Bullets and bacilli

the long version

"Bullets and Bacilli is the first book to focus primarily on military medicine during the Spanish-American War. The historian Vincent J. Cirillo argues that a universal element of military culture stifled medical progress. The Spanish-American War gave army medical officers and opportunity to introduce new medical technologies to the battlefield, including the X-ray, aseptic surgery, and sanitary systems derived from germ theory. With few exceptions, however, their recommendations for preventive health measures were almost completely ignored. Scientific knowledge in itself was not sufficient to implement much-needed medical improvements; putting these ideas into military practice also required the cooperation of line officers and volunteer soldiers, as well as a restructuring of military education." "The influence of military experiences on the history of American medicine is often overlooked. Cirillo shows how preventable deaths during the Spanish-American War led to reforms that continue to save the lives of both soldiers and civilians to the present day."--Jacket.