WAR & TRAUMA

PIET CHIELENS & P. ALLEGAERT    Book Number: 93972    Product format: Paperback

 Sub-titled Soldiers and Ambulances 1914-1918 In Flanders Fields and Ypres, Soldiers and Psychiatrists 1914-2014, this book is a study of the suffering of war, which can be overwhelming. The book is exceptionally well illustrated with posters, colour artworks, archive images, modern photographs and some very harrowing photos depicting blown away body parts including faces, amputated legs and very badly injured soldiers which some may find distressing, but also angelic nurses and portraits and exquisitely beautiful artworks on every page. Offering both analysis and reflection, this intensely moving book looks at the way in which psychiatrists, reporters, artists and war photographers currently perceive and treat the psychological suffering, the often invisible legacy of those involved in war and human conflict. At the beginning of the first world war, not a single European army was prepared to deal with the large numbers of victims in a humanitarian way. How were injured soldiers taken care of and who did this? How were the victims evacuated, and how many were truly traumatised or were "male hysterics"? The firepower of the armies was increased, the defence reinforced, but victim care continued to lag seriously behind. Philanthropy, private initiative and the courageous efforts of many individuals had to make up for the failing medical care during the war. Read about the Friends' Ambulance Unit which was working under the flag of the British Red Cross and the work of the Quakers. As the war progressed, medical care also developed and organisation and relief improved. The greatest breakthrough was, however, the recognition - albeit reluctantly - of mental trauma caused by the war. During World War I, many soldiers fell victim to bizarre, anxious and disturbed behaviour, which was sometimes referred to as "shell shock". The army commanders seemed reluctant to recognise a formal diagnosis, questioning whether men were really traumatised or simply cowards who were trying to stay away from the horrific and terrifying reality of the Front. Whereas in the early 20th century, the focus was mainly on the shock itself and the outward physical symptoms, today there is a far more in-depth exploration of the complex nature of the human reaction to extreme stress, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. A rare import, 192 page extra large sized illustrated paperback, colour.

Published price: £25

Bibliophile price: £15