Existing comment:
"Many were deprived of an arm, leg, and eye, still surviving, impatiently awaiting their turn for medical assistance. The real horror can be better imagined than described..."
-- Herald of Freedom and Torch Light, September 10-24, 1862
The Battle of Antietam severely challenged the medical departments of both sides. With over 17,000 wounded waiting for treatment, lack of timely attention was only one of the horrors faced by the afflicted. Shortages of anesthetics delayed life saving operations, long evacuation routes caused unimaginable suffering and the local population would soon fall victim to the diseases that always follow the pollution of battle.
Despite these grim facts, Antietam would become a watershed in American Medicine. |