Morphine addiction among Civil War veterans and postwar neglect

Treatment of American Soldiers Postwar Prior to 1877

The objective of this work is to examine how American soldiers in postwar times were treated in the era prior to 1877.

Post-war treatment of American soldiers prior to 1877 leaves much to be desired in terms of their physical treatment, their societal treatment, and in terms of what is missing relating to the medical treatment of war veterans in terms of disabilities affecting war veterans specifically due to have served as a soldier during time of a war.

DRUG ADDICTION - 'SOLDIERS DISEASE' IGNORED

The work of Jerry Mandel entitled: "The Mythical Roots of U.S. Drug Policy: Soldier's Disease and Addiction in the Civil War" relates that "Soldier's Disease - widespread addiction following massive administration of opiates during the Civil War - is the earliest and most often repeated example of a drug problem before the narcotics law." (Mandel, 2008) the really amazing fact that is "not one case of addiction was reported in medical records or the literature of the time; under ten references were made in the Nineteenth Century to addiction the cause of which was the Civil War; and no perjorative nickname for addicted veterans, like Soldier's Disease appeared in the literature until 1915, " (Mandel, 2008)

Descriptions of 'soldier's disease' are noted as being very short and concise with the longest reference to it being made by Gerald Starkey, although a century after the Civil War: "In 1862 (sic) the Civil War broke out.... They would charge each other, literally pound chains down cannons and fire point blank at the enemy and these young men were presented to their field surgeons with terrible shrapnel wounds... along with terrible pain. About all the field surgeon could do was use the two new invented tools that had been presented to him in the previous five or six years I the hypodermic needle and syringe, along with Morphine Sulfate....They injected the young wounded veterans with huge amounts of Morphine daily (every four hours) to kill their pain.... It was necessary for the surgeons to do full-quarter amputations -- literally take the arms and legs off right at the start of the body, usually to stop infectious gangrene. In 1865, there were an estimated 400,000 young War veterans addicted to Morphine.... The returning veteran could be.. Identified because he had a leather thong around his neck and a leather bag (with) Morphine Sulfate tablets, along with a syringe and a needle issued to the soldier on his discharge.... (T)his was called the "Soldier's Disease." (Starkey, 1971:482-84:1; as cited in Mandel, 2008)

The facts are that more Civil War veterans died from soldier's disease than were killed by war wounds. Immediately following the Civil War there were absolutely no reports whatsoever of addiction however, "there were 63,000 soldiers whose chronic diarrhea carried on after the war (Adams, 1889 as cited in Mandel, 2008) Furthermore, there were more than 20,000 survivors of amputations that the Union doctors had reported. (U.S. Surgeon General, 1883; as cited in Mandel, 2008) the work of Horatio Day entitled "The Opium Habit" which was published in 1868 relates information to the 'Soldier's Disease' stating: "The events of the last few years [Civil War] have unquestionably added greatly to their [confirmed opium eaters'] number. Maimed and shattered survivors from a hundred battlefields, diseased and disabled soldiers released from hostile prisons, anguished and hopeless wives and mothers made so by the slaughter of those who were dearest to them, have found, many of them, temporary relief from their sufferings in Opium." (Day, 1868:1; as cited in Mandel, 2008) a study conducted in 1880 in Chicago among 50 pharmacists states findings that use of opiates among customers were due to 'rheumatism and neuralgia' but many of these pharmacists believed addiction was caused due to sickness and pain and/or the loss of property and position in society due to the recent war." (Earle, 1880; as cited in Mandel, 2008)

III. MENTAL DISABILITIES of VETERANS POST-WAR

The work of James Alan Marten entitled: "Exempt from the Ordinary Rules of Life: Researching Postwar Adjustment Problems of Union Veterans" relates that the "generation that carried the Civil War...has been set apart by its experience." (2001) Holmes relates that his fellow veterans had a post-war existence and that many were sufferers of "both physical and mental disabilities that can be traced back to their own traumatic wartime experiences. A number of the veterans whose physical, psychological, or emotional handicaps raised obstacles to adapting again to the civilian world, found havens in the asylums established for them by the federal government." (Marten, 2001) the work of G. Kurt Piehler entitled: "Revolutionary War Bibliography" (2003) relates that following the American Revolution "a number of veterans experience poverty in the postwar period and in the aftermath of the War of 1812, the federal government created a pension to alleviate their distress." (2003)

SUMMARY and CONCLUSION

In the beginning of America as a country and in the first wars fought by American soldiers, medical science and the government were both completely unprepared in coping with the problems that would envelop the lives of veterans following their service to their country during time of war. Many problems were experienced by war veterans prior to 1877 and as illustrated by the literature reviewed in this study some of those problems included opium addiction due to the requirement of opiate pain medication in dealing with war wounds and which turned into an addiction due to being used as an escape from emotional and psychological issues relating to having served in the armed forces during war. Other problems experienced by war veterans prior to 1877 include the over-use of amputation and the limited knowledge at the time amputation was performed in assisting these individuals in living a productive life following amputation and with many of them returning to very poor beginnings and lacking in basic necessities and with no resources to overcome the injuries of war. In more recent post-war years, the government has learned better, what to anticipate following a period of war and are better prepared to cope with the diverse needs of veterans of war following their return to civilian society.