As the Civil War begins, fewer than 600 physicians nationwide have performed an operation. By war’s end, 11,700 physicians serve for the Union and 3,000 for the Confederacy. The knowledge and experience gained through these years of battle is recorded in a post-war publication entitled the Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion. Published by the Surgeon General’s office in six volumes, the publication remains the most important source of medical information and statistics concerning the Civil War.
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