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Revolutionary War reenactor brings 18th century medicine to life
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| John Ferrannini III, a Revolutionary War reenactor who portrays a British surgeon, shows off one of his reproduction surgical tools from the era. Ferranini spoke to the Greenport Historical Society recently about 18th century medical practices. (Andrew Amelinckx/Hudson-Catskill Newspapers) |
By Andrew Amelinckx
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
GREENPORT — In 1777, in the midst of the American War of Independence, British General John Burgoyne led a military force of 7,000 men from Canada into New York in the hopes of severing New England from the rest of the rebel colonies. Along with men, munitions and other essentials he also brought those skilled in the medical arts.
This past Thursday John Ferrannini III, a Revolutionary War reenactor who portrays a British regimental surgeon serving under Burgoyne, brought the healing and the horrors of 18th century medical practices to life for members of the Greenport Historical Society.
Dressed in period costume, the volunteer at the Saratoga National Historical Park in Stillwater displayed his tools of the trade, from scalpels with wooden handles to bigger implements from a time when there was no understanding of germs and treatments were often worse than the ailments.
Amputations were common and often had to be performed due to infection.
“If all else fails cut it off,” said Ferrannini brandishing a bone saw.
He said the term “bite the bullet,” wasn’t just a saying. Soldiers bit down on them during surgery since the procedures were performed without anesthetic, except perhaps for a shot or two of brandy.
“They’ve found bullets with teeth marks at Saratoga,” he said.
Unsanitary conditions didn’t help with post-op recovery either.
Ferrannini said that afterwards they would throw water on the wooden operating tables and use old rags to clean up the blood.
Enemas and the bleeding of patients were both common treatments, due to the belief of the time in the ancient Greco-Roman idea of the body being ruled by the “four humors”—black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood.
Of the first technique, said Ferrannini, they would administer pigs’ fat to “clean the patients out” daily.
Bleeding patients to remove bad blood was common practice. But with the 18th century belief that the body contained 12 pints of blood, rather than the actual six pints in the body, they often went too far with the technique.
According to Ferrannini, George Washington had nine pints of blood removed by his doctors in less than 24 hours, which, he said, resulted in Washington succumbing to strep throat from being too weak to fight off the infection.
Ferrannini said that there were some medical practices they did use at the time.
They did know how to suture and were versed in the use of certain herbs — like a form of quinine they called “Peruvian Bark” used to stave off Malaria.
The use of opium was rampant and, according to a contemporary German doctor, Johan David Schoepf, it was so over-prescribed that many soldiers became addicts and large doses no longer worked on them.
Besides the medical techniques, there were other differences between then and now.
Surgeons weren’t as highly regarded as physicians.
“Surgeons were referred to as ‘Mister’,” he said, “because they worked with their hands, while physicians only worked with their minds.”
A regimental surgeon, he said, would be responsible for the health of 10 companies, or roughly 900 men.
During Burgoyne’s campaign through New York there were only 12 surgeons for the entire force, he said, adding that the hospital was carried on their backs.
In other campaigns, said Ferrannini, the British were able to commandeer churches and other buildings to use as hospitals.
During the fighting at Saratoga, where the British force lost to the Americans, helping to turn the war’s tide, the hospital was located far back from the actual battle.
Afterwards, the British surgeon John McNamara Hayes stayed behind to care for the wounded—from both sides of the battle lines.
“Physicians did not carry weapons ,” he said. “They were considered non-combatants.”
Ferrannini, a 38-year-old Rotterdam resident, is an MRI technician. His medical background led him from portraying a common British soldier beginning in 2002 to that of a surgeon.
He seems to relish the details associated with the time-period and spends a lot of time researching those details.
“You’d have thought the British Army would have kept pristine records,” he said, “but they didn’t. They were horrible.”
To reach reporter Andrew Amelinckx call 518- 828-1616, ext. 2267 or e-mail aamelinckx@registerstar.com.
This past Thursday John Ferrannini III, a Revolutionary War reenactor who portrays a British regimental surgeon serving under Burgoyne, brought the healing and the horrors of 18th century medical practices to life for members of the Greenport Historical Society.
Dressed in period costume, the volunteer at the Saratoga National Historical Park in Stillwater displayed his tools of the trade, from scalpels with wooden handles to bigger implements from a time when there was no understanding of germs and treatments were often worse than the ailments.
Amputations were common and often had to be performed due to infection.
“If all else fails cut it off,” said Ferrannini brandishing a bone saw.
He said the term “bite the bullet,” wasn’t just a saying. Soldiers bit down on them during surgery since the procedures were performed without anesthetic, except perhaps for a shot or two of brandy.
“They’ve found bullets with teeth marks at Saratoga,” he said.
Unsanitary conditions didn’t help with post-op recovery either.
Ferrannini said that afterwards they would throw water on the wooden operating tables and use old rags to clean up the blood.
Enemas and the bleeding of patients were both common treatments, due to the belief of the time in the ancient Greco-Roman idea of the body being ruled by the “four humors”—black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood.
Of the first technique, said Ferrannini, they would administer pigs’ fat to “clean the patients out” daily.
Bleeding patients to remove bad blood was common practice. But with the 18th century belief that the body contained 12 pints of blood, rather than the actual six pints in the body, they often went too far with the technique.
According to Ferrannini, George Washington had nine pints of blood removed by his doctors in less than 24 hours, which, he said, resulted in Washington succumbing to strep throat from being too weak to fight off the infection.
Ferrannini said that there were some medical practices they did use at the time.
They did know how to suture and were versed in the use of certain herbs — like a form of quinine they called “Peruvian Bark” used to stave off Malaria.
The use of opium was rampant and, according to a contemporary German doctor, Johan David Schoepf, it was so over-prescribed that many soldiers became addicts and large doses no longer worked on them.
Besides the medical techniques, there were other differences between then and now.
Surgeons weren’t as highly regarded as physicians.
“Surgeons were referred to as ‘Mister’,” he said, “because they worked with their hands, while physicians only worked with their minds.”
A regimental surgeon, he said, would be responsible for the health of 10 companies, or roughly 900 men.
During Burgoyne’s campaign through New York there were only 12 surgeons for the entire force, he said, adding that the hospital was carried on their backs.
In other campaigns, said Ferrannini, the British were able to commandeer churches and other buildings to use as hospitals.
During the fighting at Saratoga, where the British force lost to the Americans, helping to turn the war’s tide, the hospital was located far back from the actual battle.
Afterwards, the British surgeon John McNamara Hayes stayed behind to care for the wounded—from both sides of the battle lines.
“Physicians did not carry weapons ,” he said. “They were considered non-combatants.”
Ferrannini, a 38-year-old Rotterdam resident, is an MRI technician. His medical background led him from portraying a common British soldier beginning in 2002 to that of a surgeon.
He seems to relish the details associated with the time-period and spends a lot of time researching those details.
“You’d have thought the British Army would have kept pristine records,” he said, “but they didn’t. They were horrible.”
To reach reporter Andrew Amelinckx call 518- 828-1616, ext. 2267 or e-mail aamelinckx@registerstar.com.
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