Theatre of War: the only proper school of the surgeon

THEATRE OF WAR:

THE ONLY PROPER SCHOOL OF THE SURGEON

When Britain went to war in 1914, experienced surgeons were shocked at the appalling wounds they saw. This was a new pathology, the results of industrialised weaponry: high explosive missiles, machine gun bullets and shrapnel. Injuries were also aggravated by infection from contaminated farmland soil of the battlefields

This is the centenary year of the Battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest battles in human history, where around 42,000 soldiers were treated in the first week alone. Captain Starling’s lecture will look at the strenuous attempts to improve the situation and developments made as the war progressed and survival rates increased.


Captain Pete Starling recently retired after twenty years as the Curator and then the Director of the Army Medical Services Museum. An experienced historic advisor for film, Pete has worked on productions for over twenty years, including Downton Abbey, Birdsong, No Bananas and Who Do You Think You Are?