The Evolution of Forward Surgery in the US Army

Book excerpt: "This volume in the Borden Institute's history series will describe forward US Army surgery from the 1700s to the present time. The book will look at advances in medicine and surgery that improved the lot of the American soldier. In particular, the book will examine the impact of disease upon troop strength, which had special impact in the Revolutionary War through the post-Civil War period. Forward surgery in the modern sense came of age in World War I. The challenge of so many different theaters of conflict in World War II will be examined from the portable surgical hospital of the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations to the surgical evacuation hospital teams of the European Theater of Operations. The evolving care models will feature the story of the Korean War mobile army surgical hospital. The defining performance of helicopter air evacuation in Vietnam, along with improved surgical techniques, will be discussed. Finally, the many advances of forward surgery from the post-Vietnam era to the present will be presented."--Provided by publisher.