Tidbits

unionblue

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
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Feb 20, 2005
Location
Ocala, FL (as of December, 2015).
BATHING

By the 1830s, many Americans were bathing on a weekly basis, generally on Saturday night so they would be clean for Sunday services. This was a radical departure from even a generation earlier, when it was only the wealthy orthe eccentric who bathed regularly. A generation before that, bathing had been considered immodest, uncomfortable, and unnecessary, and many people went their entire lives without ever bathing.

In the 1830s, people generally bathed in large wood or tin tubs in front of a fireplace or kitchen stove where water could easily be heated. During this period, the term "bathroom" was used to refer to a room used only for bathing and which did not contain a toilet, as today.

By the mid-1850s, the homes of some affluent people included bathrooms in the modern sense, with both a bathtub and a toilet (one of the first was installed in 1855 in the New York City mansion of George Vanderbilt).

The trend toward bathing more frequently continued after the end of the Civil War. In 1865, Vassar College made it mandatory for girls to bathe twice a week. By the 1880s, an estimated 15 percent of all American city folk had indoor bathrooms of some sort.

Source: Life In Civil War America, by Michael O. Varhola.
 
Amputation

During the Civil War, three out of four operations performed on soldiers by surgeons were amputations. It might seem to a casual observer that surgeons were taking the easy way out with amputation, that they were indifferent or incompetent, or that limited resources forced them to simply remove limbs rather than perform more delicate surgery. Unfortunately, while somecontemporary doctors were truly incopetent, even the best doctors simply had no choice but to remove limbs irreparably mangled by minie' balls, explosive shells, and other weapons of the age. Bones shattered by bullets had no chance of regenerating.

Surgery in the field was usually performed in makeshift field hospitals, sometimes on operating tables consisting of a few boards laid across a pair of barrels. Chloroform was often available (more so in Union hospitals than those of the Confederacy), and a rag or sponge soaked with it would be held over the face of the soldier being operated on. This was in itself a dangerous procedure, and could result in chloroform poisoning if not removed often enough. In the absence of chloroform, a few shots of whisky might do; in any case, some sort of anesthesia was usually administered, and it was uncommon that nothing was available but a bullet or stick to bite down on. When no anesthetic was available, the risk of a soldier dying from shock was much greater.

Amputation usually consisted of the following steps. First, the surgeon would cut off blood flow to the afflicted limb with a tourniquet. Then, after selecting the place where he would have to cut through the limb, he would slice through the surrounding flesh and connective tissue with a scalpel. He would then use a "capital saw" -- a tool with replaceable blades that looked much like a hacksaw -- to saw through the bone. Once the limb was completely removed, the surgeon would toss it onto a pile of other arms and legs and sew up the major veins and arteries with sutures (silk thread in the North, cotton thread in the South). The soldier would immediately be removed so another could take his place. The entire process generally took about fifteen minutes, although some doctors were noted for performing amputations even more quickly.

Amputation was most effective if performed immediately after a wound occurred. Mortality rate for soldiers who received an amputation within twenty-four hours of being wounded was 25 percent, a rate that doubled to 50 percent for soldiers who received an amputation more than a day after being wounded. Nonetheless, and as horrible a solution as it was, amputation saved the lives of many soldiers for whom there otherwise would have been no hope at all.

Source: Life In Civil War America, by Michael O. Varhola.
 
Stonewall Jackson had a lovely experience during his amputation. He woke up, having been knocked out, and said he'd been listening to the sweetest choir he'd ever heard. Turned out it was the surgeon's saw going through the bone...! :x3:

The first indoor flush toilet in London was at Merton, Horatio Nelson's estate. It didn't get much use, though - had a disconcerting tendency to backfire! He was also noted for being a fussbudget about cleanliness, taking a weekly bath on board ships - being an admiral he had an actual bar of soap, too. Wouldn't wear a regulation wig either as he didn't want to put a 'nest of vermin' on his head. Despite all this, he had a distinctive 'sailor's scent' just from the ship. You could smell an 18th century wooden fleet for miles before you ever saw it!

