Medicine in the Revolutionary War

 

Being a soldier in the Revolutionary War was risky business, and not just because of the battles. If the war itself did not kill a soldier, seeking medical treatment for a wound or illness might. Statistics show that a soldier had a 98 percent chance of survival on the battlefield but only a 75 percent chance in a hospital. Thankfully, modern medicine has come a long way, but just what did soldiers during the Revolutionary War have to look forward to if they needed medical help?

 

Doctors and Hospitals

 

To practice medicine today, doctors undergo years of intense study and training. However, that was not the case in colonial America. People could call themselves doctors and begin practicing medicine after just a few years of apprenticing with another doctor. Medicine of the time was practiced based on theories rather than on real scientific knowledge. Many doctors believed that illness was caused by an imbalance of the humors, which were blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. Because of this belief, doctors often prescribed bloodletting or medicine to induce vomiting or bowel movements to restore the balance.

 

To seek treatment for any serious ailment, a soldier would have had to go to a hospital of sorts. Military regiments had a surgeon on staff to care for the men, so the soldier's first stop would be with the surgeon. During battles, the surgeon could be found in a makeshift or "flying" hospital that consisted of a tent, an operating table, and some medical equipment. If the surgeon could not treat the soldier, he might be sent to a hospital. Many regimental hospitals were in nearby houses, while general hospitals for more in-depth treatment were sometimes set up in barns, churches, or other public buildings. The conditions were often cramped, which resulted in the rapid spread of contagious illnesses and infections.

 

Medicine in Short Supply

 

Supplies during the Revolutionary War were incredibly sparse. That was in part because most medicine had previously been brought in from England by ship, but since the Americans were fighting the English, that source was eliminated. This problem was alleviated by an alliance with the French in 1778, who then provided medicine and other supplies to America.

 

Even if a doctor could get his hands on some medicine for his patients, the options were still limited. Doctors used opiates as painkillers, but anesthetics had not been invented yet. Other common medicines included mercury compounds, lavender spirits, and cream of tartar.

 

Surgery and Sanitation

 

Woe to the soldier who required surgery after being wounded on the battlefield! The conditions in "flying" hospitals were deplorable. Not only was the operating room simply a table in a tent, but there was little thought given to keeping the table and tools clean. In fact, wounds were sometimes cleaned using plain water from a bucket, and the used water would be saved to clean out the next soldier's wounds as well.

 

If a soldier was shot with a musket ball, which had a diameter of about three-fourths of an inch, the damage was devastating, and he would most certainly require a visit to the surgeon. Since there was no anesthesia at the time, the soldier was strapped to the table to keep him restrained while the musket ball was dug from his body using tools that probably had not been washed after being used to treat the last soldier. If the musket ball struck a bone, the damage was usually so bad that the only option was amputation, which was also performed right there in the makeshift hospital tent. Patients were strapped down and given something to bite down on, like a piece of wood or some leather, to keep them from biting off their own tongues as they endured the agony. Of course, none of this did anything to dull the pain; if the doctor and the other patients in the tent were lucky, the man's screams would stop when he passed out. If the patient survived, he was given opiates for his pain, but the infection caused by unsanitary conditions was frequently the cause of death.

 

• The General Hospital at Mount Independence: Read a report written about a hospital that operated during the Revolutionary War.
• Colonial Medical History and Practices: Excerpts from the archives of History Quarterly reveal the history of medicine and common practices during colonial times and the Revolutionary War.
• Doctors in Colonial America: Find out how doctors used opiates and bodily fluids to treat ailments.
• Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Lesson Plan: Learn more about science and medicine during colonial times, including how medicine was practiced in the army.
• Medical Preparation for the Lewis and Clark Expedition: The Lewis and Clark Expedition did not include a trained medical doctor. Find out who stood in as the expedition's doctor and how he prepared.
• Revolutionary War Army Hospitals (PDF): Pennsylvania saw a great deal of casualties during the Revolutionary War. Read how the hospitals were affected by the war and what they did to keep up with the demands of treating wounded soldiers.
• Dissection Tools: The Smithsonian Museum houses a collection of tools used by medical students around the time of the Revolutionary War. See pictures of the tools and learn what part they played in a medical student's training.
• Amputations: Amputation was a grisly and all too common practice during the Revolutionary War. Discover why and how amputations were performed.
• Famous Revolutionary War Doctors: Read a history of medicine and learn about famous Revolutionary War doctors.
• The Role of Women: Women served as nurses during the Revolutionary War. Find out more about the job here.
• Military Medical Salaries: How much did surgeons and nurses make working at hospitals during the Revolutionary War? This page has the answer along with more information about hospitals of the time.
• Colonial Apothecary Writings: Learn about apothecaries and the books they wrote during the colonial era.
• Medicinal Herbs: Read a list of herbs used to treat illnesses and ailments in early America.
• Colonial Medical Theories: Discover how colonial doctors believed fluids affected the health of a body.
• Colonial Body-Snatching: Body-snatching played an important role in advancing medical science. Learn about Harvard University's involvement in colonial body-snatching.
• Disease and Treatment in Philadelphia: Read how doctors and hospitals in early Philadelphia treated diseases that affected the population.

 

 

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