Before My Helpless Sight: Suffering, Dying and Military Medicine on the Western Front, 1914–1918

by Leo van Bergen

"Despite the numerous vicious conflicts that scarred the twentieth century, the horrors of the Western Front continue to exercise a particularly strong hold on the modern imagination. The unprecedented scale and mechanization of the war changed forever the way suffering and dying were perceived and challenged notions of what the nations could reasonably expect of their military. Examining experiences of the Western Front, this book looks at the life of a soldier from the moment he marched into battle until he was buried. In five chapters - Battle, Body, Mind, Aid, Death - it describes and analyzes the physical and mental hardship of the men who fought on a front that stretched from the Belgian coast to the Swiss border." "Beginning with a broad description of the war it then analyzes the medical aid the Tommies, Bonhommes and Frontschweine received - or all too often did not receive - revealing how this aid was often given for military and political rather than humanitarian reasons (getting the men back to the front or munitions factory and trying to spare the state as many war-pensions as possible). It concludes with a chapter on the many ways death presented itself on or around the battlefield, and sets out in detail the problems that arise when more people are killed than can possibly be buried properly." Contrary to most books in the field this study does not focus on one single issue - such as venereal disease, plastic surgery, shell-shock or the military medical service - but takes a broad view on wounds and illnesses across both sides of the conflict. Drawing on British, French, German, Belgian and Dutch sources it shows the consequences of modern warfare on the humanindividuals caught up in it, and the way it influences our thinking on 'humanitarian' activities.

Genres: History, World War I

538 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant essay about the life of soldiers and medical staff in the Western Front, covering topics such as the organisation of field hospitals, mental health, methods of burials, trauma..
Each chapter gives a great overview of the topic as well as some very appropriate details.
An essential read for anybody interested in the history of First World War.

[Emily Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent book on the suffering of soldiers in the first world war. suffering may sound like an odd thing to research but the trenches, the technology and the first large war made for a terrible experience. words cannot describe this book, it is well worth reading and absolute amazing.

[Peter A. van Tilburg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A impreesive achievement this book. It shows the enormous suffering of the soldiers in WW1 for the allied soldiers as well as the German ones. From lots of personal material like diaries and documented stories Leo van Bergen describes the living and dying in the trenches. Despite the horrible details the description remains correct and respectfull to the soldiers who had to endure such atrocities. The part on the medical care is an eye opener. The doctors were judged on how they contributed to bringing as much wounded back to the trenches. The war was more important than the well being of the soldiers. The title shows deep respect for the soldiers. The background of the many, many useless attacks were many soldiers who left the trenches to attack is not described only what this meant for the soldiers themselves. The chapters are well chosen: struggle, body, mind,help and death make the personal situation very clear. It makes a deep impression reading this, a clear document against war. We should not forget and always remember the suffering that result from a war. Bit still new wars emerge that is the sad reality.

[Joseph Hirsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the best and most thorough piece of nonfiction I've encountered on the Great War. The book sets itself a straightforward goal of documenting the damage (physical and mental) caused by war, encompassing everything from field medicine, to shrapnel wounds, to shell-shock. It doesn't describe every battle, or every general, or even every weapon (except in the context of the kind of wounds they inflicted). But what the book does do, and does well (and also terribly) is allow the reader to come as close as possible, at this great remove, to the horror that humanity had to endure in the Great War.

It wouldn't be hyperbole to say that nearly every paragraph on some pages contains an injury hideous enough to make one wince or gag, as well as an anecdote or tale sad enough to bring one to the point of hopeless tears. Mutilated children, horses screaming in their death-throes, men committing suicide with anything they can get their hands on ... this book is not a fun read, obviously, but it feels like one of the few books I would deem as necessary to read, in order to help dispel whatever illusions one may be harboring about war, or about humanity's capacity to behave in a humane way.

Firsthand accounts are sprinkled generously throughout the work, lending it an intimate quality which too many otherwise informative and authoritative texts lack. It's a hard balance to strike, between raw information, one's own observations as a historian, and primary documents containing the voices of the long-suffering, long-dead soldiers, but the author does his job seamlessly enough for the book to be, in some strange way, compulsively readable, despite its unendurable and atrocious subject matter. Photos are scant, but well-selected, and they make their point. Caution: They are also incredibly graphic.

That said, if you are looking for one book to give you an impression of what the First World War felt like (so visceral that you can smell it), its affects on the minds and spirits of those who endured its tortures, this is THE book to read. Highest recommendation.

[Louis Verbrugghe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eenzame klasse in de WOI-literatuur. In zijn compleetheid is het boek ongeëvenaard. De schrijver vertelt op heldere wijze het lijden en sterven in de Eerste Wereldoorlog. Werkelijk schokkend zijn de beschrijvingen van gasslachtoffers, je krijgt echt compassie met die jongens (zonder de andere verwondingen of manieren om te sterven te kort te willen doen, als dat al aan de orde is).
Ook het systeem van 'slachtoffers tellen' wierp een heel ander licht op de zaak dan ik tot nog toe aannam. Iemand die gewond raakte en daarna stierf, telt die mee bij de doden, de gewonden of allebei? Op die manier kunnen en konden de overheden de verlieslijsten manipuleren. Meestal met het doel de bevolking in een/de oorlog te houden of te krijgen...

[Ruben Coomans · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ik heb dingen bijgeleerd uit het boek, maar er waren veel passages die me niet echt konden boeien en ik heb dus ook veel overgeslagen. De schrijver gebruikt naar mijn mening ook te veel bronnen, waardoor alles te uitgebreid wordt. Op deze manier verveelt het boek snel. Ik denk wel dat het voor andere mensen zeer interessant kan zijn, maar voor mij viel het zoals gezegd wat tegen.