Surgeon in Blue

Jonathan Letterman, the Civil War Doctor Who Pioneered Battlefield Care

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, Civil War Period (1850-1877), Biography & Memoir, Reference, Historical
Cover of the book Surgeon in Blue by Scott McGaugh, Arcade
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Scott McGaugh ISBN: 9781611459302
Publisher: Arcade Publication: July 1, 2013
Imprint: Arcade Language: English
Author: Scott McGaugh
ISBN: 9781611459302
Publisher: Arcade
Publication: July 1, 2013
Imprint: Arcade
Language: English

Jonathan Letterman was an outpost medical officer serving in Indian country in the years before the Civil War, responsible for the care of just hundreds of men. But when he was appointed the chief medical officer for the Army of the Potomac, he revolutionized combat medicine over the course of four major battles—Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg—that produced unprecedented numbers of casualties. He made battlefield survival possible by creating the first organized ambulance corps and a more effective field hospital system. He imposed medical professionalism on a chaotic battlefield. Where before 20 percent of the men were unfit to fight because of disease, squalid conditions, and poor nutrition, he improved health and combat readiness by pioneering hygiene and diet standards. Based on original research, and with stirring accounts of battle and the struggle to invent and supply adequate care during impossible conditions, this new biography recounts Letterman’s life from his small-town Pennsylvania beginnings to his trailblazing wartime years and his subsequent life as a wildcatter and the medical examiner of San Francisco. At last, here is the missing portrait of a key figure of Civil War history and military medicine. His principles of battlefield care continue to be taught to military commanders and first responders.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Jonathan Letterman was an outpost medical officer serving in Indian country in the years before the Civil War, responsible for the care of just hundreds of men. But when he was appointed the chief medical officer for the Army of the Potomac, he revolutionized combat medicine over the course of four major battles—Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg—that produced unprecedented numbers of casualties. He made battlefield survival possible by creating the first organized ambulance corps and a more effective field hospital system. He imposed medical professionalism on a chaotic battlefield. Where before 20 percent of the men were unfit to fight because of disease, squalid conditions, and poor nutrition, he improved health and combat readiness by pioneering hygiene and diet standards. Based on original research, and with stirring accounts of battle and the struggle to invent and supply adequate care during impossible conditions, this new biography recounts Letterman’s life from his small-town Pennsylvania beginnings to his trailblazing wartime years and his subsequent life as a wildcatter and the medical examiner of San Francisco. At last, here is the missing portrait of a key figure of Civil War history and military medicine. His principles of battlefield care continue to be taught to military commanders and first responders.

More books from Arcade

Cover of the book Maps by Scott McGaugh
Cover of the book I Did Not Kill My Husband by Scott McGaugh
Cover of the book Lieutenant Schreiber's Country by Scott McGaugh
Cover of the book Masquerade by Scott McGaugh
Cover of the book A Rift in the Earth by Scott McGaugh
Cover of the book The Animals After Midnight by Scott McGaugh
Cover of the book The Coen Brothers, Second Edition by Scott McGaugh
Cover of the book Contemporary Art in the Light of History by Scott McGaugh
Cover of the book Worst Ideas Ever by Scott McGaugh
Cover of the book The Weather Factor by Scott McGaugh
Cover of the book Retribution by Scott McGaugh
Cover of the book Mala Vida by Scott McGaugh
Cover of the book Dear Diary Boy by Scott McGaugh
Cover of the book Becoming Michelangelo by Scott McGaugh
Cover of the book Embers of Childhood by Scott McGaugh
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy