preformed on the barracks, the solider was moved further from the fighting by horse drawn carriage. The ride was long and bumpy, which would not be good for a wound that needs to heal. The solider would likely endure more pain than necessary, and in the winter conditions would be worse because the rail car would be extremely cold.
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