Asklepios en het zwaard: de Nederlandse militaire geneeskunde in de schaduw van de bom, 1949-1989

Duurland, T.D.

During the Cold War, the Dutch Army Medical Service (MGD) promoted the health and operational readiness of the Royal Netherlands Army. Medical war preparations were an integral part of this. The evacuation, treatment and nursing of sick and wounded soldiers in wartime required the formulation of procedures and doctrines as well as an extensive organization, complete with supplies and equipment, trained personnel and mobilization plans. However, these activities were shrouded in uncertainty as the prospect of biological, chemical or even nuclear warfare called into question all casualty estimations based on previous conflicts.
The central question in this dissertation is how the MGD dealt with the nuclear threat perception and how military-medical war preparations were influenced by it. Against the backdrop of the ominous prospects of future warfare, military physicians tried to legitimize their war preparations and make sense of them. This mechanism is made clear using the...Show moreDuring the Cold War, the Dutch Army Medical Service (MGD) promoted the health and operational readiness of the Royal Netherlands Army. Medical war preparations were an integral part of this. The evacuation, treatment and nursing of sick and wounded soldiers in wartime required the formulation of procedures and doctrines as well as an extensive organization, complete with supplies and equipment, trained personnel and mobilization plans. However, these activities were shrouded in uncertainty as the prospect of biological, chemical or even nuclear warfare called into question all casualty estimations based on previous conflicts.
The central question in this dissertation is how the MGD dealt with the nuclear threat perception and how military-medical war preparations were influenced by it. Against the backdrop of the ominous prospects of future warfare, military physicians tried to legitimize their war preparations and make sense of them. This mechanism is made clear using the concept of sociotechnical imaginaries: constructed optimistic images of the future that are based on the collective belief in scientific and technological progress. This study shows that the MGD maintained an optimistic outlook from the beginning through the end of the Cold War, but the reasoning that supported this viewpoint evolved over time.
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Asklepios en het zwaard: de Nederlandse militaire geneeskunde in de schaduw van de bom, 1949-1989