Daily AncestorHospital gangrene
Hospital gangrene was a fast-spreading, often fatal wound infection that killed flesh around injuries, reported in large numbers in Civil War hospitals.
Before germs were understood, these infections were called severe ulcers, gangrene, erysipelas or cellulitis, and later hospital gangrene. In 1871 Confederate surgeon Joseph Jones reported 2,642 cases with a death rate of 46 percent.
Today the same kind of infection is called necrotizing fasciitis. On a soldier's or patient's record, hospital gangrene means a wound that became infected after the injury.
As seen in a recordCause of death, Civil War hospital register or pension file, 1860s
Pvt. Jas. Corley, 22, M, Gunshot wound, hospital gangrene
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Daily Ancestor. "Hospital gangrene." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/hospital-gangrene. Last checked 2026-10-10.