Talk on Civil War medicine set
Staff report
YOUNGSTOWN
In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, Dr. Peter D’Onofrio will present his program “Medical Advancements during the Civil War” at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Melnick Medical Museum, 655 Wick Ave.
The free program from the Ohio Humanities Council is co-sponsored by the Mahoning Valley Historical Society, the Melnick Medical Museum, Youngstown State University Archives, and the YSU History Department.
The Civil War, which began April 12, 1861, was the first modern war, and, because weapons technology outpaced military tactics, resulted in the highest number of U.S. casualties per capita of any American war, statistics show.
An estimated 620,000 men perished — 360,000 from the North and 260,000 from the South. Twenty-five percent of all soldiers and sailors involved died.
What is not often understood or appreciated now is the rapid advancement in American medicine that resulted from this conflict, Dr. D’Onofrio said.
He is president of the Society of Civil War Surgeons and editor of its quarterly publication, The Journal of Civil War Medicine. He learned about traumatic injuries firsthand as a paramedic and has taught in various training facilities including the National Fire Academy in Maryland.
For more information, visit www.mahoninghistory.org or call 330-743-2589.
Funding for the program was made possible in part by the humanities council with support by the National Endowment for the Humanities.