Mending Broken Soldiers: The Union and Confederate Programs to Supply Artificial Limbs

Concerted government efforts to assist in the rehabilitation of wounded veterans started with the Civil War era artificial-limbs programs. This book is the first to examine the evolution of these programs for military amputees during and after the Civil War. Author Guy Hasegawa looks at how both the Union and the Confederacy handled the supply of artificial limbs to maimed Civil War soldiers and sailors, demonstrating the vast differences in industrial and economic conditions between the two regions. The story also illustrates the inventiveness and intense business competition of the era.

About the Author :

Guy R. Hasegawa is a pharmacist and senior editor of the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy. He is a coeditor of Years of Change and Suffering: Modern Perspectives on Civil War Medicine and has written many articles on the history of pharmacy and on Civil War medicine. He serves on the board of directors of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine and is a director emeritus of the Society of Civil War Surgeons.

“This historiography is a great read for anyone interested in the development of government-run artificial limbs programs, which originated during the Civil War. The book's educational value cannot be overstated—as prosthetic professionals, there is much to learn from the mistakes of the past to help us avoid failures in veterans' care today.”—American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists

“One of the great medical and humanitarian accomplishments of the Civil War was the way mutilated soldiers were given a way to get back into society by way of artificial limbs. Dr. Hasegawa’s scholarly and well-researched book takes the reader from the crude beginning of the artificial-limb program of both the North and the South to a system whereby so many men were helped to a new life. It is especially relevant today as we help our 'wounded warriors' with new products and devices that enable them to have a productive and active life. Everything has a beginning, and what was begun in 1862 was the precursor of our efforts to mend the lives of our military men and women today. I highly recommend this work.”—Gordon E. Dammann, D.D.S., founder and board chairman, National Museum of Civil War Medicine

“Dr. Hasegawa’s book is an interesting, detailed description of the personalities and the medical and administrative problems that arose during and after the Civil War because of the need to supply artificial limbs to soldiers and sailors. Many remarkable characters, several who were amputees themselves, rose to the occasion, and artificial limbs became available to injured soldiers all over the country. The book illuminates this rarely mentioned aspect of the care needed by wounded men as a result of the war. I highly recommend it.”—Alfred Jay Bollet, M.D., author of Civil War Medicine: Challenges and Triumphs

“A number of technological innovations occurred during and shortly after the American Civil War. Among these were significant improvements in artificial limbs and the means of providing them to soldiers who needed them. Dr. Hasegawa has thoroughly researched the subject and shown how clever design and creative use of the available materials transformed artificial limbs from crude devices such as peg legs to lightweight, strong, multifunctional prostheses. He also tells of the social and political revolution that provided the means to pay for and distribute them, usually at little or no cost to the maimed soldiers. In my opinion, this book is the definitive reference on Civil War artificial limbs.” —F. Terry Hambrecht, M.D., senior technical advisor to the National Museum of Civil War Medicine and former head of the Neural Prosthesis Program, National Institutes of Health

“Mending Broken Soldiers is a valuable contribution to the history of medicine and disability during the Civil War era.”—Alan Branstiter, H-Net Reviews

“Hasegawa’s work provides a concise overview of the artificial limb programs during the Civil War. He uses his sources meticulously, captures the voices of the agents doomed to coordinate the program, and reveals the difficulties in keeping the broken soldiers economically valuable to society.”—Andrea Zittlau, H-Net Reviews