On the Lingering Myth of Civil War Medicine

Yeah, I'm referring here to a common belief that anesthesia was rarely and/or ineffectively utilized during the war, and the fact that that notion is just patently wrong. I cite specifically the words of George Wunderlich, the executive director of the Museum of Civil War Medicine, in his assertion that not only was anesthesia used (ether and sulfuric acid) on both sides during the conflict, it was probably used in excess of 95% of the surgeries (his source is the "Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion" by the Surgeon General's Office).................................................................................As to how this particular myth came into existence, Professor Wunderlich speculates that it probably came about via eye witness testimony of various journalists who happened to see patients crying out during surgery and these folks just not understanding the concept; the fact that there are multiple levels of "being under" and that even in the milder stages pain is radically reduced and that the crying part was probably more of a reflex and/or fear response....That's pretty damned interesting, no?