Civil War medicine exhibit opens April 14

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Civil War medicine exhibit opens April 14

Civil War soldiers who lost limbs pose for a photo. The recovery of soldiers injured during the war is explored in the "Life and Limb: The Toll of the Civil War" exhibit, opening April 14 in Love Library.
National Library of Medicine | Courtesy image
Civil War soldiers who lost limbs pose for a photo. The recovery of soldiers injured during the war is explored in the "Life and Limb: The Toll of the Civil War" exhibit, opening April 14 in Love Library.

The National Library Medicine’s traveling exhibit, “Life and Limb: The Toll of the Civil War,” will be displayed in Love Library from April 14-May 24. The exhibit illustrates the brutality of the Civil War and the resilience of those who survived with serious disabilities.

An opening event is 5:30 p.m. April 17 in Love Library, room 22. Susan Lawrence, a professor at Ohio State University, will explore “Civil War Suffering: Making Sense of the Civil War.” Lawrence will discuss why the Office of the Surgeon General was so determined to document the casualties not only in words, but also in drawings and photographs, in order to make sense of the medical experience of the war. A reception will follow her presentation.

At 5:30 p.m. May 15 in Love Library room 222, there will be a round table discussion with veterans. The session, “Life and Limbs After War,” will include panelists discussing and answering questions on changes in medicine, soldiering, war since the Civil War and the similarities and connections between them. Panelists will include:

  • A. Christine Emler, associate chief of medicine, Veterans Administration, Lincoln, panel moderator

  • Todd Fleischer, Veterans Administration, Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System

  • Adam Jacobsen, Veterans Administration, Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System

  • Terry Gillespie, veteran, Veterans Advisory Council

  • David Ossian, Marine Corps League

For more information, click here.

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