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There were many medical advances made during the American Civil War. When the Civil War began in April 1861, medicine was approaching what Surgeon General William Hammond called "the end of the medical Middle Ages." American physicians had little knowledge of the cause and prevention of disease and infection. (Maher, pg. 1) The Army Medical Department, which was responsible for the care of the sick and wounded in the North, was unprepared. The staff of 90 doctors was …

…Corps, and the idea of professional nursing was born. Finally, hospital facilities were improved by the use of large, well-ventilated hospital tents and more permanent, cleaner "pavilion hospitals." In conclusion, the Civil Was a very dark and sad time in American History and many lives were lost needlessly. We must never forget that. But it is comforting to know that there were advances made medically for the better of mankind during this otherwise bleak era.