Allenby's Military Medicine: Life and Death in World War I Palestine

(Hardback)

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"Allenby's Military Medicine" examines a little-known feature of World War I as it was fought in the Middle East - the contribution made by the practice of military medicine to the success of Egyptian Expeditionary Force. In stark contrast with operations in the Boer War and some other First World War theatres of combat, which Eran Dolev describes as "medical disasters", the Palestine Campaign was marked by efficient and effective medical service. Dolev describes how this great achievement was inspired by General Allenby's uniquely attentive attitude towards the health of the troops and to military medicine. This is especially seen in the crucial area of fighting epidemic diseases like malaria, a major threat to a healthy fighting force at the time. Dolev also describes the general developments in military-medical organisation and surgery on the battlefield during these campaigns. The author's extensive and original research into military medicine is incorporated into an account of the campaign itself, demonstrating the degree to which the army's success depended on its medical support.
The story of military medicine during the Palestine Campaigns is a story of exemplary relations between the command and the doctors in the field. The challenges they faced and their response constitute an exceptional chapter in the history of military medicine during the Great War.

Reviews

'A richly nuanced account of all the key aspects of military medicine, from disease prevention to casualty evacuation and treatment. The nature of these campaigns, as experienced by the individuals involved, comes through strongly. This is an elegant piece of work which historians of the First World War will read with profit' Mark Harrison, Reader in the History of Medicine, University of Oxford

Author Bio

Eran Dolev is Associate Professor of Medicine at Tel Aviv University and former Surgeon-General of the Israeli Defence Forces.