Amputations During the Civil War

Amputations became widespread during the Civil War  and the removal of a limb was the most common surgical procedure in battlefield hospitals. Its often assumed that amputations were performed so often  because surgeons at the time were unskilled and simply resorted to procedures bordering on butchery. Yet most Civil War surgeons were fairly well-trained, and the medical books of the era detail precisely how amputations could be performed and when it was appropriate. So its not as if the surgeons were removing limbs out of ignorance. Surgeons had to resort to such a drastic measure because a new type of bullet came into widespread use in the war. In many cases, the only way to try to save a wounded soldiers life was to amputate a shattered limb. The poet Walt Whitman, who had been working as a journalist in New York City, traveled from his home in Brooklyn to the battlefront in Virginia in December 1862, following the Battle of Fredericksburg. He was shocked by a gruesome sight he recorded in his diary: â€Å"Spent a good part of the day in a large brick mansion on the banks of the Rappahannock, used as a hospital since the battle – seems to have received only the worst cases. Outdoors, at the foot of a tree, I notice a heap of amputated feet, legs, arms, hands, c., a full load for a one-horse cart.† What Whitman saw in Virginia was a common sight at Civil War hospitals. If a soldier had been struck in the arm or leg, the bullet tended to shatter the bone, creating horrendous wounds. The wounds were certain to become infected, and often the only way to save the patients life was to amputate the limb. Destructive New Technology: The Minià © Ball In the 1840s an officer in the French Army, Claude-Etienne Minià ©, invented a new bullet. It was different than the traditional round musket ball as it had a conical shape. Minià ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s new bullet had a hollow base at the bottom, which would be forced to expand by gases released by the igniting gunpowder when the rifle was fired. While expanding, the lead bullet fit snugly into the rifled grooves in the gun’s barrel, and would thus be much more accurate than earlier musket balls. The bullet would be rotating when it came from the barrel of the rifle, and the spinning action gave it increased accuracy. The new bullet, which was commonly called the Minià © ball by the time of the Civil War, was extremely destructive. The version which was commonly used throughout the Civil War was cast in lead and was .58 caliber, which was larger than most bullets used today. The Minià © Ball Was Feared When the Minià © ball struck a human body, it did enormous damage. Doctors treating wounded soldiers were often perplexed by the damage caused. A medical textbook published a decade after the Civil War, A System of Surgery by William Todd Helmuth, went into considerable detail describing the effects of Minià © balls: The effects are truly terrible; bones are ground almost to powder, muscles, ligaments, and tendons torn away, and the parts otherwise so mutilated, that loss of life, certainly of limb, is almost an inevitable consequence. None but those who have had occasion to witness the effects produced upon the body by these missiles, projected from the appropriate gun, can have any idea of the horrible laceration that ensues. The wound is often from four to eight times as large as the diameter of the base of the ball, and the laceration so terrible that mortification [gangrene] almost inevitably results. Civil War Surgery Was Performed Under Crude Conditions Civil War amputations were performed with medical knives and saws, on operating tables which were often simply wooden planks or doors which had been taken off their hinges. And while the operations may seem crude by today’s standards, the surgeons tended to follow accepted procedures spelled out in the medical textbooks of the day. Surgeons generally used anesthesia, which would be applied by holding a sponge soaked in chloroform over the patient’s face. Many soldiers who underwent amputations did eventually die due to infections. Doctors at the time had little understanding of bacteria and how it is transmitted. The same surgical tools might be used on many patients without being cleaned. And the improvised hospitals were commonly set up in barns or stables. There are numerous stories of wounded Civil War soldiers begging doctors not to amputate arms or legs. As doctors had a reputation for being quick to resort to amputation, soldiers often referred to the Army surgeons as butchers. In fairness to the doctors, when they were dealing with dozens or even hundreds of patients, and when faced with the gruesome damage of the Minià © ball, amputation often seemed like the only practical option.

