Civil War Hospitals
Horace Rice spent a lot of his time during the war in hospitals. Civil War hospitals marked an interesting time in medical advancement, for they were the beginning stages of what we now identify as a modern hospital. Due to the large number of wounded soldiers, they were quickly outgrowing field hospitals and temporary hospitals (which were usually set up inside buildings like Blenheim House). This resulted in the creation of the general hospital.
One of the very first general hospitals was The Satterlee USA General Hospital in West Philadelphia, PA (which could be one of the hospitals Horace was in, as he spent a lot of time recovering in Philadelphia). This hospital consisted of 34 wards and over 4,500 beds and set a precedent for how future hospitals were built.
One of the biggest problems of large hospitals was the circulation of "bad air," which led to the spread of infection. Patients would get even more sick because they were being exposed to so many more diseases when their immune systems were already weak. The solution to this problem was the development of wards, which were separate buildings, or sections, specifically designed for certain ailments. This turned out to be extremely successful and is still in place today.
Another problem a lot of these hospitals dealt with was the proper disposal of human waste. Due to the lack of modern plumbing in the 1800's, the problem was never effectively solved during that time period.
Soldiers often reached the hospital by train. Trains labeled "US Hospital Train" in enormous red letters transported wounded or sick soldiers directly off the field. They were loaded onto the floors of freight cars lined with straw and transported to the nearest hospital.
These are likely some of the things Horace experienced during his time in the USA General Hospital and the Philadelphia hospital.