Surgery In the American Civil War
Introduction
Of all the conflicts fought by the United States, none were as horrific for the surgeon as the Civil War. The 19th-century United States was new and fast-growing. The rail and steel industries were booming, immigration was up, and the United States was on track to become a significant power in the western hemisphere. From a medical standpoint, however, the country was barely in its adolescence.
Surgery In The Middle Ages
The Medieval Practitioner
By the 1300s, there were primarily three classes of medical providers. Trained at university and fluent in Latin, the physician was tasked to see patients and advise them on how to get better by consulting the stars and manipulating the four humors (substances in the body). The barber-surgeon was seen as a glorified butcher and performed everything from trimming hair to amputating limbs. The empirics were untrained locals who provided home remedies and specialized services like bone-setting.[1]
Medieval Islamic Contributions to Math and Science
Introduction
From about 750-1200A.D., Islam led a scientific golden age. Islam had rapidly spread as far east as China and as far west as Spain, extending south to Northern Africa and India.[1] The Caliphate Empire extended trade to all corners of its empire and, through it, Islam made contact with Europe, Africa, and Asia to exchange goods and ideas alike.[2]
The center of Islamic power was Baghdad (in modern-day Iran), crossroads of the world, under the rule of the Abbasid caliphs who came to power in 749 and ruled for the next 500 years.[3] The high literacy rate required to read the Quran—combined with the generous support of pious Muslims, including several heads of state—lead to a large number of Muslims being able to study scientific texts.[4] Additionally, the basic tenants of Islam command its followers to treat others as equals. This, coupled with a diverse population of over 1 million in Baghdad by 930, all lead to Islamic science being more inclusive and egalitarian than its European counterpart.[5]