Post by Kiva on Feb 28, 2006 9:16:58 GMT -5
This was actually a speech I wrote for Speech 101 about a week ago. It could only be 6 minutes long, but I squeezed mine down to seven. I warn you, some of the material is graphically explained, so if you're squeamish about how an operation is performed, don't read. If you like all the medical blood-and-guts stuff, well then... enjoy!
Surgical Procedures of the Civil War
A speech written by... Kiva! (Hah! You all thought you'd get my real name out of it didn't you... ;D)
The battle had raged for hours. The outcome was indecisive. Men from both the Union and Confederate armies had fallen under the merciless hail of bullets and cannon fire. In the heat of the noonday sun you find yourself standing outside an infirmary tent of a Union camp, watching a surgeon prepare for an operation. The thick coppery smell of blood permeates the air as more wounded soldiers are brought in, moaning and crying pitifully, waiting to be examined and treated. A patient is brought over to the operating table and placed upon it. After examining the injury, a severe gunshot wound on the thigh, the surgeon declares that the limb must be amputated. The surgeon's assistants prepare the necessary tools. The patient is administered a local anesthetic and quickly falls asleep. Hastily, a tourniquet is applied and the skin incised with an amputating knife. After continuing to cut through the skin, then the muscle, the sharp blade encounters a hard resistance. After peeling back the skin and tissue, the bone was eventually exposed. The knife was then replaced by a surgical or capital saw which looked more suited to cutting wood than bone, and with a few grinding strokes the limb was quickly separated from the body. After tying off the major blood vessels, a bone file was used to smooth the the stump's edges; then the wound was closed with curved needles and silk thread. The surgeon then signals that the operation is complete and moves on to the next patient awaiting examination and care.
As an average amputation, this operation would last a mere 10-15 minutes; but the results would last a lifetime. The patient would never be able to walk properly again, and there would always be the risk of infection. And from the over 6,000 other cases of amputations performed for the same type of wound, the fatality rate was 54%. Yet due to the swift actions of a skilled surgeon, many men's lives would be saved from certain death.
Surgeons of the Civil War often held the rank of Major. Although considered non-combative personnel, their grades ensured that they were treated with the same respect as the other military personnel.
Ironically, many trained surgeons had no experience in dealing with the types of wounds they encountered on the battlefield. As the war progressed, however, surgical advances were made and new recruits to the medical field were trained and prepared in a way that their teachers had not been.
The use of anesthetic was widespread when conducting an operation. Chloroform was one of those most commonly used to induce unconsciousness. A few drops were placed on a piece of cloth and placed over the patient's nose and mouth; remaining there until the patient had inhaled enough of the fumes to fall asleep.
Morphine and Opium were more commonly used as pain relievers. Morphine was the more dangerous and addictive of the two; causing a sense euphoria, drowsiness, lethargy, blurred vision, and inhibited mental and motor skills. Opium was more widely used mainly for the fact it did not impair the senses or mental and motor co-ordination, and was less likely to cause an addiction, although accounts of it do exist.
Many people believe that the leading cause of fatlaities in the Civil War were due to the injuries they sustained in the heat of battle. While this was a deciding factor in the fate of many soldiers, quite a large number would fall prey to a death characterized by an illness or disease. The unsanitary living and medical conditions of the camps were a breeding ground for diseases like dysentery, an illness characterized by abdominal cramps, fever, loose bowels, and rectal pain. Adding to the fact that many soldiers were malnourished meant that the fatality rate was even higher. typhoid fever, caused by Salmonella, malaria, pneumonia. Surprisingly, acute childhood illnesses such as measles and mumps also claimed many lives. Of the recorded elistment men in the Union Army, 1 out of every 77 men would die of disease.
The fatalitites that occurred during the course of the War are staggering in number. One out of every 7 men were wounded. Of them, 15% of those wounded would die; and 1 out of every 43 men who enlisted were killed outright. And yet, with these discouraging numbers, we often fail to see the work that many a dutiful surgeon did to save the lives of his fellow comrades. Men who countless times placed themselves in the line of fire to bring comfort and treatment to those who needed it most. A signifcant number lost their lives under such endeavors, but their scarifice was not in vain. Because of the advancements in surgical procedures made during this painful time in the history of the United States, many soldiers, who would have died from wounds or diseases had those surgeons not been there, survived those dark years and were reunited with their families.
