History of Surgery: United States (from The Illustrated History of Surgery)

Jaber Ansari, M

History of Surgery: United States (from The Illustrated History of Surgery)

Author

M Jaber Ansari

General and Pediatric Surgery Specialist, Mehrad Hospital

Abstract

One of the most important indirect effects of the Civil War was the large number of physicians who were familiar with the basic principles of surgery. At the beginning of the war, there was doubt about the competence of the medical corps, especially the surgeons. The majority of the medical volunteers had no training in surgery and practiced only general medicine. Because they lacked sufficient experience and skill, they often combined simple operations in a way that hurt the wounded more than they helped them. However, because the number of wounded who had to be treated in one or two days of fighting was extremely high [for example, at Antietam, 5,510 were killed and 25,815 were wounded; At Chickamauga, 4,033 were killed and 22,674 wounded, and at Gettysburg, 6,334 were killed and 28,209 wounded. [The surgical experience of thousands of physicians increased greatly. These surgeons were exposed to new ideas, standards of patient care, and anesthetics. As a result of this training of surgeons on the battlefield and in the field, American surgery rapidly evolved and evolved.

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