March 2002
From Virginia Tech
Civil War offers insignts into medical practices BLACKSBURG, VA, March 8, 2002 -- From traumatic injuries and widespread infection to epidemics and hygiene, the American Civil War was the spawning ground for a number of modern medical practices. On March 22-24, physicians will gather in Roanoke, Va., to examine the influence of the mid-1800s conflict on their profession.The doctors will be participating in the Second Civil War Medical Symposium, organized by Virginia Tech's Virginia Center for Civil War Studies. The symposium has been approved by the Carilion Health System for 7.5 continuing medical education credits in category I. "It has been said that more knowledge was gained-- and more improvements made--in the field of medicine during the four years of the Civil War than in any other similar period of time in history. Consequently, Civil War medicine offers an almost unlimited area for investigation," says James I. Robertson Jr., Alumni Distinguished Professor of history at Virginia Tech and director of the Civil War center. The symposium will feature presentations by six physicians and two Virginia Tech Civil War history professors, a demonstration of Civil War surgical instruments, and displays of Civil War mementos from the Special Collections Department of Virginia Tech University Libraries. During the opening session on March 22, Robertson will deliver the keynote address on "Why Sickness Was the Biggest Killer in the Civil War." Other presentations during the three-day event will be made by Dr. Charles L. Cooke, a former faculty member at the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) who retired recently from the McGuire Medical Group in Richmond; Dr. John Staige Davis IV, emeritus professor of medicine and former chief of the Division of Rheumatology at MCV; William C. Davis, professor of history at Virginia Tech and director of programs for the Civil War center; Dr. Richard J. Duma, former chief of infectious diseases at MCV and now a physician at the Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Fla.; Dr. T. Scott Garrett, chief of the Division of Surgery at Virginia Baptist Hospital in Lynchburg; Dr. Peter W. Houck, medical director of the Johnson Health Center, Centra Health in Lynchburg; and Dr. Donald Zedalis, a specialist in allergy/immunology and sleep disorders in Christiansburg. The weekend event, which begins on Friday night and closes at mid-morning on Sunday, will be held at the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center. For additional information or to register, contact Donna Raines at 540/231-5241 or [email protected]. | |