Civil War Medicine Beyond Amputations: War Service and Post-War Drug Addiction
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Special Event
One of the major side effects of treating the wounded during the Civil War was drug addiction.
Medical staff used opium and laudanum for gunshot wounds and amputations, often pouring opium directly into wound sites before extracting shot fragments. Laudanum (a mixture of opium and alcohol) was freely given to patients during recovery. Many veterans became addicts after the war.
By the early 20th century when Progressive reformers made drug addiction illegal, some went to prison for something beyond their control.
Join Larry Toll of the Holmes Brigade to learn more about this fascinating and difficult topic.
(To learn more read “‘A Mind Prostrate’: Opiate Addiction in the Civil War’s Aftermath" by Jonathan S. Jones in the June 2020 issue of Journal of the Civil War.)
Fees
No charge for attending public living history events.
Location
Talks will be at Sigel's Final Position
Latitude and Longitude 37.095741, -93.408882
Schedule
Date:
Jun 28, 2025
Time:
10:00 AM
Duration:
30 minutes
Talks start at the top of the hour with a brief small arms demonstration at the bottom of the hour.
Contact Information
Clayton Hanson
417-732-2662
Contact Us
Event Type
- Living History
- Talk
Tags:
civil war medicine, american civil war, civil war, 19th century medicine, civil war veteran, civil war combat