Civil War Medicine (Illustrated Living History) [Library Binding]

C. Keith Wilbur (Author)

Book Description

Series: Illustrated Living History | Publication Date: July 1999

Describes the state of medical knowledge and the practice of medicine, particularly by military medical personnel, during the Civil War.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The Civil War created both crises and opportunities never before imagined by the medical professional. Doctors of the time were not prepared to deal with the staggering number and nature of wounds inflicted. And often, absolute necessity mothered many inventions, from new surgical instruments to the logistics of providing ambulance service on the battlefield. The brutal reality of the war pushed doctors to a new level of medical and surgical knowledge. In Civil War medicine 1861-1865, Dr. C. Keith Wilbur takes you on a detailed and fascinating tour through the medical history of this bloody and devastating war. Hundreds of illustrations, combined with well-researched and engaging text, tell the tale of the challenges presented to physicians with each new battle and the often-heroic ways those challenges were met. Discover and learn: how outmoded theories hobbled doctors in the field; the stories of the women who first entered a 'man's army' as nurses; the details about the field hospitals, from the different kinds of bandages used to the diseases and wounds the doctors treated; and details of the day's surgical practices, medications, and anesthesia (or lack thereof).

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 119 pages
• Publisher: Chelsea House Publications (July 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0791052079
• ISBN-13: 978-0791052075
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,362,655 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Difficult Reading, February 14, 2005

By 

Sherry R. Hewitt (Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Civil War Medicine (Illustrated Living History Series) (Paperback)

This is a book that could have been improved greatly with the use of a different font. Although there are many interesting facts in this book, the font chosen to present these ideas is very difficult to read and will perhaps discourage older readers.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Out to lunch publishers & editor?, December 12, 2005

By 

M. Mercedes (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Civil War Medicine (Illustrated Living History Series) (Paperback)

HORRENDOUSLY UNINTELLIGIBLE FONT used throughout this book, as the previous reviewer mentioned. The FONT is extremely irritating to the eyes after reading just a few pages! WHAT were these publishers thinking? The book is read for INFORMATION and thus, that information should be accessible. As is, this is some editor's, or publisher's, wacky and misguided idea of a quaint, authentic, hand-written "look." The font reminds me of those awful, freebie, handwriting fonts you find on the web. A huge mistake. The information is interesting if you can get past the irritation of reading it. Worth more than this monstrosity of a presentation.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Civil War Medicine, November 1, 2009

By 

A. Bryant Betsill "Spartan Caver" (Fayetteville, Ga.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Civil War Medicine (Illustrated Living History) (Library Binding)

Dr. C. Keith Wilbur has finally done what no other author of the subject has managed. To distill and condense all the massive amount of information out there about medicine of the 19th century; with particular focus on the emergency and long term treatment of soldiers. So many other authors write extensively about the subject as if their work is to be the textbook for university studies. However, I needed only a good dusting in the general basics of Civil War time medicine, not a dust storm. While some authors can expend a full chapter on the set up of a field hospital, Dr. Wilbur takes only a few paragraphs.

Even though this book target audience may be youth, Dr. Wilbur will insert medical technical terms such as tracheotomy, pleurisy, tonsillar abscess, diaphoretics, Trepanation surgery. I have a familiarity with all these terms, except for terpanation; I had to look that one up. It lends authenticity and authority to his work, but youth may need a medical dictionary to follow along in a few places.

The book is part of the Illustrated Living History Series and features simulated hand made drawings of the instruments and reproductions of other Civil War photos. I actually like the drawings over photos for they reveal details that otherwise might not photograph well. In keeping with the "Living History" theme, the text is about a 12 but in a hand-writing font. This made initial reading hard for someone with poor eyesight. I am not completely sure that part of some letters were not missing. The text takes a little getting used to.

If you want a "Cliff Notes" or "Readers Digest" guide to Civil War Medicine, then I would recommend this book.