The Story of Civil War Medicine
The Civil War Round Table Congress is hosting a virtual speaker series! Join them on February 10th for a talk with the founder of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, Maryland, Dr. Gordon Dammann as he tells the story of Civil War medicine front to back. This era is often referred to in a negative way as the Middle Ages of medicine in the United States. Many misconceptions exist regarding the quality of care during the war. It is commonly believed that surgery was often done without anesthesia, that many unnecessary amputations were done, and that care was not state of the art for the times. None of these assertions is true. He tells of physicians practicing in an era before the germ theory of disease was established, before sterile technique and antisepsis were known, with very few effective medications, and often operating 48 to 72 hours with no sleep. The care of wounded and sick soldiers from the battlefield, to the field aid station, to the hospital, is one of hope, courage, innovation, discovery, and social change.
Date: February 10, 2021
Time: 7:00pm
Learn more and check out more speaker events on the CWRT website!