Six Civil War Medical Myths That Just Won't Die-- Part 3: 'Bite the Bullet?'

MYTH 3

INSTEAD OF ANESTHESIA, WOUNDED SOLDIERS WERE GIVEN A LEAD BULLET TO CHEW ON --  HENCE THE TERM 'BITE THE BULLET.'

As noted earlier,  the percentage of amputations performed without the benefit of general anesthesia was incredibly small.  Still, if a man was  in incredible pain, perhaps something to chew on would have been considered.  maybe a leather strap of belt.  Most likely something that wasn't small with the possibility of accidental swallowing.  The idea of gnawing on something as small and hard as a bullet just doesn't fit the bill.

The idea of biting the bullet probably comes from relic hunters who found them on the battlefield.  Lead bullets found on a battlefield with teeth marks on them are called pain or hospital bullets. Actually these bullets with teeth marks are most likely from rooting hogs or squirrels who thought the bullet was a nut or something else to eat.

The idea of giving a man a bullet to chew on, is not only a dentist's nightmare, it's plain dangerous as a choking hazard.

So, then, what about the old phrase "bite the bullet?"  Who knows?  But there is no evidence that soldiers had to "bite the bullet" during the Civil War.

--Old Secesh