Biomaterial Database

Detecting feigned illness during the American Civil War. 1993

F R Freemon

Neurology Service DVAMC, Nashville, TN 37212-2637, USA.

The problem of feigned illness was a common one in the Civil War, afflicting both Northern and Southern military forces. The diagnostic approach of the Civil War doctor involved the initial dichotomous classification of each patient; he either suffered from physical illness (what today would be called an organic illness) or he purposely devised symptoms to avoid military service. The modern concept of the unconscious mind was totally absent from the diagnostic thinking of the Civil War physician.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008306	Malingering	Simulation of symptoms of illness or injury with intent to deceive in order to obtain a goal, e.g., a claim of physical illness to avoid jury duty.
D008887	Military Medicine	The practice of medicine as applied to special circumstances associated with military operations.	Medicine, Military
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D014481	United States	A country in NORTH AMERICA between CANADA and MEXICO.
D014857	Warfare	Methods of conducting ARMED CONFLICTS.
D049672	History, 19th Century	Time period from 1801 through 1900 of the common era.	19th Century History,19th Cent. History (Medicine),19th Cent. History of Medicine,19th Cent. Medicine,Historical Events, 19th Century,History of Medicine, 19th Cent.,History, Nineteenth Century,Medical History, 19th Cent.,Medicine, 19th Cent.,19th Cent. Histories (Medicine),19th Century Histories,Cent. Histories, 19th (Medicine),Cent. History, 19th (Medicine),Century Histories, 19th,Century Histories, Nineteenth,Century History, 19th,Century History, Nineteenth,Histories, 19th Cent. (Medicine),Histories, 19th Century,Histories, Nineteenth Century,History, 19th Cent. (Medicine),Nineteenth Century Histories,Nineteenth Century History