Dysentery
- Dysentery is an infection in the intestines which causes someone to pass three or more watery stools a day. Symptoms of the disease are diarrhea, cramps, nausea, bloody stool, and vomiting. . There are two types of dysentery.
- One which is called shigellosis and is caused by the shigella bacteria, whereas the other is amoebiasis and is caused by an ameba, usually found in the tropics.
- . During the Civil War It is believed roughly 200,000 soilders aquirred some form of dysentery or diarrhea. The union army claims over 57,000 soldiers died from the disease and the confederates recorded roughly 50,000 died from dysentery, whereas battle wounds claimed only a little over 42,000
- Opium was a common treatment for dysentery, however if the rectum was closed then a mixture of chalk and mercury (toxic to humans) would be used
- Current treatment for Dysentery is usually large amounts of fluid intake and in severe cases antibiotics.
- Easily transmitted due to the cramped and unsanitary conditions in the camps.
Gangrene
- Gangrene occurs when a large amount of tissue dies through what is called necrosis, which can be potentially life threatening. Gangrene can be caused by anything that causes tissue to die, but usually is related to a bacterial infection or thrombosis (blood clot).
- There are multiple types of Gangrene; Dry Gangrene occurs usually due to arteriosclerosis and is mostly found in elderly patients. Wet Gangrene is caused by a bacterial infection which kills off tissue and can lead to the body becoming septic. Gas Gangrene is a bacterial infection that leads to necrosis of muscle tissues and can cause blisters. Very common amongst soldiers during war up until the 20th century. The last type is necrotizing fasciitis, which is an infection that effects the layers of the skin and tissue below it.
- Approximately 30,000 soldiers died from gangrene during the Civil War, which seems low for the lack of treatment available.
- Treatment for Gangrene was local wound care and use of antiseptics, however if the infection was severe, amputation was needed.
- Modern treatment for gangrene includes; maggot therapy, antibiotics, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and vascular surgery.
- It was easily contracted due to the unhygienic practices used by doctors and the length before proper treatment from doctors.
Tuberculosis
- Tuberculosis occurs when an infection of a mycobacteria usually mycobacterium tuberculosis affects the lungs and sometimes other parts of the body. It is transmitted through the air making it easier to spread than many other diseases. Common symptoms that occur with Tuberculosis are a chronic cough, bloody sputum, fever, night sweats, and weight loss. Many cases of Tuberculosis are latent and do not show symptoms for long periods of times, and kills roughly 50% of those infected if left untreated.
- Approximately 14,000 soldiers died from Tuberculosis during the Civil War and countless more had latent forms of the disease.
- Treatment for Tuberculosis during the Civil War included sending the troops for some "fresh air" or performing surgery to decrease lung capacity.
- Modern treatment of Tuberculosis is the use of antibiotics to kill the bacteria causing the infection but can prove to be difficult.
- Contracted easily due to the cramped living conditions.
Typhoid
- Typhoid or typhoid fever is a disease characterized at first by fluctuating fevers, headaches, bradycardia, and a cough. Next fevers can increase, delirium occurs but is usually is calm, and rose spots begin to appear on the chest. Finally intestinal hemorrhaging occurs, encephalitis, decrease in platelets, cysts form, and neuropyschiatric symptoms begin to appear.
- Typhoid is caused by an intestinal bacterial infection of many bacterium, such as salmonella. It is transferred by feces contaminated food and water.
- Typhoid was estimated to have effected around 195,000 people and killed 1/3 of those infected, 30,000 confederate and 35,000 union soldiers.
- Typhoid was treated with purgative calomel, cold compresses, opium, quinine, whiskey and oral turpentine. None of these were rather effective and some actually did more damage than helped.
- Typhoid is now treated using simple antibiotics and the intake of large amounts of fluids to prevent dehydration.
- The spread of typhoid occurred because of the large amount of cases of dysentery and the unhygienic conditions and cramped camps.
Malaria
- Malaria is a mosquito borne illness that is caused by parasitic protozoa's from the plasmodium genus. It is almost always transmitted through the bite of an infected female mosquito. The main symptoms of malaria are fever, headache, but if left untreated it can lead to coma and/or death. There are 5 types of malaria, only one of which proves to be usually fatal.
- Malaria was the most prevalent disease during the Civil War and it is estimated roughly 3 million people contracted the disease. However, only 30,000 soldiers actually died from it.
- Malaria was able to be successfully treated and prevented during the war due to the steady amount of quinine available. Quinine was able to treat basic cases of malaria but proved ineffective in severe cases.
- Modern treatment of Malaria is the use of anti-malaria drugs which kill off the protozoa's that cause the infection.
Pneumonia
- Pneumonia is an inflammatory disease of the air like sacs in the lungs know as alveoli and is usually caused by a bacteria or virus. The symptoms of pneumonia are a cough, fever, chest pain, and difficulty breathing. Severe symptoms of the disease are cyanosis, decreased thirst, extreme temperatures, convulsions, and extreme thirst.
- Pneumonia killed roughly around 30,000 soldiers union and confederate alike during the entirety of The Civil War.
- During The Civil War pneumonia would be treated with opium, quinine, or muster plasters, none of which were effective. Bleeding was also used in rare cases but was ineffective as well.
- Modern treatment for Pneumonia is the use of antibiotics to kill the bacteria causing the infections. If it is a virus rest and fluid intake is the only real treatment for pneumonia.