S2 E21 | From Civil War Medical Realities and Surgeon General Hammond’s Reforms to Battlefield Amputations, Opium Tales, and Prosthetic Innovations
Discover the untold stories of Civil War medicine with filmmaker and veteran Steve Hollingshead, as he shatters the romanticized war narratives of yesteryear. Prepare to be transported to the brutal and unsanitary battlefields where disease claimed more lives than bullets, and hometown doctors were suddenly thrust into roles for which they were woefully unprepared. Through Steve’s lens, explore the impact of Surgeon General Hammond’s sanitation reforms and how these changes slowly transformed the grim reality of wartime medical care.
Our journey through history uncovers bizarre and fascinating aspects of the Civil War era: from the bittersweet tales of laudanum, an opium-based painkiller, to the surprising role of brothels in maintaining public health in Washington, D.C. We discuss the brutal realities of battlefield surgeries, often performed without modern anesthesia, and the emergence of prosthetics as a symbol of both suffering and innovation. Steve shares captivating anecdotes, including the gritty details of battlefield amputations and the unexpected assistance of maggots in wound care.