The Interaction of the American Military, Medicine, and Society

Abstract

This research article focuses on how the technical and social aspects of the American military serve to shape the course of medical development. Historical trends in this interaction are presented with a timeline of American military medicine from the Civil War to present day military campaigns. The modern situation is then outlined and explained, followed by a reinterpretation of this modern situation using ideas learned in the historical timeline. Finally, current and future solutions for long-term veteran care are addressed. Together, these topics reveal that, although military conflicts do often result in the progression of medical techniques, this progression is heavily skewed toward the development of more acute solutions, such as anesthesia, aseptic technique, and plastic surgery, and tends to neglect chronic care. Because of this fact, there seems to be a trend in interaction of the United States military and civilian medicine that results in inadequate long-term care for many veterans.