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Special Event
Event
Civil War Medicine Beyond Amputations: War Service and Post-War Drug Addiction
This event has already occurred. This page is provided for reference only.
Fee:
Free. No charge for attending public living history events.Location: LAT/LONG: 37.095741, -93.408882
Talks will be at Sigel's Final Position
Dates & Times
Date:
Saturday, June 28, 2025
Time:
10:00 AM
Duration:
30 minutes
Type of Event
Living History
Talk
Talks start at the top of the hour with a brief small arms demonstration at the bottom of the hour.
Description
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.)
Reservation or Registration: No
Registration not required.
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