amputation: A surgical operation used to remove an arm, leg, or other extremity. It was the most common operation in the Civil War.

anesthesia: A drug used to make patients unconscious before surgery.

chloroform: The most common anesthesia used in the Civil War.

dysentery: A disease of the intestines which caused severe diarrhea. Dysentery was common among soldiers, and thousands died from it during the war.

ligature: Tying of the ends of blood vessels in the body to stop bleeding. Wire or silk thread was used to tie off the veins or arteries.

morphine: A very powerful pain-killing drug used during the Civil War.

scalpel: A small, sharp knife used by surgeons to cut through skin and other soft tissue.

styptics: Drugs which absorb blood and stop bleeding.

sutures: Silk thread stitches used to sew up wounds.

tourniquet: A device which wraps around an arm or leg and is tightened to control bleeding.

typhoid fever: A very deadly disease caused by bad food and water. Typhoid fever killed thousands of soldiers during the war.

(Courtesy of U.S. Department of Interior, National Park Service)