COVID-19 and closures won’t stop us from sharing the incredible lessons we can learn from studying medical care during the Civil War!

President James Garfield on his deathbed.

Join us on Friday, February 12 at 1:00 PM on Facebook Live for a virtual program hosted by the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. You can tune in live by visiting facebook.com/civilwarmed/live at the scheduled time.

When an assassin’s bullet struck James Garfield in July 1881, the battle to save the president’s life began. In the weeks that followed, doctors argued over how to treat the stricken executive. In the end, Dr. D. Willard Bliss took control of Garfield’s recovery and controversy has surrounded his role ever since. Jake Wynn of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine will discuss the history of Garfield’s recovery and how antiquated techniques learned by Dr. Bliss during his Civil War experience played a role in James Garfield’s death in September 1881.

Jake Wynn is the Director of Interpretation at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. He also writes independently at the Wynning History blog.

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