Disease in the Civil War: An Overview

Living Conditions and Disease Spread

Common Diseases Among Soldiers

Let's Talk About Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Medical Treatments and Challenges

Comparing Civil War Deaths to Other Wars

"War is 99 parts diarrhea and one part glory." Walt Whitman had a point when he wrote this. Diseases like dysentery, typhus, and malaria were responsible for 2/3 of the deaths in the Civil War.

So, how did illness kill more soldiers on the battlefield than cannons and bayonets? It helps to look at the living conditions and atrocious medical practices in field hospitals during the deadliest war in American history. And it didn't help that sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis were rampant among soldiers. 

GUEST: Kathryn Olivarius, Associate Professor of History at Stanford University. Check out her book: Necropolis: Disease, Power, and Capitalism in the Cotton Kingdom

"War is 99 parts diarrhea and one part glory." Walt Whitman had a point when he wrote this. Diseases like dysentery, typhus, and malaria were responsible for 2/3 of the deaths in the Civil War.
So, how did illness kill more soldiers on the battlefield than cannons and bayonets? It helps to look at the living conditions and atrocious medical practices in field hospitals during the deadliest war in American history. And it didn't help that sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis were rampant among soldiers.&nbsp;
GUEST: <a href="https://www.kathrynolivarius.com/">Kathryn Olivarius</a>, Associate Professor of History at Stanford University. Check out her book: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Necropolis-Disease-Capitalism-Cotton-Kingdom/dp/0674241053/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=kathryn%20olivarius&amp;qid=1634420884&amp;sr=8-1">Necropolis: Disease, Power, and Capitalism in the Cotton Kingdom</a>

Bob Crawford searches for the best historians and experts to answer listener questions about American history — from the Revolutionary War to rock & roll feuds. Got a question? Send it to AmericanHistoryHotline@gmail.com.

Bob Crawford searches for the best historians and experts to answer listener questions about American history &mdash; from the Revolutionary War to rock &amp; roll feuds. Got a question? Send it to AmericanHistoryHotline@gmail.com.

American History Hotline

American History Hotline with Bob Crawford

Was Disease the Biggest Killer in the Civil War?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/fcc21c59-8c48-4ceb-a4b3-b327013c4e0f/transcript

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