An Equal Burden: The Men of the Royal Army Medical Corps in the First World War

by Jessica Meyer

An Equal Burden is the first scholarly study of the Army Medical Services in the First World War to focus on the roles and experiences of the men of the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC). Though they were not professional medical caregivers, they were called upon to provide urgent medical care and, as non-combatants, were forbidden from carrying weapons. Their role in the war effort was quite unique and warranting of further study.

Structured both chronologically and thematically, An Equal Burden examines the work that RAMC rankers undertook and its importance to the running of the chain of medical evacuation. It additionally explores the gendered status of these men within the medical, military, and cultural hierarchies of a society engaged in total war. Through close readings of official documents, personal papers, and cultural representations, Meyer argues that the ranks of the RAMC formed a space in which non-commissioned servicemen, through their many roles, defined and redefined medical caregiving as men's work in wartime.

240 pages, Hardcover

Published April 7, 2019

Reviews

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm very grateful to the National Center for Biotechnology Information for having this on its virtual bookshelf. I'm researching the RAMC during WWI for a NaNoWriMo project, and this is an excellent resource. The text can be a little inaccessible at times in the traditions of literary and gender criticism, but otherwise a good resource.