ISBN-10: 0754658538
ISBN-13: 978-0754658535
About a decade ago the Dutch medical and military historian Leo van Bergen set himself the task of writing a medical history of the First World War, focusing on the Western Front using sources in as well English, French, German and Dutch (Flemish). This resulted in a book cynically called Zacht en Eervol, the Dutch translation of Owen’s ‘Dulce et Decorum’. It impressed me very much and I was anything but the only one in Belgium and the Netherlands. It certainly has been a reason for many to join the WFA-Netherlands. A translation grant was given and as a result now the whole world can read this truly beautiful and magnificent book, as well in content as in writing. As a title it again uses words from Owen: Before my Helpless Sight, not cynical this time, but certainly as well chosen.
Van Bergen’s book encapsulates in five chapters, simply but effectively called Battle, Body, Mind, Aid and Death, all the physical and mental hardship of soldiers at both sides of the front, without making them only victims. In spite of his topic rightfully Van Bergen makes clear that soldiers were at last as much perpetrators as they were victims.
In the first chapter Van Bergen gives a short history of the war, but focusing on what war means for the ones actually undergoing it. As a matter of fact: names like Ludendorff, Haig or Joffre are not mentioned anywhere. The second chapter focuses on physical wounds and illnesses like trench feet, venereal disease or Spanish Flu. The third one discusses the mental problems often referred to as ‘shellshock’, much to the distress of the doctors. In it he for instance makes clear that the number of 80,000 British shellshock patients, usually mentioned, is build on quicksand. The fourth and largest chapter, Aid, discusses the practice and, even more important, the reasons of medical aid, as well to the physically hurt as to the psychologically disturbed patients (military psychiatry). He makes clear that medicine itself, medical reasoning, medical definitions change because of war. For instance: one was declared sick when considered sick or wounded not as a result of the war, and one was declared wounded when considered wounded or sick as a result of the war. It was up to the soldier to prove that war was to blame for the damage done. It may be clear that especially mentally hurt soldiers had a problem doing this, especially because it was the task of the doctors to declare as many soldiers sick as possible. Reason: the label ‘wounded’ gave a right on a war-pension and ‘sick’ did not. The chapter Death of course finishes the book. No more agony, at least one would think that this was the case. Especially reading the paragraphs on burial made me think otherwise.
In short: buy, read and tell others.
Reviewer: Menno Wielinga
Available from the WFA Online Bookstore
