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Bleeding Blue and Gray : Civil War surgery and the evolution of American medicine / Ira M. Rutkow.

By: Material type: TextTextPublication details: New York : Random House, c2005.Edition: 1st edDescription: xviii, 394 p. : ill. ; 25 cmISBN:
  • 0375503153 (acidfree paper)
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 973.7/75 22
LOC classification:
  • E621 .R88 2005
NLM classification:
  • 2005 I-395
  • WO 11 AA1
Online resources: Summary: A major contribution to our understanding of America's bloodiest conflict: surgeon and medical historian Rutkow argues that it is impossible to grasp the realities of the Civil War without an awareness of the state of medicine at the time. The use of ether and chloroform remained crude, and they were often unavailable--so many surgical procedures were performed without anesthesia, on the battleground or in a field hospital. This meant that "clinical concerns were often of less consequence than the swiftness of the surgeon's knife." Also, the existence of pathogenic microorganisms was still unknown, as was disinfection. From the soldiers who endured the ravages of combat to the government officials who directed the war machine, from the good Samaritans who organized aid commissions to the nurses who cared for the wounded, this book presents a story of suffering, politics, character, and, ultimately, healing.--From publisher description.
List(s) this item appears in: Anatomy Booklist
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Holdings
Item type Current library Call number Copy number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Book Book Karen H. Huntsman Library Main Book Collection - Second Level 973.775 R935B 1 Available 38060007206436
Total holds: 0

Includes bibliographical references (p. 351-380) and index.

A major contribution to our understanding of America's bloodiest conflict: surgeon and medical historian Rutkow argues that it is impossible to grasp the realities of the Civil War without an awareness of the state of medicine at the time. The use of ether and chloroform remained crude, and they were often unavailable--so many surgical procedures were performed without anesthesia, on the battleground or in a field hospital. This meant that "clinical concerns were often of less consequence than the swiftness of the surgeon's knife." Also, the existence of pathogenic microorganisms was still unknown, as was disinfection. From the soldiers who endured the ravages of combat to the government officials who directed the war machine, from the good Samaritans who organized aid commissions to the nurses who cared for the wounded, this book presents a story of suffering, politics, character, and, ultimately, healing.--From publisher description.

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