Beginning
Medical training was still emerging out of the “Heroic Era”, which began in the 1700s. The “Heroic Era” consisted of physicians practicing bloodletting, purging, and blistering in hopes of re-balancing the humors of the human body and remedying the sick. These aggressive remedies were often worse than the patient’s actual disease.1
Shakespeare's humours (3)
At the start of the Civil War, around 1860, medicine and medical knowledge were not up to date. American medicine was far behind European medicine. The Civil War brought along many new medical challenges, for example: wounds, infections and disease. On average, Civil War doctors underwent two years of medical school. As a result, many doctors had little to no qualifications. Most had never treated a gunshot wound or performed surgery. Doctors did not understand the cause of disease or have an understanding of germ theory, antiseptics, medical equipment or organized hospitalization systems.2
Shakespeare's humours (4)
1. Dixon, Ina. "Civil War Medicine." Civil War Trust. Last modified October 29, 2003. Accessed February 10, 2017. http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/civil-war-medicine/civil-war-medicine.html.
2. IBID
3. Quinta Essentia. Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Accessed May 21, 2017. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quinta_Essentia_(Thurneisse)_illustration_Alchemic_approach_to_four_humors_in_relation_to_the_four_elements_and_zodiacal_signs.jpg.
4. Lavater1792. Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Accessed May 21, 2017. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lavater1792.jpg.