(P.S. I just got the grade for it today. Out of a possible 200 points for it, I got 196. Like I said, I got marked down because it was almost a minute too long. But I'm so happy! Yay! ;D)
Surgical Procedures of the Civil War
A speech written by... Kiva! (Hah! You all thought you'd get my real name out of it didn't you... ;D)
The battle had raged for hours. The outcome was indecisive. Men from both the Union and Confederate armies had fallen under the merciless hail of bullets and cannon fire. In the heat of the noonday sun you find yourself standing outside an infirmary tent of a Union camp, watching a surgeon prepare for an operation. The thick coppery smell of blood permeates the air as more wounded soldiers are brought in, moaning and crying pitifully, waiting to be examined and treated. A patient is brought over to the operating table and placed upon it. After examining the injury, a severe gunshot wound on the thigh, the surgeon declares that the limb must be amputated. The surgeon's assistants prepare the necessary tools. The patient is administered a local anesthetic and quickly falls asleep. Hastily, a tourniquet is applied and the skin incised with an amputating knife. After continuing to cut through the skin, then the muscle, the sharp blade encounters a hard resistance. After peeling back the skin and tissue, the bone was eventually exposed. The knife was then replaced by a surgical or capital saw which looked more suited to cutting wood than bone, and with a few grinding strokes the limb was quickly separated from the body. After tying off the major blood vessels, a bone file was used to smooth the the stump's edges; then the wound was closed with curved needles and silk thread. The surgeon then signals that the operation is complete and moves on to the next patient awaiting examination and care.
As an average amputation, this operation would last a mere 10-15 minutes; but the results would last a lifetime. The patient would never be able to walk properly again, and there would always be the risk of infection. And from the over 6,000 other cases of amputations performed for the same type of wound, the fatality rate was 54%. Yet due to the swift actions of a skilled surgeon, many men's lives would be saved from certain death.
Surgeons of the Civil War often held the rank of Major. Although considered non-combative personnel, their grades ensured that they were treated with the same respect as the other military personnel.
Ironically, many trained surgeons had no experience in dealing with the types of wounds they encountered on the battlefield. As the war progressed, however, surgical advances were made and new recruits to the medical field were trained and prepared in a way that their teachers had not been.
The use of anesthetic was widespread when conducting an operation. Chloroform was one of those most commonly used to induce unconsciousness. A few drops were placed on a piece of cloth and placed over the patient's nose and mouth; remaining there until the patient had inhaled enough of the fumes to fall asleep.
Morphine and Opium were more commonly used as pain relievers. Morphine was the more dangerous and addictive of the two; causing a sense euphoria, drowsiness, lethargy, blurred vision, and inhibited mental and motor skills. Opium was more widely used mainly for the fact it did not impair the senses or mental and motor co-ordination, and was less likely to cause an addiction, although accounts of it do exist.
Many people believe that the leading cause of fatlaities in the Civil War were due to the injuries they sustained in the heat of battle. While this was a deciding factor in the fate of many soldiers, quite a large number would fall prey to a death characterized by an illness or disease. The unsanitary living and medical conditions of the camps were a breeding ground for diseases like dysentery, an illness characterized by abdominal cramps, fever, loose bowels, and rectal pain. Adding to the fact that many soldiers were malnourished meant that the fatality rate was even higher. typhoid fever, caused by Salmonella, malaria, pneumonia. Surprisingly, acute childhood illnesses such as measles and mumps also claimed many lives. Of the recorded elistment men in the Union Army, 1 out of every 77 men would die of disease.
The fatalitites that occurred during the course of the War are staggering in number. One out of every 7 men were wounded. Of them, 15% of those wounded would die; and 1 out of every 43 men who enlisted were killed outright. And yet, with these discouraging numbers, we often fail to see the work that many a dutiful surgeon did to save the lives of his fellow comrades. Men who countless times placed themselves in the line of fire to bring comfort and treatment to those who needed it most. A signifcant number lost their lives under such endeavors, but their scarifice was not in vain. Because of the advancements in surgical procedures made during this painful time in the history of the United States, many soldiers, who would have died from wounds or diseases had those surgeons not been there, survived those dark years and were reunited with their families.
(P.S. I just got the grade for it today. Out of a possible 200 points for it, I got 196. Like I said, I got marked down because it was almost a minute too long. But I'm so happy! Yay! ;D)
What's an Enfield?
. A human would have to hold it for them if they wanted to fire one, and have a chance of hitting something.