Civil War Medicine
Nearly 3 million men fought in the American Civil War (North and South). Total deaths from battle, disease, accidents and suicides would equal 617,528 by the end of the war. More than 1/2 million were wounded and survived. The war created an incredible demand for medical personnel, especially surgeons. Albany Medical College graduates answered the call for service. Over 200 AMC alumni served as surgeons for the Union Army; one was a Brigade Surgeon for the Confederate Army. Five became Surgeon Generals of New York State. Back at home, doctors and nurses cared for wounded transferred from field hospitals and hundreds of thousands of permanently disabled veterans.
Click on a photograph below for information about three who served:
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Albert Vander Veer, M.D. |
Alfred B. Huested, M.D. |
John N. Rippey, M.D. |
From the Past:
North
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From the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal (now The New England Journal of Medicine). Click here for more Civil War-era articles from the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal. |
South
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The Confederate States Medical & Surgical Journal was started in January 1864, as a means to publish works by Confederate surgeons and physicians and keep them informed, while under an embargo that prevented them from receiving other American or European medical journals. Fourteen issues were released before it ceased publication in February 1865; a March issue was prepared but lost when Richmond burned in April 1865. Visit these links for a look at some content from the journal: 
American Civil War & Military Medicine
American Civil War Morbidity & Mortality
From Google Books: 
From Online Exhibits:
The National Library of Medicine commemorates the anniversary of the Civil War with "Healing the Nation" - four online exhibits exploring the medical aspects of the war:
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Look for this tab to view the photos: |
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Surgeon Generals, S.N.Y. Vander Veer, Huested & Rippey