Perspectives of the Beast - 820 Words

Perspectives of the Beast In Herman Melville’s Moby Dick and Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea we are introduced to two individuals who share different opinions on nature and the marvelous creatures that make up the world around them. In this paper, I will explore the differences between Captain Ahab and Santiago. In Moby Dick, we are introduced to Captain Ahab and his personal quest to avenge the personal loss he suffered at the jaws of what he considered to â€Å"evil† while Ishmael recounts â€Å" Ahab did not fall down and worship it like them; but deliriously transferring its idea to the abhorred white whale, he pitted himself, all mutilated, against it. All that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up the lees of things;†¦show more content†¦Only Ishmael is left to tell the tale in the end. Unlike Captain Ahab, Santiago in Hemingway’s novel shows deep compassion and respect for his prey despite the fact that he intends to kill the Marlin as he says â€Å"Fish, I love you and respect you very much but I will kill you dead before this day ends† (Hemingway pg 54.) It is passages like this which allows the reader to tell the differences between the two characters in that while one is obsessed with the destruction of his foe, the other embraces the very creature he intends to kill. Perhaps the biggest difference between Ahab and Santiago is when locked in confrontation with their intended targets as Ahab is stubborn to the end leading to his demise, while Santiago is willing to accept nature defending itself as shown in this passage â€Å"you are killing me, fish, but you have the right to. Never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, or a calmer or more noble thing than you, brother. Come on and kill me. I do not care who kills who† (Hemingway pg 92.) 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ABCDEFG Algorithm Look A Airway Free Essays

Text Version- ABCDEFG Algorithm Look A Airway B Breathing C Circulation For any signs of airway obstruction For evidence of mouth/neck/swelling/haematoma For security of artificial airway Look At the chest wall movement, to see if it is normal and symmetrical To see if the patient is using their neck and shoulder muscles to breathe (accessory muscles) At the patient to measure to measure their respiratory rate Look At the skin colour for pallor and peripheral cyanosis At the capillary refill time At the patient’s central venous pressure and jugular venous pressure Look At the level of consciousness For facial symmetry, abnormal movements, seizure activity or absent limb movements At pupil size, equality and reaction to light Listen For noisy breathing e. g. gurgling, snoring or stridor Feel For the presence of air movement For security of artificial airway Feel For the position of the trachea to see if it is central For surgical emphysema or crepitus If the patient is diaphoretic (Sweaty) Listen To the patient talking to see if they can complete f ull sentences For noisy breathing e. We will write a custom essay sample on ABCDEFG Algorithm Look A Airway or any similar topic only for you Order Now g. stridor, wheezing Listen To the patient for complaints of dizziness and headaches For patient’s blood pressure and heart sounds Feel Your patient’s hands and feet to see if they are warm or cold Your patient’s peripheral pulses for presence, rate, quality, regularity and equality. Feel For patient’s response to external stimuli For muscle power and strength D Disability Listen To patient’s response to external stimuli and pain For slurred speech For patient’s orientation to person, place and time. E F Exposure Fluids G Glucose Give oxygen Position your patient Call for help if you can’t manage Never leave a deteriorating patient without a priority management and review plan Look Listen Feel For any bleeding e. g. nvestigate wounds and drains For air leaks in drains The patients abdomen that may be hidden by bed clothes For bowel sounds Look Listen Feel At the observation and fluid charts, noting the fluid For patient’s complaints of thirst The sk in turgor input and output At losses from all drains and tubes At the amount and colour of the patient’s urine and urinalysis results Look Listen Feel At blood glucose levels For patient’s complaints of thirst If the patient is diaphoretic, (sweaty, cold or clammy) For signs of low glucose, including confusion and For patient’s orientation to person, place and time decreased conscious state At medication chart for insulin and oral hypoglycaemics Based on your assessment (above) decide an appropriate oxygen flow rate or percentage. If in doubt commence on 4L/min on a Hudson mask and increase as indicated by oxygen saturation or patient condition. Position your patient to optimise their breathing-usually this is as upright position as possible and as tolerated by the patient. Place the patient in the left lateral position if they are unconscious but have adequate breathing and circulation and where there is no evidence of spinal injury Establish IV If not present, +/- fluids Document and communicate clearly all treatment provided, outcomes of treatment implemented what care is still required The plan should include expected outcomes and when the patient will be reviewed again. How to cite ABCDEFG Algorithm Look A Airway, Papers

