San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1877-12-08
The Medicinal Famine During
! the Blockade.


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Mrs. M. P. Handy writes in the Phil Phi
adelphia Times: ..o-,8 81 tu.,a
The greatest privation suffered by the
Confederates was from lack of medi-
cines. The Government at Washington
made them contraband of war. Quinine
and morphine were worth double, nay
treble, their weight in, gold, and when
Stonewall JacksOn's arm was ampu-
tated, the fact that hes had the aid Of
chloroform to sustain him under the
operation was telegraphed as news
throughout the Confederacy--news to
be received with thankfulness by the
waiting heart Of the people, Federal
prisoners cursed the Confederate sur
geons who refused them morphia and
chloroform in their agonies; but Con-
federates and Federals suffered alike;
nothing was scaroer or more precious
than such drugs, and not q few Southern
hospitals had little Of the one and none
of the other in their stores. An attempt
was made to cultivate opium, and to
that end the seed of tue red and
white :. poppy were distributed
through the country by the Coy
eminent at Richmond. The plan was
to prick the gum capsules OF the plant,
and collect the gum which exuded from
the wounds thus made but the project
met with no success farther north than
Southern Alabama and Mississippi. and
even there was only Unsuccessful.
believe that some sort of decoction
made from the green seed stepped in
brandy was used as lotion in cases OF
acute neuralgia, but I am not sure.
Corn, wheat and other grains were SO
precious as breadstuffs that their. dis
tillation into Intoxicating liquors was
forbidden both by the Confederate
Congress and by the various State
Legislatures. So that fruit brandies,
rum made from the juice of the Chinese
sugar-cane and grape wines were the
only lawful strong drinks of the coun-
try. These paid heavy taxes, but they
also brought high prices, and large
quantities of them were manufactured.
Victims of neuralgia were forced to
drink and forget their misery when hot
poultices failed to bring relief, since
opium was 10 be had only at fancy prices.
Bromine was unattainable, and all ano-
dynes so wholly out Of reach that few
people ever even sighed for them. The
medical department sent botanizing par
ties prospecting through the country in
search of roots and herbs which might
be of medical value, and appealed to
the people of the Confederacyto collect
and prepare such simples as slippery
elm, sarsaparilla, black berry root, gin
seng, etc. Herb teas were usedin the hos
pitfalls by surgeons who for years had rid
iculed them as old wives remedies, but
who now turned to them in necessity,
for lack of more efficient medicines.
Southern women trod on bare floors,
cutting the carpets which had covered
them into blankets for sick soldiers.
Linen sheets and underclothing were
torn into bandages, and private stores
were freely used for the sick and dying.
Once, during the seven days. fight
around Richmond, public worship was
suspended on Sunday and the members
of the churches worked all day long in
their lecture-rooms making sand bags
for the Notifications and rolling ban
dages and scraping lint for the wounded.
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