New York Hospital and the Civil War: Regimental Surgeons

When the war broke out, each state began forming volunteer regiments. Most of the New York Hospital doctors who served in the war began their service as volunteer surgeons in the regiments from New York State. Often doctors who were recruited for these regiments were small town physicians who had no training in military medicine and were ill prepared to treat wounded soldiers or perform amputations. Surgeons had to pass an exam and be approved by the war department. Their first task was to conduct the exams for the enlisted men and officers.

Heberden Society, May 14 - Ellen Cohn on Benjamin Franklin

Ellen R. Cohn, Editor of the Papers of Benjamin Franklin, Yale University

will present the spring Heberden Society Lecture on Tuesday, May 14, 2013, at 4:30 p.m.
This will be the final Heberden Society lecture of the 2012-13 academic year, and promises to be a fascinating talk.


Benjamin Franklin's Contributions to Medicine

New York Hospital and Civil War: U.S. Sanitary Commission Members

New York hospital had four doctors who served with the U. S. Sanitary Commission, a civilian organization that was concerned with the health of the soldiers. The volunteers worked as medical inspectors visiting the camps and hospitals, operated soldiers' homes, and furnished medical supplies, food, clothing, and nursing care for soldiers in the camps and hospitals. The leaders of the U.S. Sanitary Commission were instrumental in lobbying the government for the need to reform the U.S.

New York Hospital and Civil War: Civil War Casualties and Civil War Medicine

Approximately 750,000 Americans whether Union or Confederate died in the Civil War. About 250,000 died of battle wounds. About 500,000 died of infectious diseases such as dysentery/intestinal diseases, malaria, continual fevers, measles, mumps, yellow fever, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, venereal diseases, and cholera. These staggering figures are more than the combined statistics of all major wars that Americans participated in through the Korean War.

New York Hospital and the Civil War

At the dawn of the Civil War, New York Hospital was located at its first site on Broadway between Duane and Worth Streets. From April 1861-February 1862, New York Hospital had an agreement with the New York State Militia to accept sick or wounded officers and privates. From February 1862 until the end of the war, the hospital had an agreement with the U. S. Medical Department to accept non-commissioned officers and privates from the Union Army.