More advanced merdicine in ACW

Is there any way that field medicine could've been more advanced during 1861-65, such that tens of thousands of wounded men could've survived instead of being butchered in the charnel houses which passed for hospitals ?
 
Is there any way that field medicine could've been more advanced during 1861-65, such that tens of thousands of wounded men could've survived instead of being butchered in the charnel houses which passed for hospitals ?
I think by far the best way is to introduce antiseptic methods by 1860 since so many were died or had limbs cut off to stop infections.

Wiki says a paper called "Antiseptic Principle of the Practice of Surgery" by Joe Lister was instrumental in improving techniques. I guess he also advocated use of Phenol as an anti-septic. That paper was published in 1867. Say he managed to publish it by 1860 and along with hand-washing for surgeons it's used on tools and wounds. I would think that would have a major effect. Maybe also include packets of it so you can throw it on wounds in powder form in the field while they drag you back to the 'doctors' for treatment. Wiki says Lister was kind of shy so make him more ambitious and eager for recognition and he might push his stuff faster and more loudly so he gets the thing to take off by the War of Southern Rebellion.
 
The state of the Union medical Corp by the end of the war was a drastic improvement over its origins. Many of the stories about the "bloody butchers" were in fact myths that rose early in the war. Both sides were not equipped for a long, large war. The army only had 24 surgeons when war broke out. Later in the war, things had improved. General anesthesia saw widespread use, sanitation of surgical instruments with boiling water was common, and a large support system existed with specialized hospital and care systems. The state of dentistry was also extraordinarily advanced. I suggest reading Civil War Medicine: Challenges and Triumphs.
 

Michael Busch

General anesthesia saw widespread use, sanitation of surgical instruments with boiling water was common, and a large support system existed with specialized hospital and care systems. The state of dentistry was also extraordinarily advanced. I suggest reading Civil War Medicine: Challenges and Triumphs.

Even so, there are some obvious changes that weren't made. Sanitizing the surgical instruments is one thing, but was there ever any focus on sanitizing the entire camp? The rates of infection from contaminated water and supplies were probably unacceptable by current standards.
 
Many doctors made sanitation recommendations that were ignored or blocked by regular army officers. Some corps and companies that did follow such advice often had drastically lower illness rates. And lacking antibiotics, there was little they could do fight the infection of wounds. As things were, 70% of amputation patients survived, an impressive figure.
 
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