Bullets and Bacilli: The Spanish-American War and Military Medicine

by Vincent J. Cirillo

For each soldier killed in combat during the Spanish-American War, more than seven died from diseases such as typhoid fever and malaria - a rate higher than that of the Civil War. During a time of rapid medical innovation and discovery, why did these soldiers die so needlessly? This work focuses primarily on military medicine during this conflict. Historian Vincent J. Cirillo argues that there is a universal element of military culture that stifles medical progress. This war gave army medical officers an opportunity to introduce to the battlefield new medical technology, including the X-ray, aseptic surgery and sanitary systems derived from the germ theory. With few exceptions, however, their recommendations were ignored almost completely. Scientific knowledge was not sufficient; putting these ideas into military practice required the co-peration of line officers and volunteer soldiers as well as a restructuring of military education. The influence of military experiences on the history of American medicine is often overlooked. Cirillo shows how preventable deaths during the Spanish-American War led to reforms that continue to save the lives of both soldiers and civilians to the present day.

Genres: History

241 pages, Hardcover

First published October 8, 2003

Reviews

[Alan Kolok · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Spanish American War falls between the American Civil War which ended in 1865 and World War I which began in 1914. Relative to its duration (less than 4 months) and the number of casualties, the was was a minor one, which may be one reason why so little has been written about it. Nevertheless from a medical or public health perspective the Spanish American war was hugely important. The war occurred soon after the development of X-ray diagnosis and the origins of the biogenesis theory of disease, the idea that diseases were caused by microbes (bacteria and viruses) not by miasmas, noxious smells or gases.

Cirillo does a very thorough job detailing the health concerns that arose from the War, including the lack of willingness of military officers to give sanitation its due, which led to major typhiod fever outbreaks. The book also details the important role that female nurses played in the care of the injured and diseased soldiers, despite the fact that the idea of female nurses that was just evolving during the opening of the War.

If you are interested in the history of military medicine, then this book is for you. The book is a bit dry and to the point, but given its subject matter that can be forgiven. It is also quite short, so it can be read through even if the details are more than what you have bargained for.

This is a book that is on-point, and by being so, is definitely a niche book written with an eye toward the reader that is interested in military history and military medicine. If the title is of interest to you, you will not be disappointed.

Bullets and Bacilli is definitely not for everyone, but it knows what it is (a thorough dive into the military medicine as it was done at the turn of the 19th to 20th century) and it does a very complete job of being just that.