A War of Nerves
A War of Nerves by Ben Shephard, published by Pimlico in 2002, is a comprehensive exploration of military psychiatry throughout the twentieth century. This new edition spans 498 pages and is presented in English. The book draws on a wide array of diaries, interviews, medical papers, and official records to provide an authoritative account of the intersection between modern warfare and mental health, beginning with the experiences of soldiers on the Western Front.
Readers will find an engaging historical narrative that delves into the evolution of concepts such as ‘shell-shock’, combat fatigue, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The text examines the psychological aftermath of conflicts, including Vietnam, and poses critical questions about the factors influencing soldiers’ mental resilience. Additionally, it addresses the ethical challenges faced by military psychiatrists and reflects on the contemporary culture surrounding trauma and compensation. A War of Nerves serves as an informative resource for those interested in the history of military psychiatry and its implications.
Official synopsis Publisher
‘I wish you could be here,” the Oxford Professor of Medicine wrote to a friend in 1915, “in this orgy of neuroses and psychoses and gaits and paralyses. I cannot imagine what has got into the central nervous system of the men.’
A War of Nerves is a history of military psychiatry in the twentieth century – an authoritative, accessible account drawing on a vast range of diaries, interviews, medical papers and official records. It reaches back to the moment when the technologies of modern warfare and the disciplines of mental medicine first confronted each other on the Western Front, and traces their uneasy relationship through the eras of ‘shell-shock’, combat fatigue and ‘post-traumatic stress disorder’.
At once absorbing historical narrative and intellectual detective story, it tells the full story of ‘shell-shock’; explains the disastrous psychological aftermath of Vietnam; and shows how psychiatrists kept men fighting in Burma. But it also tries to answer recurring questions about the effects of war. Why do some men crack and others not? Are the limits of resistance determined by character, heredity, upbringing, ideology or simple biochemistry? It explores the ethical dilemmas of the military psychiatrist – the ‘machine gun behind the front’, as Freud called him. Finally, it looks at the modern culture of ‘trauma’ and compensation spawned by the Vietnam War.
A War of Nerves offers the general reader an indispensable guide to an important and controversial subject.
FAQ
What is “A War of Nerves” about?
Who is the author of “A War of Nerves”?
When was “A War of Nerves” published?
What is the ISBN for “A War of Nerves”?
What are the book details (language, pages, edition)?
