Guy R. Hasegawa - Böcker

The essential reference about a surprisingly well-organized medical department  Despite the many obstacles it had to overcome-including a naval blockade, lack of a strong industrial base, and personnel unaccustomed to military life-the Richmond-based Confederate Army Medical Department developed into a robust organization that nimbly adapted to changing circumstances. In the first book to address the topic, Guy R. Hasegawa describes the organization and management of the Confederate army's medical department. At its head was Surgeon General Samuel Preston Moore, a talented multitasker with the organizational know-how to put in place qualified medical personnel to care for sick and wounded Confederate soldiers.  Hasegawa investigates how political considerations, personalities, and, as the war progressed, the diminishing availability of human and material resources influenced decision-making in the medical department. Amazingly, the surgeon general's office managed not only to provide care but also to offer educational opportunities to its personnel and collect medical and surgical data for future use, regardless of constant and growing difficulties.  During and after the war, the medical department of the Confederate army was consistently praised as being admirably organized and efficient. Although the department was unable to match its Union counterpart in manpower and supplies, Moore's intelligent management enabled it to help maintain the fighting strength of the Confederate army.

Concerted government efforts to assist in the rehabilitation of wounded veterans started with the Civil War era artificial-limbs programs. This book is the first to examine the evolution of these programs for military amputees during and after the Civil War. Author Guy Hasegawa looks at how both the Union and the Confederacy handled the supply of artificial limbs to maimed Civil War soldiers and sailors, demonstrating the vast differences in industrial and economic conditions between the two regions. The story also illustrates the inventiveness and intense business competition of the era.