I've noticed people's hair in the photos always looks somewhat greasy to really greasy - but then they didn't wash it but once a month, whether it needed it or not! They took spit baths from basins mostly - as you say, tubs weren't that common. Like beds. Beds were such a luxury in most parts of the country they were handed down, which is why we're always reading about people sleeping together. When Grant took a hotel room in Washington once he saw the bed was very big, much too big for just himself. So, since some of his staff was curling up on the floor, he invited them into the bed. Don't know who won the fight for covers - Grant might have outgeneralled them on it! As to cleanliness, whenever he could Forrest always got his men into a river or creek for a 'swim'. He told Morton he was 'trying to drown some bugs'.
 
Lee had a toilet installed in Arlington House before the war. The NPS has it closed to the public. Assume it had an overhead tank. Wonder how the water got put into it.

Queen Victoria had Mr. John Crapper's wonderful invention installed in her apartment at one of her palaces.
 
They did that but Jackson really ticked off the doctor when he sneaked on wet bandages. He'd become a great believer in hydrotherapy while touring Europe - it was a popular treatment in Germany at that time. That was how he came to acquire a tub for his home in Lexington, so he could soak in ice water! :cold:
 
Silk thread used in suturing wounds became scarce throughout the CSA and the idea of using horse hair from tails became popular. The hair was stiff and often stuck together so the hair had to be softened by putting them in boiling water. The decline in post-operative infection decreased appreciatively and some benefit was attached to something in the hair. There was a benefit all right, but it was the boiling that was the cause.
 
Queen Victoria had Mr. John Crapper's wonderful invention installed in her apartment at one of her palaces.

But she refused to use it after the first time as it made a terrible racket when operated. She reportedly didn't want people in the palace to hear when she was doing the 'Royal Flush'. She felt it was beneath a queen to advertise her bodily functions.
 
Losing a limb today is a much more complicated surgery. My first amputation was a left leg disarticualion, or through the knee joint leaving the femur intact. Unfortunately, infection of the bone set in and they had to take another 3-4 inches off. Prosthetics are very advanced today. I cannot imagine what an AK amputee used in 1861. My prosthetic leg is almost like this Otto Boch C-leg.
 

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My GGF was always looking for a place to wash up during the war. These are from 1862.

September 7th.
...Marched until 1 PM and then bivouacked in a fine grove near a small brook and remained rest of the day. Had nice bath in brook.....
November 2nd.
...Yesterday began a new month, our dear New England Thanksgiving month. Nothing of note happened yesterday. Took bath in neighboring brook in afternoon. Need to lay some plan for better improvement of my time....
December 11th.
Received letter from Carrie. A nice letter received full of home news. Took bath today in tent, using old mess pan for bathtub....
 
My GGF was always looking for a place to wash up during the war. These are from 1862.

September 7th.
...Marched until 1 PM and then bivouacked in a fine grove near a small brook and remained rest of the day. Had nice bath in brook.....
November 2nd.
...Yesterday began a new month, our dear New England Thanksgiving month. Nothing of note happened yesterday. Took bath in neighboring brook in afternoon. Need to lay some plan for better improvement of my time....
December 11th.
Received letter from Carrie. A nice letter received full of home news. Took bath today in tent, using old mess pan for bathtub....

Sounds like your GGF subscribed to the "once a month" theory of bathing!
 
When I was growing up, weekly was the norm for kids. I really don't know when the grownups bathed. I never knew when The Dad's compadres changed their underwear from winter to summer, but they did. Whether they bathed or not was kept secret. So. I have nothing to add to the discussion.
 
My GGF was always looking for a place to wash up during the war. These are from 1862.

September 7th.
...Marched until 1 PM and then bivouacked in a fine grove near a small brook and remained rest of the day. Had nice bath in brook.....
November 2nd.
...Yesterday began a new month, our dear New England Thanksgiving month. Nothing of note happened yesterday. Took bath in neighboring brook in afternoon. Need to lay some plan for better improvement of my time....
December 11th.
Received letter from Carrie. A nice letter received full of home news. Took bath today in tent, using old mess pan for bathtub....

I'm surprised he didn't shrivel up and die of water poisoning from too much bathing. :smile:
 
I do not want to even think about what an army smelled like on the march. A three day reenactment creates enough of an aroma when driving home with 4 or 5 in the car. It's also funny when you make your first stop after a reenactment and watch everyone head to a "real bathroom" at a run.
I noticed how out aroma insures us plenty of space in the McDonalds or other fast food joint we stop to eat at on the way home.
 
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