What Hygiene Was Like Among Civil War Armies
Vložit
- čas přidán 28. 07. 2022
- What was hygiene like during the Civil War? By contemporary standards, it was pretty grim for both Union and Confederate troops. Confronted by unsanitary living conditions and the ever-present risk of disease, many soldiers were unwittingly locked in a fight not only for the nation but their own health as well. The American Civil War was fought between 1861 and 1865, before the advent of antiseptics or a full understanding of how diseases spread.
#hygiene #civilwar #weirdhistory - Zábava
In retrospect it’s kinda miraculous that anyone survived at all.
They had this strange concept of a natural immune system.. the same thing that keeps all mammals alive. Back then if you were a moron you typically didn't live long enough to breed therfore the hardiest and strongest men and woman would ensure their genes passed on.
That has just got to be a testament to devine design...
@@franny5295 Darwin, Darwin.....
It’s why I always laugh when people say they wish they could live in the good old days.
Icu nurse x 30 years. They still use maggots ( medical grade, sounds crazy but they are grown in sterile conditions) for wound cleaning esp if patients too fragile to go to surgery. Also used leeches to help keep reattached fingers/ limbs viable.
Still use leeches for venous congestion in reattached limbs, usually fingers
I had a pt in LA that lived in the woods for a complaint of a "sore" on his forehead with swelling, saying a bird kept picking at it.
As he bent over to remove his excrement caked clothes to put on disposable scrubs. A stream of maggots began to fall from the wound writhing and wiggling on the ground.
Problem solved. We debated just putting them back in
@@nomdeplume7537 PT? As in a LA personal trainer living in the woods?! 😯
@@HVS-gk7oo
It's the abbreviation for a patient.
@@HVS-gk7oo
pt ... as in patient
And I'm sure you get a huge bill for it (in America if you don't have insurance).
There's a story of British POW during WW2 that managed to escape from a death march into the jungle with a few of his buddies. He had open weeping sores on his legs due to the horrendous conditions the Imperial Army kept them in and they'd become gangerous. He was convinced that even if he somehow managed to avoid septicaemia and somehow make it back to Allied lines that he'd lose his legs to amputation, but flies were attracted to his sores and laid eggs in them. The maggots ate all the putrid flesh but left the uninfected flesh alone. Maggots saved his legs, and as someone below has already pointed out, they're still used in medicine to this day!
Edit: Jim Bradley was his name, his is a remarkable story if anyone wants to look into it!
Oh my heavens, I am even more appreciative of these young men! Just amazing that any of them made it out alive.
@@winterwunderland it's beyond my comprehension to even begin to imagine what they went through. The good news in Jim's case is that though he eventually was recaptured, the Japanese guards didn't execute him or his buddies, out of sheer respect for how far they'd gotten and their courage for attempting it in the first place - they were a rare exception. He also survived the war and lived a long life :) I saw his story on one of Ray Mears' episodes, I'm unsure which whether it was his bushcraft series or the extreme survival series but if you look up Ray Mears Jungle I'm sure you'll find it somewhere :)
@@rockstarJDP I rented a room from a Japanese lady when I lived on Maui. She was (RIP) one of the finest human BB beings I have ever had to the privilege of knowing.
@@winterwunderland Likewise, I've visited Germany and Austria many times, they're some of the friendliest and most helpful people you'll ever meet :) thing people don't realise is that in most cases they were just ordinary people forced to do things they didn't actually want to do, they just didn't have a choice in the matter.
@@rockstarJDP very cool and enightening. Thank you.
In the battle of Gettysburg they didn't bury the bodies deep enough and a heavy rain washed them above ground. The battlefield is supposedly haunted now.
I sure am happy that I'm being able to wash my Hands
The bullets were actually sterile when fired from a musket. The filthy clothing in the wound caused the subsequent infection.
I guess I'm lucky to be here. My great grandfather enlisted just after the first battle of Bull Run and was released just after the surrender at Appomattox. To think that he lived (survived) every day of the war under these conditions is nothing short of amazing.
My great grandfather survived being imprisoned at Andersonville. If you ever start to feel insignificant, simply contemplate the fact that we are all descended from fantastic survivors.
I’m attempting to imagine, what it would be like if the concept of washing your hands was a foreign, policy; the same thing could be said about spf use and skin care, today.
Before mass production, the concepts were foreign outside the circles of royalty and the very wealthy. Nobody could afford it or find it
Just got tested positive for C virus. At the same time my grandma had a heart attack followed by cardiac arrest and internal bleeding. To say the least, it has been very very tough for me to relax, but these videos and your humor doesn’t fail to make me smile. Thank you for making these awesome and informative videos!! Keep up the good work!
Sorry bud hang in there. I will ask the invisible man in the sky to grant you peace.
Sending you a virtual hug. Take it one day at a time!
