- Scenario 1 -
Put yourself in the shoes of Captain Meriwether Lewis. It’s the winter of 1804-1805. You and your men are staying at Fort Mandan, which you built to spend the winter in. Late in January, George Drouillard, your interpreter and most skilled hunter, becomes very ill. He complains of a violent pain in his side and the lower part of his chest. Breathing and coughing increase the pain, and he also suffers from a shortness of breath. Not only is Drouillard critical to the success of the expedition, but he has become your friend! First you must DIAGNOSE his illness so that you will know how to treat him.
COMMON MEDICAL PROBLEMS OF THE EXPEDITION
As you might imagine, Lewis and Clark and their men encountered a great many medical problems during their 29-month journey through the previously unexplored wilderness of the American West. Click on the link to Common Medical Problems of the Expedition to explore some of the more common problems they faced, symptoms and additional information. Use this table to help you with your DIAGNOSIS. When you think you know what was wrong with Drouillard, move on to “Medical Technology at the Time of Lewis and Clark” to figure out how to treat him.
MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY AT THE TIME OF LEWIS AND CLARK
Lewis was not a doctor, but he did receive some medical training before the
expedition from Dr. Benjamin Rush, one of the most respected physicians of the time. However, as you will see, even among the best-trained physicians, medical technology of the early 1800s was primitive by today’s standards. Use these resources to help you develop a TREATMENT plan for George Drouillard. The selected entries from the Journals of Lewis and Clark may give you further insight into this medical challenge.
- "Medicine at the Turn of the Nineteenth Century"
- "Medical Supplies of the Lewis and Clark Expedition"
- "Medical Aspects of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806)"
- "The Medical World of Lewis and Clark"
- "The Journey West"
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"The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition"
- January 26, 1805
- January 31, 1805
- March 18, 1806
- "Lewis and Clark, January 23 – 29, 1805"
- "Lewis and Clark: Doctors in the Wilderness"
- "Polite Dissent"
MODERN TREATMENTS FOR MEDICAL PROBLEMS COMMON DURING THE LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION
Click on the link to Common Medical Problems of the Expedition once again to find out how George Drouillard’s condition would be treated by a doctor today. COMPARE this with the treatment probably given by Lewis.
Reflect about why most medical experts today are amazed that only one man died during the 29-month expedition. Finally, use your notes and information to help you create your PRESENTATION.
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