Civil War amputation surgery was distressingly common and carried a high mortality rate. Contrary to common thinking, almost all amputation surgery was carried out under ether or chloroform anesthesia and morphine was readily available for post-operative care.
The main problem in amputation that caused a high mortality was wound infection. The following is the mortality rate suffered by Union soldiers with the described level of amputation
toes – 6%
below the knee – 33%
at the knee – 58%
thigh – 54%
hip joint – 83%
fingers – 3%
forearm – 14%
upper arm – 24 %
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