Death by Frying Pan

[NH Civil War Gal]

At the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, MD, I was particularly taken by this phrase that Drs and men used. I've read a lot of diaries - soldiers and north/south women nurses and no one ever used that phrase. However, the Northern Drs used it and we would call it food poisoning from improperly cooked, stored, used, whatever food. And apparently a lot of soldiers died from it.

I always wondered how good rations could be when I read, "I gave orders for the men to have 3 days rations cooked and carried in their haversacks."

I read about one soldier who was in a line at night getting rations (and he couldn't see what he was getting) and the cooks were forking over lumps of meat into their haversacks. Later, when he was hungry he took it out and it was pure fat and he threw it away because he couldn't stand it.

At least, reading about Southern rations near the end of the war, and how terribly scanty they were, I wouldn't think parched corn (and what is that really?) would kill you like meat "that's been left in the heat" would.

 

[James N.]

One indication of how poor rations were and how poorly cooked they were was a surgeon's comment (paraphrased) to the effect that there was scarcely a molded evacuation in the entire army.

 

[diane]

Diarrhea killed more soldiers than bullets. I don't know how people survived bad food storage and bad cooking methods unless whatever critter lived in their guts already was tougher than whatever critter they just ate! Pneumonia was a huge killer and, looking at recent studies of Stonewall Jackson's death from it, there may be something to the theory that Jackson's own gut bugs exploded from the shock of his injuries and that's how he really got pneumonia. The water where he grew up was notoriously bad, so that's where this personal bio-hazard came from in the first place. Wonder how many people got pneumonia that way?

 

[AndyHall]

One indication of how poor rations were and how poorly cooked they were was a surgeon's comment (paraphrased) to the effect that there was scarcely a molded evacuation in the entire army.

Remind me not to read these threads while having lunch. Thanks.

 

[Jimklag]

Here is a video on how to make parched corn

On YouTube

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

One indication of how poor rations were and how poorly cooked they were was a surgeon's comment (paraphrased) to the effect that there was scarcely a molded evacuation in the entire army.

Took me a couple of times to figure out that euphemism! And I have a lab degree.

 

[Jimklag]

Took me a couple of times to figure out that euphemism! And I have a lab degree.

Would 'solid dump' be one definition?

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

Very interesting about parched corn!

 

[nitrofd]

Diarrhea killed more soldiers than bullets. I don't know how people survived bad food storage and bad cooking methods unless whatever critter lived in their guts already was tougher than whatever critter they just ate! Pneumonia was a huge killer and, looking at recent studies of Stonewall Jackson's death from it, there may be something to the theory that Jackson's own gut bugs exploded from the shock of his injuries and that's how he really got pneumonia. The water where he grew up was notoriously bad, so that's where this personal bio-hazard came from in the first place. Wonder how many people got pneumonia that way?

A while back I showed my G.I. doctor if he would ever prescribe some of the remedies used for stomach and diarrhea problems and he said yes if I wanted to kill you.

 

[Patrick H]

Aren't we glad (or shouldn't we be?) that science finally came around to understanding germs?

 

[MaryDee]

Read the title; immediately thought this was the result of a wife/husband confrontation! Not that it would have been any worse than those three days' cooked rations stored in not-too-clean haversacks at 100+*F! Maybe there was a good reason that the soldiers often ate them all up the first day?

 

[Copperhead-mi]

Read the title; immediately thought this was the result of a wife/husband confrontation! Not that it would have been any worse than those three days' cooked rations stored in not-too-clean haversacks at 100+*F! Maybe there was a good reason that the soldiers often ate them all up the first day?

Hahaha! I was thinking Hillary and Bill.

 

[Waterloo50]

One indication of how poor rations were and how poorly cooked they were was a surgeon's comment (paraphrased) to the effect that there was scarcely a molded evacuation in the entire army.

A molded evacuation, they had such a way with words back then.

 

[James N.]

Took me a couple of times to figure out that euphemism! And I have a lab degree.

Would 'solid dump' be one definition?

Be assured that's a period euphemism - that's the reason it's stuck with me for decades since I read it. This was a delicate era, as far as language goes, and it's full of examples like this.

 

[Waterloo50]

Be assured that's a period euphemism - that's the reason it's stuck with me for decades since I read it. This was a delicate era, as far as language goes, and it's full of examples like this.

I think that these medical euphemisms need their own thread, I find them fascinating.

 

[Jimklag]

I think that these medical euphemisms need their own thread, I find them fascinating.

I think all euphemisms like this should be posted in a special thread. My personal favorite is Winston's "terminological inexactitude".

 

[rebelatsea]

Remind me not to read these threads while having lunch. Thanks.

I think all euphemisms like this should be posted in a special thread. My personal favorite is Winston's "terminological inexactitude".

I like "Ichtheological gefuffle" - a fishy burp !

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

Read the title; immediately thought this was the result of a wife/husband confrontation! Not that it would have been any worse than those three days' cooked rations stored in not-too-clean haversacks at 100+*F! Maybe there was a good reason that the soldiers often ate them all up the first day?

I got to thinking about this over the weekend, and decided I would prefer "Death by Frying Pan" over the head, rather than spend 3 days in miserable abdomenal pain and "unmolded evacuations!"

 

[redbob]

The last time that I heard that phrase was from my cardiologist concerning my diet.

 

[johan_steele]

FWIW one CS soldier was killed by being brained with a skillet at Allatoona Pass. An unidentified Captain was striking out with whatever was at hand during the hand to hand fighting at Rowetts Redoubt. First he used an empty ammo crate breaking it across a mans skull then picked up a skillet and bashed another. One account said he was bayoneted another that he escaped to the Star Fort. I would just like to know his name.