Decidedly Grim

A staged photograph of a Union soldier receiving anesthesia during the Civil War.

Today’s Anesthetized Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

Although in its infancy, anesthesia, even at the onset of the American Civil War, was routinely employed – contrary to the commonly held misconception today and at the time that amputations were performed without anesthesia. Indeed, a soldier undergoing surgery without anesthesia was the exception rather than the rule, and it generally occurred only when supplies were exhausted. Chloroform and ether were first used by U.S. troops during the Mexican-American War in 1847. Chloroform was used at least 75% of the time since it was nonflammable, more easily transported, and more readily attainable than ether, especially in the blockaded South. Ether was also found to worsen shock and lower blood pressure and is now known to be a potent vasodilator. Records collected after the war show that of 8,900 examined cases of anesthesia administration, only 43 deaths could be attributed directly to the anesthetic. This 0.4% mortality rate was remarkable considering the lack of monitoring equipment and supplemental oxygen. The low death rate was ascribed to the open-drop technique, wherein the anesthetic was applied to a cloth held over the patient’s nose and mouth and withdrawn after the patient was off to sleep. More than 80,000 cases of anesthesia were reported, a testament to its widespread use. In addition to anesthesia, opium was used for pain control, not only for injuries but for painful dressing changes. The typical way of administering opium was by pill form or by dusting it on the wounds. It is much less effective in the latter form. Near the end of the war it was also being given by hypodermic injection, a much more effective but less common technique.

Culled from: Orthopaedic Injuries of the Civil War

Facts