Only One Man Died, the Medical Aspects of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

by E.G. Chuinard

A reprint of a book relating the medical history of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The author, a physician himself, explores the medical milieu of the early 19th century, focusing on medicine as it was practiced in the Army, among Native Americans, and on the frontier. Particular attention is given to the practice of bloodletting by doctors. Preparations for the expedition and the journey itself are then covered in detail, with an emphasis on illnesses and injuries that expedition members suffered along the way and how they were treated. Originally published in 1979 by the Arthur H. Clark Company (Glendale, California). Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Genres: American History

444 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Baglady · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a 1979 edition of this book not in the Goodreads inventory - can't tell if any of these comments specifically relate to this later edition.

I first read "Undaunted Courage: The Pioneering First Mission to Explore America's Wild Frontier" by Stephen E. Ambrose. Because the Ambrose work had many maps of the explorer's routes, it made interpreting this book much much easier. Admittedly this book's purpose is not to recreate the journey, but to focus on the medical-related aspects of the expedition, but knowing more about the geography illuminates the medical challenges. Some parts of this book are redundant - stating in the body what is also stated in the footnotes, and presenting information in the chapters about the journey that seem to be cut-and-paste from the earlier chapters about medical practices of the times. All in all, however, it is an enlightening read made easier by having some knowledge of medicine to understand explanations which include today's assumptions about diagnoses and treatments made by Lewis and Clark. It would be enhanced by drawings to explain shoulder subluxation, dislocation and treatment (the text is heavy on anatomical terms) but that doesn't prevent one from understanding the amazing medical accomplishments of this exploration - that only one man died.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This account of the Lewis & Clark journeys is written by a doctor and focuses on health and medical issues. It highlights how extremely grueling the journey was, and how astonishing it is that most of the men survived. That fact is a testament to the grit of the early American pioneer.

This book also examines health and healthcare among the Americans and Native tribes. Interestingly, at this time, there wasn’t a lot of difference between Native and Western healthcare, as both relied on bleeding and herbal remedies, although the Americans were starting to use vaccines. One big medical theme was treatment of venereal disease, which was prevalent among the Natives and transmitted to the trekkers.

I came away greatly appreciating modern medicine, transport, hiking gear .... This is a good book for someone (like me) who is interested in anything to do with Lewis & Clark, or with early American medicine, but probably not for everyone.

[Tiffany L · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a lot of details about Lewis & Clark! Highly recommended!!