Medical technology during the Civil War was way behind virtually every other technology of the day. It was very primitive and very ineffective. This was unfortunate for soldiers who became either sick or wounded.

Getting sick or becoming wounded during the Civil War was the last thing that you wanted to have happen to you. It was usually a death sentence. Or if you were lucky you might actually survive.

Mercury was certainly one of the most harmful medicines given by Civil War doctors. Unfortunately doctors saw Mercury as a cure all and prescribed it for virtually every and any ailment. They simply didn't understand back then that it was actually poisonous to patients and often led to severe side effects such as brain damage.

Chloroform was one Civil War medicine that was actually good for people. It allowed doctors to safely operate on patients without having them suffer through the severe pain of an amputation. The patients would be asleep the whole time and never feel a thing. This anesthetic was widely used on both sides during the war and fortunately there was plenty to go around.

The bone saw was probably the most well known piece of medical equipment during the war. This piece of equipment had only one job, amputation. Needless to say soldiers tried to avoid getting wounded in an arm or leg because they probably knew what was waiting for them if they did.

There was a simple reason why there were so many amputations during the war. Infection would usually sent in soon after a soldier was wounded, the only way to prevent this from happening was to amputate.

The majority of all battlefield surgeries during the war were amputations.