I bought this book at the Pea Ridge Civil War Battlefield near Bentonville, Arkansas, with the intent of using it as story material. Lo and behold, only a few months after purchasing it, I read it with that very goal in mind. In particular, I needed to know about Victorian battlefield practices, what a physician would carry, and other difficulties of the period. This book gave me everything I needed (and what Google could not).

The American Civil War was a time of transition in medical theory. It was a time when inflammation was regarded as a good thing, when illnesses were caused by bad spirits or air (mal-airia), and when abundant sweat was considered healthy (so Northern wives sent flannel hats for their men to wear during Southern summers). Cleanliness was also not considered a high priority. Florence Nightingale's nursing techniques in the Crimea were only a decade before, and the medical establishment did not readily change. The North did have an advantage in many ways: they founded a sanitation commission to increase camp morale and cleanliness, and they also had ready access to medicines like quinine. They were also more likely to develop new techniques in ambulances and hospital organizations. Confederate doctors soon realized that maggots may not be such a bad thing after all, as they only ate dead tissue.

The book includes artwork of the tools of the time. No medical volume on the Civil War could omit the use of bone saws. There are pictures of the various types of saws and the particular techniques used in cutting; it wasn't just a straight up and down cut, but was done with care so that extra muscle and tissue could cover the stump of bone. It also discusses injuries throughout the body, including fascinating excerpts on Abraham Lincoln's autopsy.

I was particularly interested in finding out more about germ theory of the time. Microscopes did exist and germs had been sighted (called zymes) but were thought to be a normal part of the healing process. It wasn't until after the war that Louis Pasteur made his great advances in Europe and Lister developed new sanitizing techniques, thus causing a dramatic drop in death rates.

One other curious thing about this book: I questioned buying it because the full 100-page book is done in an old-timey font. As I began to read, I quickly realized--it wasn't a font, it was hand-written! I soon became accustomed to the print and had no issues reading it.

CIVIL WAR MEDICINE obviously isn't a book for everyone, but I found it to be a great read and one I will keep on my shelf. ( )