Ohio History Journal

OHIO MEDICAL HISTORY, 1835-1858

FURTHER ASPECTS

 

CONTRIBUTION OF OHIO PHYSICIANS TO THE

MEXICAN WAR

 

By LEON GOLDMAN, M.D.

 

One of the wars least interesting to, and least popular with,

the people of the United States was, of course, the Mexican War

of 1846. Yet this war should be of some interest to the physician,

for it was at this time that, in spite of great difficulties, definite

advances were made by medical officers in the army. Their con-

duct in the field went far to remove the prejudices which they

hitherto had to contend with in the army.

That tough Surgeon-General, Thomas Lawson, and 132 med-

ical men cared for some 100,454 soldiers. There was the usual

serious lack of equipment, the usual failure of preparation and

the inadequacy of transportation.  Consequently, deaths from

sickness were listed as 10,986, more than twice the total of battle

casualties, dead and wounded.

In spite of the country's disinterest, volunteers unencumbered

by supplies or unaided by transportation poured in on General

Zachary Taylor. There were 48 medical officers of the volun-

teers. Ohio first, generously gave three, then increased to five,

the number of volunteer regiments. There were 10 Ohio volun-

teer surgeons and assistant surgeons to serve as medical officers

for these regiments. There were many independent companies of

Ohio volunteers which had, apparently, none of their own medical

officers.

Organized medicine in Ohio reflected the popular disinterest

of the country at large in the Mexican War. In the Proceedings

(259)

• 1
 

260    OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

of the Ohio State Medical Society of that period there was

scarcely any mention of that war. In fact, the address of one of

the founders of the Ohio State Medical Society, Dr. Robert

Thompson, before the Ohio State Medical Society on May 18,

1848, made no mention at all of the Mexican War. The grand

speech of this literary figure included references all the way from

Bacon to the American Revolution, yes, he mentioned even the

chariots of Aminadab.

In the Proceedings of the Ohio Medical Convention at Co-

lumbus in May, 1847, however, there is a brief note to the effect,

"On motion of Dr. Sachse that while we regret the absence of

our friend and fellow citizen, Dr. William Trevitt, now in service

of his country with the United States Army in Mexico, our kind

recollections accompany him, and that our wishes for a speedy

and honorable peace and his safe return to the bosom of his family

and large circle of friends and acquaintances, are hereby expressed

by the Medical Convention of Ohio; of which he has long been

an honorable member."

In the journals consulted no mention is made of the other

nine volunteers who were probably not as prominent politically

as Dr. Trevitt. The following is the list of surgeons and assist-

ant surgeons obtained from the Official Roster:

1st Regiment

E. K. Chamberlain--Surgeon--entered service June 22, 1846

A. E. Heighway--Assistant Surgeon--entered service June 22, 1846

2nd Regiment

Wm. T. Trevitt--Surgeon--appointed July 7, 1846

Robert McNeill--Assistant Surgeon--appointed July 7, 1846

B. F. Mullen--Acting Assistant Surgeon--appointed November 25, 1846

3rd Regiment

Benjamin Stone--Surgeon--appointed July 7, 1846

Patrick H. Mulraney--Assistant Surgeon--appointed July 7, 1846

4th Regiment

Oliver M. Langdon--Surgeon--appointed May 29, 1847

Robert McNeill--Assistant Surgeon--later promoted to surgeon

Henry E. Foote--Assistant Surgeon--appointed ............

5th Regiment

Robert McNeill--Surgeon--appointed ......................

George McDonald--Assisant Surgeon--appointed September 14, 1847

• 2
 

OHIO MEDICAL HISTORY, 1835-58            261

The Ohio Volunteer regiments for the most part were organ-

ized at Camp Washington in the Millcreek Valley, on both sides

of Colerain Pike, and just outside of Cincinnati. The regiments

saw active duty. Specific mention is made of battles of Monterey,

Cervalo, Camargo and Atlexco. The same proportions of battle

casualties to disease casualties is maintained with the Ohio groups.

Here, for instance, are some figures of the Second Regiment--24

killed--₄2 died of disease; for the Third Regiment--₅ of battle--

71 of disease. The chief diseases were malaria, dysentery, yellow

fever and heat stroke.

Of this group of volunteer physicians the only one mentioned

in the actual doings of organized medicine in Ohio are Dr. William

J. Trevitt and Dr. E. K. Chamberlain. Dr. Trevitt of Franklin

County was elected to membership in 1846. He served as dele-

gate to the National Medical Association in Cincinnati at the

Convention of 1850. He was also physician to the Penitentiary.

He was secretary of the Ohio State Medical Society in 1851. In

1847, Dr. E. K. Chamberlain was elected to membership. He

was also listed as a member of the Committee on Ethics at the

Convention in Cleveland in 1852. The names of the other volun-

teers do not appear in the membership lists available for that

period.

In discussing General Lanis' Brigade in Central Mexico, Dr.

Albert G. Brackett of an Indiana regiment spoke of severe gastro-

intestinal reactions among a group of soldiers on a trip for Vera

Cruz, in September, 1847. He believed these reactions resulted

from castor bean poisoning and commented that, "such sickness

as prevailed in our camp that night would have broken the heart

of a homeopathic physician. It makes me sick at the stomach to

think about it." He added that, "Drs. Langdon, Brower, and

Foote rendered them every assistance."

One must assume that this is just about what the group of

Ohio physician volunteers did, namely, the routine medical care

of their regiments, with the inadequate and miserable equipment.

These unsung and for the most part unremembered medical pio-

neers helped to bring about the glory of the army surgeon. The

• 3
 

262   OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

surgeon after this war was to be considered as an officer and a

gentleman. There were no Lawsons, Porters, Horwitz's or De-

Leons among the Ohio Volunteers but they must have been a

goodly crew since many of the Ohio Volunteers remained to be

mustered out with the regiments.

• 4