In Agony Until the End of the World

Suffering has always been a defining aspect of human life and death. For Americans, the epitome of our collective suffering as a nation remains the Civil War, in which predominantly devout, religious people prayed to the same God for victory as they proceeded to slaughter each other in massive numbers. Yet, for every soldier killed on the battlefield, two would die from disease at a time when the nature of infection and the principles of antisepsis were just beginning to be appreciated. As a surgeon and palliative care physician, the author has offered a story here about suffering and death in the Civil War seen primarily through the eyes of the medical profession, charitable organizations, and noncombatant volunteers who ministered with the limited tools available to relieve the massive suffering of the combatants and refugees. While several characters are fictional, many of the individuals highlighted in the novel were real persons whose remarkable stories may be unfamiliar to readers of more traditional accounts about the Civil War. While this novel does stand alone, a prior novel, Neither Bond nor Free, gives an account of several fictional characters’ lives in the antebellum period prior to their appearance in this story.

Daniel B. Hinshaw, MD, is Professor Emeritus of Surgery and Consultant in Palliative Medicine at the University of Michigan. After practicing and teaching surgery for many years, he received additional training in palliative medicine. Subsequently, he has taught palliative care to medical professionals and clergy at home and abroad. As the author of several books, his special concern has been to explore the nature of suffering, in both its individual and collective forms.