| Existing comment:
Two military physicians were largely responsible for the changes in evacuation procedures and the system of hospital care during the war. Union surgeon Jonathan Letterman, medical director for the Army of the Potomac, was instrumental in establishing regimental aid stations, field hospitals, and division level hospitals. He also authorized training for ambulance companies responsible for moving wounded men from the battlefield to the field hospital. Dr. Samuel Stout, of the Confederate medical service, established aid stations, devised mobile field and general hospitals (the origins of the MASH unit), and championed hospitals with large, open wards. He also organized effective evacuation systems for wounded Confederates. The changes instituted by Stout and Letterman -- rapid evacuation, assessment in the field, and transportation to a hospital far from the battle lines -- provided sick and wounded soldiers a process of care still used by the American military. |