Booknotes: The U.S. Navy Medical Department in the Civil War

New Arrival:

• The U.S. Navy Medical Department in the Civil War by Guy R. Hasegawa (McFarland, 2026).

During the Civil War, the United States Navy sustained active operations in some of continent's most dangerously unhealthy climes, those extreme challenges to personnel fitness under extended periods of close confinement being one of the more understudied aspects of the service.

From the description: "The Civil War U.S Navy--charged with blockading the Southern coast, controlling the Mississippi River and participating in Army-Navy operations--faced daunting medical difficulties. These included not only combat injuries but also malaria, yellow fever and other infectious diseases that all hampered the Navy's ability to wage war."

Content inside Guy Hasegawa's new book The U.S. Navy Medical Department in the Civil War is similar in nature and structure to that of a pair of his earlier works, Matchless Organization: The Confederate Army Medical Department (2021) and The Confederate Navy Medical Corps: Organization, Personnel and Actions (2024). All explore key matters such as departmental administration, organizational hierarchy, procurement, personnel assignments and duties, and hospital management.

As was the case with the army, U.S. Navy medical services were initially overwhelmed but soon adapted to the scale of the conflict. More from the description: "The tremendous wartime expansion in naval personnel and vessels outpaced the ability to provide sufficient qualified medical personnel, and the initial absence of Union naval hospitals in the South forced officials to improvise care for the most seriously ill or injured sailors and marines. The wide dispersal of vessels and facilities necessitated changes in the distribution of supplies. The U.S. Navy Medical Department responded to these challenges creatively, transforming their methods, calling on other government entities for assistance and applying political maneuvers."