By Glenna R.
Schroeder-Lein
It is doubtful that my great-great-grandfather, Alonzo Luce,
a member of the 19th Illinois Infantry, ever participated in a battle. He spent nearly the entirety of his three
year enlistment rotating into and out of regimental and general hospitals. Among his numerous medical complaints were catarrh,
intermittent and remittent fever, acute bronchitis, and finally acute and
chronic diarrhea. Reading through his
medical records, I can’t help to wonder what Alonzo Luce’s Civil War experience
must have been like.
To have an understanding of the daily life of a soldier, be
he either Confederate or Federal, during the American Civil War, one must have
a basic knowledge of the medical terms and practices of the time. That is where Glenna R. Schroeder-Lein’s “The
Encyclopedia of Civil War Medicine” comes in very handy.
Entries in Ms. Schroeder-Lein’s encyclopedia cover many the
diseases to which Civil War soldiers commonly fell victim. There are many other entries covering Civil
War battles, notable people, medicines, medical practices, hospitals and
accoutrements. Pretty much any question
regarding the who, what, where and how of Civil War medicine can be found
between the covers of her book.
Entries range from a paragraph to several pages, and each
article is followed by a bibliography, usually citing at least three sources,
and a “See Also” section, pointing
the reader to at least five other entries in the encyclopedia. At 421 pages, it is not an in-depth reference
on the topic of Civil War medicine, nor was it meant to be. But Ms. Schroeder-Lein does give her reader a
broader understanding of Civil War era medicine by which one gains a broader
understanding of the war itself and the experience of its participants.
ISBN 978-0765621306, M E Sharpe Inc., © 2008, 1st Paperback
Edition, 2012, 421 pages, Photographs & Illustrations, Chronology,
Bibliography & Index. $34.95. To
purchase a copy of this book please click HERE.
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