Thanks for the reply. Basically anasarca = swelling or edema and pericarditis = inflamation of the pericardium or sac which encloses the heart. How in the world could they make that diagnosis back then and even more amazing how could he survive that, if indeed accurate, in the time of no antibiotics. Could his brigade be the one pictured in Gardner's photo of confederate dead along the Hagerstown Pike? Another ancestor, James M. Bennett, was in the 9th La. Thanks again.

Michael J. Cone, M.D