| For every man
killed in battle, two died of illness or disease.
Bad drinking water and food, poor clothing and
mosquitoes were a major cause of illness. Caring
for the sick and wounded during the Civil War was
a major problem. Most doctors didn’t’
understand the need to wash their hands to
prevent infections. Often the injured died form
infections rather than from the wound itself.
Medicine was also very primitive. The only
treatment for a broken arm or leg was to
amputate, or cut off the limp. Hospital care also
left much to be desired. Hospital care varied
from buildings, churches, barns and tents to
wagons in the middle of the battlefield.
Records &
information contributed by Kathy O'Connell
Other sources: "Front Royal Was the Key to
the Shenandoah Valley" by Gary
Schreckengost; America's Civil War Jan 2000
issue.
|
