The Napoleonic Wars (Hardback)
A Medical History
Imprint: Pen & Sword Military
Pages: 280
Illustrations: 30 colour illustrations
ISBN: 9781399046169
Published: 4th March 2025
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In the tumultuous saga of the Napoleonic Wars, one critical narrative has remained notably absent: a comprehensive medical history. This meticulously researched new volume from Martin R. Howard fills this gap in the literature.
From the blood-stained fields of battle to the makeshift hospitals overflowing with sick and wounded soldiers, every aspect of medical care is vividly portrayed. Readers are immersed in the chaos of battlefield triage, groundbreaking surgical procedures, and the epidemics of disease. Not just mere historical documentation, this work is a gripping testament to human resilience. Through the eyes of those who lived it, the pages pulsate with the drama and urgency of the era, offering a riveting narrative that is both informative and compelling.
The book draws on accounts from Europe, North America, The West Indies, Egypt, and India to give a truly global picture of the medical landscape of the time. The often-overlooked medical legacy of the Napoleonic Wars is given due recognition.
‘This work is a masterly overview of the large and complex medical history of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. The preface, acknowledgements and bibliography are a testimony to the depth of research and effort that Martin Howard has enlightened historians and readers as to the challenges facing those serving in the field and at sea…It is a significant challenge to have condensed this extensive tale in one book. This book remains an essential work to remind all politicians, military commanders and historians, of the horrific and costly consequences of conflict.’
The Napoleon Series. August 2025
About Martin R. Howard
Martin Howard is a former hospital consultant and honorary visiting professor at the University of York. He is a Fellow of the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Pathologists and of the Royal Historical Society. His main interest in is eighteenth- and nineteenth-century warfare, with a particular focus on the human dimension of these conflicts and the lesser-known campaigns. His most recent books in the field are Walcheren 1809: The Scandalous Destruction of a British Army, Death Before Glory! The British Soldier in the West Indies in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars 1793−1815 and Wellington and the British Army's Indian Campaigns 1798-1805.