This is one of several thousand Union soldiers who lost their lives in the ferocious battle at Cold Harbor in Virginia, June 3, 1864. The fatal bullet can be seen lodged in the right side of the skull.
Chapter 5. Trauma Surgery
"...Men were struck down as if by a great sythe like grass in haying time, and it was here that Father was struck. He was at my side during the charge when I suddenly heard him groan. Just then I looked over and saw Father fall to the ground his uniform soaked with blood...He bade me farewell and then he died in my arms..."
— Merari
Union soldier at the battle of Cold Harbor, 1864
Topics covered in this chapter include:
- Neurosurgery
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Alternatives to Amputation
- Gunshot Wounds; Bell and the Bullet
- Civil War Medicine
- Life Saving Amputation
- The Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion
- Sepsis among the Troops
- Pain Control
- The Battle of Cold Harbor
- Letters: "If we could only live in peace..."
- Medical Advances from the War