🙏🙏🙏
@@Elon_Trump doesn't work that way ; peace can only be found internally not through some imaginary person you read about in a book designed to guilt and shame humanity for its basic needs
@@jh2325 can you tell me how does the Bible shame humanity for its basic needs maybe I can help you understand
i got Dysentery just watching this
I got imbentago. It’s spelled wrong I know
If you live in Oregon or anywhere near the Wagon Trail, you also died. So sorry
You did not make it thru the Oregon trail.
I love Weird History. Thank you
love you too
How about doing the history of face hair? The style of beards, mustaches, sideburns, goatee ect. worn throughout history and the story of reasons why.
Good idea
@ Ff, scuse me, but I suppose you meant the facial hair of the men folks? (asking for a friend)
I couldn't imagine being a solider back then. I thought it was tough in this day in age. At least we had showers, clean water, clean food and a change of uniforms, under wear etc. I commend these men and small amount of soldier women who endured these harsh conditions. I couldn't imagine the mental toll it took on every one :(.
One time I went without a shower for 57 days in the Persian Gulf….good times #usmc
Gross... I know it's not pc but women really have no place out there in that. That's 2 periods and no real bathing... no... And I'm a an Army vet. There are things we can do to help without being out there like that.
Thank you for your service! God bless!
@@franny5295 thanks for serving! It’s not easy no matter where you are.
@@TheTBI_guy Being a civilian is no piece of cake either. In many ways, the military looks after you very well.
So.. about on par with my 9 year old nephew's preferred state of hygiene.
Or Ted Cruz!
@@gaywizard2000 He is a filthy guy in many ways.
I love this channel! Always interesting topics but also great for taking naps lol
Saaaaaame or jus leave it playing for background noise too lol
@@mihaell5752 while eating food
@@user-cq8hw3ni7g HAHAHAHA noice one !
Why were some parts of video blurred out? We want to see it all.
It’s history.
Exactly what I was thinking. Whats the point of showing the three men with amputations if you are blurring it out?
Yeah hygiene was not always of the greatest importance during the Victorian era.
Host: "New York city was know as the cleanest city in America"
Me: "WTF Happened?" 😂😂😂
My tears would have washed me clean. My pillow would have been so wet it would have drowned all the lice and I would have had to forfeit my lice fight.
I love learning about wars, one of my favorite topics.
Look into the diadocci wars, a really underappreciated time
Check out some military ration channels, we eat history😉
I love this channel. Hilarious and informative, thank you!!!!!
"Back in the good old days - when botulism was a sauce"!
Maggots are still used to this day
No one, I mean NO ONE, makes me more inquisitive about how folks in the past washed their funky bits, fornicated and subsequently medicated their even funkier bits afterwards, or been more enthralled by how folks used to do away with their bodily waste more😂
Few things sound more Civil War than louse fights.
On amputations, you overlooked an interesting bit of trivia - The year after the war ended, the state of Mississippi spent 20% of its annual budget on artificial limbs for its veterans.
& lynching
Mississippi is always ahead of the curve.
I found as long as I keep my arms down the pit stink can’t escape my fat folds
6:00 I'm going to assume that there are neither fruit or oysters in that house.
😂
Enjoyed your video so I gave it a Thumbs Up
It's amazing anyone survived.
I don't see the value of censoring the harsh reality of war, if you're looking to educate you need to show how much these men suffered to get a modicum of how devastating the American Civil War is.
Talk about hygiene. You should do one on the prisoner of war camp Andersonville.
Or any prisoner of war camp.
As I mentioned in a reply to someone else's comment, I had a great grandfather who survived having been imprisoned at Andersonville.
Fantastic video keep it up your doing amazing job
Thanks! I just had lunch thru this! So much for romanticizing the past!
10:02 there's a split second of not blurred amputations idk why they are blurred they aren't even that bad they are pretty tame
I'm surprised how many pictures are reused in the video as usually you don't see many pictures spread repeatedly in videos, I'm surprised CZcams was being that strict about gore when these are historical images of war so of course your going to see gore, although I do wish the editor didn't just lazily place large rectangle blurs but I'm guessing it was a rushed last minute job
Would love to see a video about Lister!
Do the story of Japanese soldiers getting killed by crocodiles in ww2
Can you do more videos about the civil war?
Stop the blurring, it's educational. People need to know what it was like, maybe they'll actually appreciate what we have today.
Absolutely, we are all so babied
Absolutely, we are all so babied
I loved this video. Great information. I do wonder about the use of chloroform etc. I’d be willing to bet that this was reserved more for high rank officers and the like who got wounded rather than you’re regular private or Sargent.
I love seeing KD ratio being used in common culture. I've been a Call of Duty fan for almost 20 years
Please make longer videos
You should look up the battle of ramree island ... where during ww2, between 500 - 1000 soldiers were eaten by crocodiles.
Still surprises me how long it took to make the connection between filth and infection.
Suggestions: Civil War Army camp kitchens.
Civil War Army camp field hospitals.