Gender Communication in the Wo Essay Example For Students

Gender Communication in the Wo Essay By: Ann Culver Communication between males and females has always been somewhat complicated. Because we are arguing that males and females have different cultures we wanted to take a look at what some of these differences might be. According to our research the inherent differences between male and female culture are the different roles that society holds for them and the ways these roles lead to different communication styles. The stereotypes that men and women grow up with affect the types of ways in which they communicate. We first wanted to take a look at how they specifically differ while men and women are arguing or having normal conversations. We also looked at the different types of networks that men and women share. These networks also differ and as do the reasonings for their formation. Although we do not think that men and women need to change their cultures to effectively communicate, we do think that better communication is possible. One of the researchers we took a look at was Deborah Tannen. According to Tannen the reason that men and women do not communicate well is that men and women use language differently. Women take the attitude that conversation is to explore solutions to common problems while men concern themselves more with getting information and hard data from conversation. Tannen states that what women look for in communication is human connection, while men consider status to be most important. They are looking for independence and are constantly looking for higher accomplishments. Intimacy threatens this independence, so men have a tendency to avoid it. One of the old sayings about women is that they talk more than men. It turns out that it is not necessarily true. Women seem to talk more in private conversations than do men. Women do not generally have a fear of intimacy and therefore are much more open with one another during private conversations. It is more difficult for women to use this type of communication style in the public arena. In that case it is men that do most of the talking. Tannen ultimately argues that men use communication as a weapon. They use long explanations to command attention from who it is they are speaking to. They use it to convey information and to ultimately gain agreement. Tannen suggests that through even simple conversation men are continually protecting their status. She suggests the reason that women dominate private conversation is that once men get home they do not feel the need to continue to protect their status so they remain quiet. This causes women to become more vocal. Tannen suggests that status affects many different ways in which men communicate and raises several different examples. One area she found was that men tell more stories and jokes than women. She suggests that they are not doing this to be funny but instead do it to again to negotiate status. They often tell stories in which they are the heroes and act alone to overcome obstacles. While women use storytelling to gain support from her personal networks. They use their stories that, if they are the subject of, contain her doing something foolish to put her at the same level as the listener. In this way women are not concerned with status as with relating and gaining support. Men and women also differ when they are listening. While women tend to use eye contact and head nods to let the speaker know that she is listening. Men often do not use these techniques because they suggest agreement with the speaker. Women also a technique which Tannen calls cooperative overlap. .ue3fa817a1a835b633988afd05f0d5acd , .ue3fa817a1a835b633988afd05f0d5acd .postImageUrl , .ue3fa817a1a835b633988afd05f0d5acd .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ue3fa817a1a835b633988afd05f0d5acd , .ue3fa817a1a835b633988afd05f0d5acd:hover , .ue3fa817a1a835b633988afd05f0d5acd:visited , .ue3fa817a1a835b633988afd05f0d5acd:active { border:0!important; } .ue3fa817a1a835b633988afd05f0d5acd .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ue3fa817a1a835b633988afd05f0d5acd { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ue3fa817a1a835b633988afd05f0d5acd:active , .ue3fa817a1a835b633988afd05f0d5acd:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ue3fa817a1a835b633988afd05f0d5acd .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ue3fa817a1a835b633988afd05f0d5acd .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ue3fa817a1a835b633988afd05f0d5acd .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ue3fa817a1a835b633988afd05f0d5acd .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ue3fa817a1a835b633988afd05f0d5acd:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ue3fa817a1a835b633988afd05f0d5acd .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ue3fa817a1a835b633988afd05f0d5acd .ue3fa817a1a835b633988afd05f0d5acd-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ue3fa817a1a835b633988afd05f0d5acd:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Jackie robinson 4 Essay This happens sometimes when women start to speak before the other person finishers speaking. They usually do this to agree and show support for what the speaker is saying. Women see cooperative overlap as a way to continue the conversation while men see it as a competitive ploy to gain control of that conversation. In this way communication again is not made clear, men are annoyed because they believe that the women are trying to dominate the conversation while women are annoyed because men will frequently try to change the subject. One of