The Civil War was the first modern war and resulted in the highest number of U.S. casualties per capita of any of our wars as between 750,00 and 850,000 men perished (approximately 8 million in today’s population), including roughly 50,000 civilians; 25% of those involved died . What is not appreciated, even now, is the rapid advances made by American medicine that were stimulated by this conflict. This presentation will inform the audience of the background, procedures, and personnel that lead to the advancements, many of which are the basis of techniques and procedures that are used today, and their impact on the subsequent development of American Medicine. Dr. D’Onofrio will present this talk in the guise of Ohio Civil War Surgeon General, Robert Nelson Barr, in period uniform. As such, he will talk as if this meeting took place some months after the Civil War ended.

Originally from New York City, Peter J. D’Onofrio came to Ohio in 1969 compliments of the U.S. Air Force, and then decided to stay in Ohio when his tour of duty was over. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Dayton and received his Doctorate in American History from LaSalle University. He worked as a firefighter/paramedic in the Dayton and Central Ohio areas and spent 30 years at the State Fire Marshal’s Office teaching men and women to be firefighters and EMT’s.

Peter D’Onofrio has been re-enacting since 1978 starting as an infantryman with the 35th OVI, but since 1980 exclusively portraying a surgeon. In addition, he is the president of The Society of Civil War Surgeons, THE largest non-profit, international, educational organization dedicated to the study and preservation of Civil War era medicine and surgery and those persons, both North and South, who labored to ease the suffering of the sick, wounded, and dying of that conflict. He is also the editor/publisher of the Society’s quarterly publication, The Journal of Civil War Medicine.T