Between Flesh and Steel - A History of Military Medicine from the Middle Ages to the War in Afghanistan

Cover; Contents; List of Illustrations; 1 The Emergence of Modern Warfare: 1453 to the Twenty-First Century; 2 The Renaissance and the Rebirth of the Empirical Spirit; 3 The Seventeenth Century: Gunpowder and Slaughter; 4 The Eighteenth Century: The First Effective Military Medical Systems; 5 The Nineteenth Century: The Age of Amputation; 6 The Twentieth Century: The Emergence of Modern Military Medicine; 7 The Twenty-First Century: Unconventional Warfare; 8 Some Thoughts on War; Bibliography; Index; A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; I; J; K; L; M; N; O; P; Q; R; S; T; U; V; W; X; Y; Z.;""War is the slaughter bench of history""--Hegel. Over The Last Five Centuries, The Development Of Modern Weapons And Warfare Has Created An Entirely New Set Of Challenges For Practitioners In The Field Of Military Medicine. Here Is Traced The Historical Development Of Military Medicine From The Middle Ages To Modern Times. It Focuses On Three Key Elements: The Modifications In Warfare And Weapons Whose Increased Killing Power Radically Changed The Medical Challenges That Battle Surgeons Faced In Dealing With Casualties, Advancements In Medical Techniques That Increased The Effectiveness Of Military Medical Care, And Changes That Finally Brought About The Establishment Of Military Medical Care System In Modern Times. Other Topics Include The Rise Of The Military Surgeon, The Invention Of Anesthesia, And The Emergence Of Such Critical Disciplines As Military Psychiatry And Bacteriology. The Emergence Of Modern Warfare : 1453 To The Twenty-first Century -- The Renaissance And The Rebirth Of The Empirical Spirit -- The Seventeenth Century : Gunpowder And Slaughter -- The Eighteenth Century : The First Effective Military Medical Systems -- The Nineteenth Century : The Age Of Amputation -- Military Medicine In The Twentieth Century : The Emergence Of Modern Military Medicine -- Military Medicine In The Twenty-first Century : Unconventional Warfare -- Some Thoughts On War. Richard A. Gabriel. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Over the last five centuries, the development of modern weapons and warfare has created an entirely new set of challenges for practitioners in the field of military medicine. Between Flesh and Steel traces the historical development of military medicine from the Middle Ages to modern times. Military historian Richard A. Gabriel focuses on three key elements: the modifications in warfare and weapons whose increased killing power radically changed the medical challenges that battle surgeons faced in dealing with casualties, advancements in medical techniques that increased the effectiveness of military medical care, and changes that finally brought about the establishment of military medical care systems in modern times. Other topics include the rise of the military surgeon, the invention of anesthesia, and the emergence of such critical disciplines as military psychiatry and bacteriology. The approach is chronological—century by century and war by war, including Iraq and Afghanistan—and cross-cultural in that it examines developments in all of the major armies of the West: British, French, Russian, German, and American. Between Flesh and Steel is the most comprehensive book on the market about the evolution of modern military medicine. Over the last five centuries, the development of modern weapons and warfare has created an entirely new set of challenges for practitioners in the field of military medicine. Between Flesh and Steel traces the historical development of military medicine from the Middle Ages to modern times. Military historian Richard A. Gabriel focuses on three key elements: the modifications in warfare and weapons whose increased killing power radically changed the medical challenges that battle surgeons faced in dealing with casualties, advancements in medical techniques that increased the effectiveness of military medical care, and changes that finally brought about the establishment of military medical care system in modern times. Others topics include the rise of the military surgeon, the invention of anesthesia, and the emergence of such critical disciplines as military psychiatry and bacteriology. The approach is chronological--century by century and war by war, including Iraq and Afghanistan--and cross-cultural in that it examines developments in all of the major armies of the West: British, French, Russian, German, and American. Between Flesh and Steel is the most comprehensive book on the market about the evolution of modern military medicine