13 - Shell shock

Summary

This chapter examines the contested medical, political, social and cultural terrain surrounding injuries which came to be known as shell shock. It examines the catalogue of some of the symptoms shell-shocked men presented to doctors, which tells part of the story of the difficulty medical men had in identifying the nature and origin of the disabilities they had to treat. It is evident that many men suffered from more than one ailment, and in addition some physicians were prone to see the problem as arising from a latent or underlying condition. The choice of treatment depended on the symptoms of the patient and the predisposition of the physicians treating him. Medical historians argue that there is a rough balance between psychiatric and physical casualties in different wars, but that that balance is hidden by medical conventions and prejudices.