![]() Before the Civil War, only three anatomy laws were passed, and all but one were soon repealed. The idea of a “good death” and the sacredness of the body ensured that few anatomy laws were passed in the United States prior to 1860. ![]() Through the first half of the 1800s, medicine was slow to advance since it was difficult to study the human body. However, as physicians gained a greater understanding of how the human body functioned, this theory started to fall out of practice by the mid-nineteenth century, largely because of the study of anatomy made possible by autopsies. This theory perpetuated the idea that when someone was ill, it was because there was an imbalance of humors (blood), yellow bile (liver), black bile (spleen), and (phlegm) and the best ways to rebalance these humors were through bleeding and purging. However, its main ingredient was mercury, a metallic element that is actually poisonous to consume.Īt the beginning of the century, many doctors still practiced an ancient theory of medicine known as the humorous theory. Blue mass pills were commonly prescribed by doctors throughout the 19 th to treat many illnesses from tuberculosis, constipation, toothache, parasitic infestations, and the pains of childbirth just to name a few. There were medicines such as pills, available in the 19 th century, but they were unregulated, ineffective, and in many cases dangerous for people to use. For example, the regimen listed in The Poor Planter’s Physician for fevers was to “drink freely of water gruel, orange whey, weak chamomile tea or if his spirits be low, small wine-whey sharpened with the juice of lemon”. Herbs like lavender, rosemary, wormwood, sage, foxglove, mint, and more could help cure several ailments such as headaches, dropsy, or stomach pains. Using the information contained in this book, many wives and mothers created herbal medicines thought to cure ailments. Since women took the role of the healer within the home, one of the most common books found in the household was Every Man His Own Doctor: OR, The Poor Planter’s Physician which contained “plain and easy means for persons to cure themselves of all, or most of the distempers, incident to this climate, and with very little charge, the medicines being chiefly of the growth and production of this country”. "Every Man His Own Doctor: OR, The Poor Planter’s Physician" was reprinted and sold by Benjamin Franklin in 1736. One of the few female dominated medical fields was midwifery, in which women helped other women during childbirth. Very few women publicly practiced medicine. Women took care of sick family members within the home and called for the local doctor if needed, but there were very few aspects of public medicine that women practiced in the 19 th century. Schools like the Paris Clinical School and the University of Edinburgh Medical School were around since the 18 th century unlike the newly established medical schools found in Boston, New York, or Philadelphia. By the early 1800s, medical schools in the United States became more prestigious but the older, more established medical schools were overseas in Europe still retained world-class reputations. Other physicians in cities or treating wealthier families attended medical school, but in the 19 th century, the training offered at medical schools could be completed solely by reading books, without participating in clinicals or practicums. Most of the time, doctors traveled to patients’ homes to administer care and dispense medicine that was mainly herbal or chemical based. Many doctors in rural areas went through apprenticeships instead of attending medical school. However, the field of medicine was not always so knowledgeable and professional, and many of these changes occurred throughout the nineteenth century.Īt the beginning of the 1800s, the medical field was a male-dominated field where not all doctors were professionally trained. Today patients travel to doctors’ offices for treatments and tests, go to pharmacies for medicine, and more. The medical profession is a highly specialized field where students dedicate years in schooling and training to become certified by a medical board. Saved Land Browse Interactive Map View active campaigns.Help Save 52 Hallowed Acres at Three Virginia Battlefields.Help Protect 52 Threatened Acres in Virginia, Georgia and Mississippi.Phase Three of Gaines’ Mill-Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign.Send Students on School Field Trips to Battlefields – Your Gift Tripled!.Preserve 128 Sacred Acres at Antietam and Shepherdstown.For Sale: Three Battlefield Tracts Spanning Three Wars.Virtual Tours View All See Antietam now!. ![]()
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