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| Philadelphia saloon and hospital (Library of Congress) |
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How to make 1862 lemonade: Slice three lemons and place in
bowl. Pour a half pound of white or brown granulated sugar over the fruit, and
mash together. Pour in 1 gallon of water. Stir well. Serve.
A scene described by 19th-century Philadelphia
physician S. Weir Mitchell in his book “In War Time” summarizes the power of hospitality
and this particular beverage.
A loaded wagon brings apprehensive men to a Union hospital in
Philadelphia. Hospital stewards and orderlies come out to the wagons, greet the
soldiers and offer them ice-cold lemonade.
“Just the idea of someone saying, ‘I am going to help you,
you are in a place of safety, and take this drink’ would increase your morale
immeasurably,” said Robert Hicks, director of Philadelphia’s Mütter Museum. "That has health consequences.”
On Sunday (Nov. 8), visitors to the museum at 19 S. 22nd St. will get to enjoy lemonade and other recipes at
“Refreshment Saloon,” an event that will highlight the venue’s Civil War
exhibit and provide an overview of food’s impact on the health and spirits of
soldiers, whether they were well or being treated at hospitals.
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| Sunday's event will include use of this room (Mutter Museum) |
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Refreshment saloons, which were located in several Northern cities,
provided a haven for tired troops on the way to or from the front. “This (was)
a good example of community volunteerism, local fundraising and local help,”
said Hicks.
Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon and Hospital, near the
Delaware River in Philadelphia, was a hive of activity.
“At their busiest, they were serving 17,000 meals a day,” he
said. “Some of the cooks became local celebrities. There was a small cannon
that was fired ... when word came that troops would arrive by train or boat.”
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Mütter
patrons will be able to take in a variety of activities that highlight the
types of food consumed by soldiers and civilians alike. The museum will be
giving out a recipe booklet that lists the ingredients and the use of each item
by the military.
Some food and drink items – such as beef jerky, dried apples
and lemonade (used to induce sweating and a natural diuretic) -- will be served
all day. Others will be scheduled: Soda biscuits with pumpkin preserves at 11
a.m., pickles at noon, and so on. (Pickled cucumbers, onions, tomatoes and
other vegetables, by the way, are preserved in an acid solution strong enough
to kill harmful bacteria)
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| (Library of Congress) |
You might want to try hotchpotch – a root vegetable stew --
and hardtack at 1 p.m. Hardtack is a long-lasting, hardened cracker or biscuit.
It was a staple of Civil War soldiers.
“We have used a period recipe,” said Hicks. “People will have
heard of it but not know exactly what it is. Ours will be fresh, with no
weevils or maggots in it.”
Local confectioners and ice cream shops will serve up some
sweets later in the afternoon. Philadelphia’s famous Franklin Fountain will
provide “gangrene” ice cream.
Hicks came up with that colorful idea. “I imagine it will
have blue, green, red and who knows what.”
While visitors will enjoy the tasting, officials hope they
pick up some education on Civil War medicine and health care, too.
Regarding the
ice cream: “After you sample this contemporary treat, check out the interactive
booth in the “Broken Bodies, Suffering Spirits” (exhibit) to see how your own
arm might look with a case of gangrene."
The Mütter Museum is associated with The College of
Physicians of Philadelphia. The "Broken Bodies, Suffering Spirits” permanent exhibit
features artifacts, anatomical specimens and illustrations to tell the story of
the city’s role in tending to the sick and wounded.
“The two large hospitals in Philadelphia … really took
extreme pains to meet soldiers’ needs,” Hicks told the Picket. Surgeons going
through the ward would order a specific dietary combination for an ailing
soldier. (Not in Sunday’s family-friendly lineup: Milk punch, consisting of milk and brandy).
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| Robert Hicks with pet leeches, Harvey and Hunter (Mutter Museum) |
The museum stresses that modern medicine owes a lot to the
Civil War: Triage, ambulances, specialized physicians (such as neurologists)
and more.
“People’s expectations of hospitals changed as a result of
the war,” said Hicks. “Before then, people would not go. It was a place where
poor people go to die. The Civil War changes that. The hospital became the
focal point of medical care.”
One of the items to be displayed is an invalid feeder. It
resembles a porcelain gravy boat.
During the Civil War, they might contain a mild watery
porridge with nutrients, such as arrowroot. The feeder would feature an
elongated spout for pouring food into the mouth of a wounded soldier who might
not be able to chew.
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| Display includes invalid feeder at lower right (Mutter Museum) |
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Physicians would try to make the right guess on different
medicines, tonics and remedies but it was not an exact science – and there were
no antibiotics.
“They did not recognize bacteria as a source of infection,”
said Hicks. “Recent scholarship is pointing out how close they came to making
those connections.”
In her book “Learning from the Wounded,” Shauna Devine argues
Union doctors overcame limitations to come up with study and experimentation
that would have a lasting impact on medicine.
Nearly two-thirds of the Civil War’s estimated
700,000-750,000 deaths were caused by disease.
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| Philadelphia's largest such wartime venue (Library of Congress) |
The Confederacy, largely because of an effective blockade of
its ports, constantly struggled to import medicines. Officials
looked for natural substitutes, with Francis Peyre Porcher of South Carolina
enlisted to write a handbook of Southeastern flora and fauna that could be used
by physicians and others.
While it’s been said that major medical discoveries were not
made during the Civil War, the Federal military medical system set the table
for the large-scale manufacturing of medicines, including quinine, used to
combat the effects of malaria. Philadelphia later became a major manufacturing
center for quinine, with the purity coming under government oversight.
It was a constant struggle for both sides to feed the troops.
When available, fresh and preserved food were prepared at Federal campsites.
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| Mutter Museum's Civil War exhibit |
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For the North, “in some cases the U.S. Sanitary Commission
brought fresh food and medicines the army did not have at the moment,” said
Hicks. Hospitals well behind the lines featured the best food for sick
soldiers.
While at the front or in camp, soldiers hunted, bartered and
occasionally stole food.
“If you are accustomed to farms and hunting for food, you
apply those skills to get what you need,” said Hicks.
The museum director, who also oversees the college’s medical
library, said he hopes the refreshment saloon event provides a “way to engage
the past and make it present.”
After all, everybody has to eat.
“I hope (visitors) take away a sensation that by the
experience of eating some of the same food it reminds people that the Civil War
is not ancient history. Those soldiers had to eat and go through the same day-to-day
concerns and much more on top of it -- deprived, scared and away from home in
battle.”
The
Refreshment Saloon takes place from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Nov. 8. All activities
are included with regular museum admission.
