The value of war for medicine: questions and considerations concerning an often endorsed proposition

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship, often claimed as beneficial, between war and advances in medicine and surgery. Some of the conflicting opinions that have been expressed are discussed. Military medicine in general is conservative and non-innovative. Some medical advances have indeed originated in war, but many other efforts were failures and are forgotten. The application of others is limited to their particular time and place, while some would have been made sooner or later in any case. In additon, the basic objective of military medicine is to maintain the strength of the fighting force rather than to help the individual, and some doctors have indeed been involved in developing means of destruction.

Keywords:

• Emergency surgery
• Medical advances
• Medical ethics
• Military medicine
• Public health
• War injuries

Acknowledgement

The author would like to thank Prof Dr Frans Meijman for his remarks on earlier versions of this paper.