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Impact of Civil War on Modern Medicine: Blood, Wounds, and Technology

Explore how the Civil War revolutionized medicine through triage, amputations, new weaponry, and the horrific battles like Gettysburg.

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Impact of Civil War on Modern Medicine: Blood, Wounds, and Technology

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  1. Photographs and Lead: The Civil War’s Impact on Modern Medicine

  2. Civil War Army Triage • Head Wounds Treated First- if alive • Arm/leg - treated second • Torso wounds- left to die on the field • amputation scene

  3. Civil War Facts

  4. Civil War Facts

  5. Why the carnage • Napoleonic fighting- Form of fighting perfected by Napoleon in the early 1800’s. Worked with massing formations of men to concentrate fire on enemy. Usually lines were 3-4 “men deep”. • Trench Warfare- Style of fighting in which defenders dug into Earth to protect themselves from fire of enemy. Small numbers of defenders could hold off larger number of attackers. By 1864 Confederates routinely use this method for defense.

  6. Basic Civil War Terms • Smoothbore weapon- muzzle has no groves in barrel. As a result weapon was not accurate since bullet or shell “knuckled” in the air. (Accuracy about 40-50%) • Rifled weapon- groves etched into barrel of weapon. Groves caused bullet or shell to spin (“football spiral”). Weapons were much more accurate than smoothbore weapons. (Accuracy over 60% with twice the distance)

  7. New Civil War Technology • Minie Ball- special bullet designed in 1848 by Claude Minie (French Army Officer) groves at base allowed bullet to use rifled barrels to spin. Accuracy was over 250 yards. Civil War is first major conflict to use this bullet. Results in very high losses of men.

  8. New Civil War Technology • Napoleon Smoothbore Cannon- Fired a round shell approximately 1700 yards approximately 1 ½ miles: Most Common Confederate Cannon • Parrot Rifled Cannon- Fired a “bullet shaped shell” approximately 2100 yards approximately over 2 miles: More advanced, more common with Union Forces, had bad tendency to explode when firing.

  9. New Civil War Technology • Types of Artillery • Solid Shot – solid ball fired from Cannon. Used primarily against fortifications but in past was used against lines of men (The Patriot) • Fused/Case shot- developed by British Officer Henry Schrapnel in 1803. Fused Shot was designed to explode in the air and rain down metal fragments on enemy troops. Later Case shot was developed when metal balls were added to inflict more damage as shot exploded • Cannister – Anti-personnel weapon used primarily against Infantry when within 50 yds of position. Was simply a hollow tin can filled with saw dust, small balls, and possibly links of chain. Effect was devastating, one shell could wipe out over 26 men.

  10. Gettysburg • Bloodiest 3 days in American History

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