 When the Civil War broke out he was made surgeon of the First Illinois Light Artillery, but after a year was obliged to resign by reason of illness incurred in the service.He was the first to make and keep complete medical records of the sick and wounded in war, and his
records were accepted by the surgeon general and formed the basis on which records of that office have since been kept.He was a pioneer in practical antisepsis, and was the first man in the west to employ Lister's method after its exploitation.