Chloroform During the Civil War
What was chloroform used for?
When was chloroform used?
During the Civil War, injured soldiers would go to military nurses/doctors to get help with their injury. If they needed an amputation because of for example a shot arm, chloroform would be given to the patient, making them unconscious allowing the nurse/doctor to safely amputate the arm without the patient feeling a thing.
Chloroform was first used in the Mexican American War but then was later used during the Civil War due to the large amount of injuries.
(Chloroform)
Would it be considered successful?
Why and how was it made?
During the Civil War, chloroform was used on patients about 125,000 times. 10,000 cases of it that were recorded showed that the there were little fatalities. Although the people who were administrating did have little experience, the reports of it yielded almost no deaths.
Chloroform was made to be used as an anesthetic that could help people who need amputations/surgeries. The chloroform would drip onto a sponge and the patient would inhale making them unconscious and safe for the procedure.
Chloroform was accidentally made by Dr. Samuel Guthrie in an attempt to make a cheap pesticide. It was made by a mixture of whiskey and chlorinated lime.
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What was its effect on the future?
Why was it used over other things?
An anesthetic inhalant used to reduce pain during medical procedures.
Chloroform helped to arise new knowledge on the science on anesthetics. Chloroform also helped to illustrate the profound improvement in surgical pain management made possible with anesthesia. The comparison of chloroform to ether was the fact that it reacted faster and wasn't flammable. The improvement of anesthetics ranging from whiskey all the way to chloroform was very large and chloroform helped people to realize that.
Prior to all other anesthetics, the first traditional anesthetic was whiskey. Afterward, a more effective anesthetic was made.The main inhalant was ether, but the anesthetic was ineffective due to its slow speed of reaction and its flammability. Chloroform was then used over ether because chloroform reacted faster on the patient and it was non flammable.
What is chloroform used for now?
Cool!
Oh my!
How did its popularity grow?
After the Civil War, the use of chloroform slowly
declined because of the discovery of safer and more effective inhalants/anesthetics. Later, chloroform started being used for other things. Chloroforms are used in aerosol propellants and refrigerants. Chloroform is also used in cold medicine and dental products like mouthwash and toothpaste.
Jeepers!
Wowza!
Chloroform During the Civil War
Its popularity grew throughout the Civil War and over 125,000 cases of it being used were recorded. The sweet smelling, clear liquid was becoming the mainstream anesthetic used by surgeons and military doctors everywhere.
How easily was it obtained during the Civil War?
WRONG!
Chloroform
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The Union side had no problem obtaining the substance because of all the people that had been producing it. The Confederates, on the other hand had a difficult time getting it because no one in the South produced the product and connections to it was miniscule.
Chloroform is known to be a hazardous substance that can be used by people to make other people unwillingly unconscious in order to help their own mischievous plans. I do not condone of the misuse of chloroform. This presentation is for educational purposes only and if you are thinking of getting chloroform for MEDICAL purposes, make sure you are the legal age or ask a parent or guardian. Thank you.