For most of the war , only men could be a surgeon, doctor, or nurse. There were few requirements for becoming a doctor: being a male and having two years of medical school. Women who knew about medical things, knew very little. The knowledge that most gained was because their father or husband was into the medical field. Nearing the end of the Civil War, woman started becoming more and more involved with everything, including medical acts and procedures. Most became nurses, and doctor assistance. Women also made things more sanitary since the germ theory, clean (antiseptic) medical practices, advanced equipment (what we have today), and organized hospitals weren't really heard of and there was a significant lack of knowledge. Because of their lack of knowledge, they often made illnesses, wounds, and diseases worse. Many surgeons and doctors only knew about bloodletting, blistering, purging, and treating diseases like syphilis with murmurs, which is toxic.
Medical of the Civil War