The Great War and the birth of modern medicine

Abstract

Historians, journalists and writers often contrast the First World War with conflicts of previous centuries based on its highly industrialised nature and scale. They write how horse-drawn wagons and mounted infantry made way for highly mobile machines. They also note how industry, alongside government and society, co-operated more closely than before to build a growing number of new technologies. Such developments saw aircraft, tanks, submarines and chemical weapons make their military debut in this global conflict. Armies also carried out logistics and supply operations on a greater scale and over wider distances than before. In addition, belligerent nations mobilised more manpower and over greater geographical distances than ever before. The number of mutilated men and war dead due to the destructive power of weapons and munitions was also greater than ever experienced. Apart from the physically maimed, the psychological impact of the horrors of the war gained new proportions and intensity. For these reasons, it is hardly surprising that the conflict between 1914 and 1918 became known as the Great War since every aspect of the war occurred on a ‘greater’ scale. At the same time, the war can be described as ‘great’ due to its beneficial contribution to humankind – as unlikely as that might seem. Due to the war, a greater number of lives could be saved by medical personnel than claimed by hostilities if weighed on a balance sheet over the long term. The most recent experience of the viral pandemic was evidence of this when governments, physicians and scientists dusted off the lessons learned from a century past. But, unlike them, their predecessors often did not have such advantages at the turn of the twentieth century. The contributions of these men, and occasionally women, gave birth to modern medicine, as Thomas Helling’s latest publication suggests. The outcome of the war was therefore not only destructive but also constructive since new knowledge, technology and incentives ushered in a new age of medicine from which future generations benefited and are still benefiting.