Advances of Med-CareGeorge Wunderlich once said: “The American Civil War is often credited with ending slavery and reshaping the federal government in this country. But the war between the states has another, often overlooked, legacy: it may have opened a new era in modern medicine” (cerebral quote). Contamination of medical equipment, poor sanitation methods, and lack of effective medical procedures have all led to the spread of disease, resulting in death. However, modern medicine has improved dramatically since the Civil War, due to its horrible medical practices. The Civil War had countless impacts on the nation, but its most significant impacts were advances in medical equipment, procedures, and sanitation. Among illnesses and injuries, sanitation was one of the leading causes of death during the war. When the Civil War broke out, the United States was medically unprepared for the war and the excessive number of deaths that resulted. Michael Rhode, archivist at the National Museum of Health and Medicine, said, “Medically, the United States was woefully prepared when the Civil War began in the spring of 1861” (Sohn). With the United States unprepared for war, doctors and surgeons were able to make the advances they needed to make in medicine, primarily in sanitation systems. During the Civil War, there were no standardized medical schools. Because doctors did not have proper training, they had no idea how many diseases were spreading and therefore used contaminated medical equipment when operating on a patient. Not only did medical officials use contaminated equipment, but they also performed surgeries on medical tables covered in viruses and diseases from blood from different......paper backgrounds...... where we operate today. Ben Carson said, “The Civil War impacted medicine in countless ways, but most importantly its impact on our view of medical procedures” (eHistory). The most important procedure that doctors obtained from the Civil War was amputation. Techniques used by doctors during the war are still used today. Two examples of techniques we still use today are: cutting as far from the heart as possible and never cutting the joints. Although we still use some of the same techniques today, the medical procedures used today are more sophisticated and have a lower mortality rate. The amputation procedure now requires more than two doctors and takes about an hour. Instead of just cutting the dead limb, doctors now use a circular motion to ensure they don't directly cut an important vein. (FINISHING).