Lessons Learned: The Australian Military and Tropical Medicine

(Hardback)

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Historically, prolonged campaigns have been frequently lost or won because of the greater fitness of one of the combatant armies. In the twentieth century, infection was still a major problem, leading to withdrawal from Gallipoli, and the near defeat of the Allies due to malaria early in the Second World Wars Pacific campaign. Malaria emerged again as a major problem in the Vietnam War. The Australian Army Medical Corps, founded in 1901, learned from past medical experience. However, errors leading to significant morbidity did occur mainly in relation to malaria. These errors included lack of instruction of doctors sent to New Guinea with the Australian Force in the Great War, inadequate prophylactic measures against malaria in New Guinea early in World War Two, failure to perceive the threat of emerging resistant strains of malaria in the 1960s, and military commanders not fully implementing the recommendations of their medical advisers. Many Australian campaigns have taken place in tropical locations; a substantial amount of scientific work to prevent and manage tropical diseases has therefore been conducted by the Army Medical Corps medical researchersparticularly in the Land Headquarters Medical Research Unit and the Army Malaria Institute. Their work extends well beyond the military, greatly improving health outcomes throughout the world. This book recognises the efforts of both.

Author Bio

After competing his National Service in the Royal Australian Air Force, Geoffrey Quail continued to serve in the Air Force Reserve eventually retiring as a Wing Commander, specialist in Tropical Medicine and Medical Education. He holds higher degrees in Medicine and Dental Science and studied tropical medicine at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Geoffrey was a senior consultant and Unit Head at Monash Medical Centre for many years and held academic appointments at Melbourne and Monash universities for over fifty years. In 2014 he was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Melbourne for his work on tropical disease and the Australian military. He is currently Honorary Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery at Monash University. Geoffrey read modern history at Oxford University and is the author of a text book Oral, Pharyngeal and Nasal Complaints and over 30 articles in the refereed medical journals. He is currently completing a second term as a councillor of the Australasian College of Tropical Medicine and in 2014 was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to Medical Education.