Existing comment:
"Paperwork" was Nonexistent
Myth:
"Today's health care system is drowning in paperwork -- Civil War surgeons did not have to worry about that."
Truth:
Bureaucracy already existed at the time of the Civil War, and the corresponding large amount of paperwork was time consuming.
Surgeons had to to keep records of their day-to-day sick call, patient rosters from the hospitals, surgical case notes, lists of discharged and deceased soldiers, records of medicines and hospital stores they received, and even weather data. They also had to send monthly reports to the Surgeon General's Office. |