| Existing comment:
The most common diseases encountered during the war were dysentery, typhoid, pneumonia, and malaria. Dysentery, a form of diarrhea, was known as the "runs" or the "bloody flux." It reduced the body's intake of energy and minerals from food. In some cases, the disease quickly ran its courses, and the patient survived. When the disease lingered, however, death was more frequent. One-quarter of all sicknesses reported to Union surgeons were the result of dysentery. A variety of drugs were used to treat dysentery, and most were ineffective. Typhoid, caused by contaminated food and water, resulted in fever, diarrhea, and headache. Because these symptoms were similar to dysentery, the treatments were much the same. Pneumonia killed 20,000 Union troops. It was treated with expectorants and cough-promoting drugs. Malaria, a disease carried by the Anopheles mosquito, was prevalent in the south. Quinine was particularly effective in reducing the fever and other symptoms of this disease. |