Rates of pay for Union and Confederate soldiers.
I mean, if someone is always shooting at me, I do think constipation and/or diarrhea would be a pretty common occurrence...
Sterile maggots are still being used to treat patients: maggots eat dead tissue this leaving viable tissue when done. Leeches are still being used to drain off excess blood.
Wonder how they kept themselves clean while in the service. Man, that's something. Interesting.
I'm amazed that any of them survived.
Deplorable, yet in most cases I guess unavoidable. With the exception of diseases warded-off using vaccines, I suppose depending on the environment you're fighting any disease could become hazardous.
Please make a video about Emma Goldman!
The malaria K/D ratio line was *chef’s kiss*
"Looks like this one's got a bad cough. Getting rid of that left leg should do the trick. Nurse! Get me my bonesaw, would you kindly?"
Larval treatment ( maggots) is still used today. Especially with burn patients to help eat dead tissue and clean the wounds before skin grafts.
I used go warch weird history every day now they blank alot of stuff out or bleep certain words and its not as good anymore
I mean we laugh now, but how come in 2020 over the Pandemic we had to show and or tell people to wash their hands with soap and water to prevent germs 😂
I feel like this video could just be "really really bad" repeated 5 times and be done lol
Could you do something about the fur trade ?
Can you imagine the conditions of soldiers fighting in the Napoleonic Wars of 1800-15? Even worse! Bigger armies,longer time period with huge battles and less medical knowledge and technology. It was the French who made leaps and bounds at the time. But, the techniques and knowledge were only in their infancy in terms of what became more common (theoretically) by the mid 19th century.
Talking of headlice made me itchy😂
I feel attacked by the closing questions on this channel. "How would you have faired in a Civil War camp?"
Thanks for this! 🧼
I had chicken pox!!! 9 weeks nothing in my room, my mum had to stay home and give me oatmeal baths!!!! Rub me down with a special nasty lotion that the Dr prescribed!!! Lol just happy I didn't have to go to school
I had it too. It sucked.
At least you got to miss school. I was 6 weeks old when my brother gave me chicken pox. A mild case, but enough to make me immune.
Using maggots was and is an effective way of cleaning dead tissue from a wound. Don’t knock ‘em!
I delivered the Philadelphia bulletin
Maggots work great ... is still used, along with leaches
Louise Belcher: Hi Gene.
Hygiene in the Civil War was very dirty.
Why are soldiers with amputations being blurred?
Crazy.
People laugh at military hygiene back then, yet even modern veterans are simple minded enough that they don't see anything wrong with jogging around burn pits every day.
So sad that you censored amputees, it's not like they're less human for not having limbs.
Cold Mountain is the best Civil War movie
Offal and awful is the most fitting pair of homophones in english
I do like this channel- but instead if showing us blurred out pictures- just leave it out of the video.
"I'm too sick to fight today". --Soldier at Camp Diarrhea.
I've never watched an ACW video that censored images. What's up with that?
Whoo hoo! More Civil War stuff! You are totes awesome, W.H.! ❤️🤍💙🇺🇸❤️🤍💙🇺🇸❤️🤍💙🇺🇸❤️🤍💙🇺🇸❤️🤍💙🇺🇸
Come, on, Weird History.... Why! You cannot say that Soldiers had uniforms that were falling apart and then show a photo of a SLAVE! That is nowhere near the same thing!!!
It would appear that some of the statements in this are rather odd. With modern day context, the conditions of medications and surgical practices can be seen as bizarre today, but were the only solution at the time. Researching some journals and records from the time will prove that people knew of hygiene, although a basic understanding.
Why include certain pictures in the video if you're just going to blur out 3/4 of it, especially the parts being specifically talked about?
Woo yea! Kick ass sh*t!!!
That was a tick, not a louse. And U S Grant had a carbuncle.
How about why the first crop of Union generals was so crappy?
There wasn't any...NEXT VIDEO!
**Don't be consuming any meals while watching this=*🤢🤮.
Others seem to have mentioned it but maggots, much like leeches, are still used today- despite being seen as archaic and barbaric by the general populace.
Well yeah because its easier to clean up dead cells with them rather than using metal tools and potentially hurting the victim even more, I believe in the first season of House they did this to a burn victim and the patient was constantly drugged because his body was 90% burned
Under ground rail road
Lister....Listerine? 🤔
The shoes were generic, no right or left
As were the feet
A fun question is to debate the difference of "from battle" to "in battle". I like to use this to illustrate how different people will count the same statistics in different ways. I.e. some people will count both as the same thing, others will say they are completely different, others will say they are distinct but have some overlap.
I'm barely alive now. I would have been the first to succumb, if I even lived long enough to enlist.
@3:20 This is a tick, not lice
I'm suddenly feeling quite ill ... 🤢🤮
3:16 That's a tick not a louse, right?
Haunted battlefields of the civil war??
Hygiene? You funny white American😂😂😂
This video makes me itchy.