Black Measles during the Civil War
Abstract Black measles (Rubeola nigra) was understood to be an infrequent, severe subtype of measles defined by a very dark, nearly confluent rash in the 19th century. During the US Civil War (1861–65), measles epidemics killed many military recruits on both sides, with a case-fatality rate of 2%. Medical officers described black measles as appearing… Read more »
Military Mortality on Pacific Islands: Implications for Future Armed Conflicts
Abstract: Future armed conflict in the Indo-Pacific region may see small detachments of soldiers deployed on isolated Pacific Islands for extended periods. Historical experiences with such deployments, particularly during World War II, are reviewed to give insight into possible medical problems and their countermeasures. The 8th Division of the Second Australian Imperial Force (2 AIF)… Read more »
Importance of the Spleen to Survival from P falciparum
Abstract: P falciparum infections carry a considerable mortality risk, but the nature of the ‘immunity’ gained from infection experience is uncertain. Although anaemia may contribute some protection against mortality, the function of the spleen appears critical to controlling P falciparum parasitemia and increasing survival. Melanesian reports suggest that survival advantages of P vivax infections and… Read more »
Stuart Naval Warfare, Ships and Medicine 1603–1714
Introduction Previous articles in this series described the development of a cycle from prehistory to 1900, whereby increasing maritime trade necessitated larger and more efficient ships to transport merchandise and better weapons to defend or attack them, facilitating further trading opportunities.1,2,3,4,5,6,7 However, it was not until the 18th century that Western medicine had developed sufficiently… Read more »
The Evolution of Operational Health support Provided to the United States, United Kingdom and Australian Special Operations Forces from 1940–2024
Introduction Over the last 85 years, medical support to Special Operations Forces (SOF) units has evolved from rudimentary beginnings to highly sophisticated care. While some of this evolution reflects changes in clinical medicine during that period, particularly in civilian trauma management, the progress in health support in other areas reflects the innovative forefront of military… Read more »
Victorian Naval Warfare, Ships and Medicine 1815–1900
Introduction Previous articles described the development of a cycle from prehistory to the end of the Napoleonic wars, whereby increasing seaborne trade necessitated larger and more efficient ships. This led to more and better weapons to defend or attack them, thereby creating further trading opportunities.1,2,3,4,5,6,7 While the technical developments in ships, weapons and medicine often… Read more »
Psychological Screening in the Australian Defence Force: An Historical and Contemporary Analysis of what Works
Abstract With a rapid and significant rise in psychological screening within the Australian Defence Force (ADF) over the past 20 years, ambiguity has developed between a psychological screen and a psychological assessment used for pre-employment and pre-deployment selection purposes. Additionally, confusion persists around what constitutes a mental health or psychology screen and when it should… Read more »
BATTLEFIELD LEGACIES: THE AUSTRALIAN COLLECTION OF WWI PATHOLOGICAL SPECIMENS
Hearder R. Battlefield legacies: The Australian collection of WW1 pathological specimens. Aust Mil Med 1999;. Rosalind Hearder BA (Hons) is a military medical historian who is currently doing her PhD in history at the University of Melbourne. There no longer seems to exist any documentation that records the name or nationality of patients from whom… Read more »
Australia and the Boxer Rebellion 1900 -The South Australian Contingent
Introduction August 2000 is the centenary of Australia’s involvement in the Boxer Rebellion. This was only the second and last time that the colonial naval forces saw overseas service, the first being the deployment to New Zealand by the Victorian screw sloop Victoria in 1860-1. The Boxer Rebellion was the larger deployment of the two,… Read more »
Regional Health Support Agency South Queensland Donations to AMMA Library
The Regional Health Support Agency South Queensland has, through the kind offices of the Director of Health Services, Colonel Vlas Efstathis, OAM, RFD, RAAMC, donated three books to the Australian Military Medi¬cine Association’s Library: Arms and Aesculapius Reflections and Rwanda Across the Bar The cover jacket summaries of these books follow. Each of them is… Read more »
John Keith Henderson: First Australian to Provide Dental Treatment to Troops on Active Service
Abstract The Royal Australian Army Dental Corps regards John Keith Henderson as the first Australian to provide dental treatment to troops on active service. At the time, he was a third-year dental student at the University of Sydney who had enlisted as a Private in the Australian Army Medical Corps at the outbreak of World… Read more »
Malaria During Special Forces Operations in the Indo-Pacific Region During the Second World War
Abstract Although Special Forces may expect high casualty rates, such highly-trained soldiers cannot afford infectious disease losses. During World War II, malaria often determined the extent of special operations simply by limiting the time a unit could be deployed in a tropical jungle before fever incapacitated it. During the Allied campaign against the Imperial Japanese… Read more »
Innovations from the Battlefield: Tourniquets
D Maher Abstract Background: Despite its use from Alexander the Great’s war with Persia to current conflicts in the Middle East, the tourniquet has been considered both a lifesaver and invention of the Devil. This poor reputation developed through several conflicts, from the US Civil War to Vietnam. Concerns and unfortunate dogmas from these conflicts… Read more »
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or Post-Traumatic Stress Injury: What’s in a name?
Abstract Background: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a trauma-induced condition that is associated with high healthcare usage and costs, as well as long-term disability. Enabling those affected to seek diagnosis and treatment and removing barriers to care is, therefore, a significant priority. Results: In the last few years, an argument has been made that changing… Read more »
A History of Australian Navy Health Officer Uniforms and Ranks (Part Two)
Purpose More than a century after its establishment, many Royal Australian Navy (RAN) uniforms and ranks still reflect those used by the British Royal Navy (RN). Previous articles have described the history of Navy sailor uniforms or ‘rigs’ since 1509,1 the development of male and female health sailor uniforms since 1879,2 and the evolution of… Read more »
The Australian Army’s Two ‘Traditional’ Diseases: Gonorrhea and Syphilis — A Military-Medical History During the Twentieth Century
Ian Howie-Willis Abstract Two sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) marched in lockstep with the Australian Army in most, if not all, its overseas campaigns during the twentieth century. Gonorrhoea and syphilis, bacterial infections spread most commonly through sexual intercourse. This article illustrates through reference to the Australian Army’s major overseas deployments; from the Boer War at… Read more »
A History of Australian Navy Health Sailor Uniforms and Ranks (Part 3)
Commander Neil Westphalen, Royal Australian Navy Reserve Purpose More than a century after its establishment, many Royal Australian Navy (RAN) uniforms and ranks continue to reflect those used by the (British) Royal Navy (RN). The first of this three-part article described the history of Navy sailor uniforms since 1509,[i] while the second examined the development… Read more »
A History of Australian Navy Health Sailor Uniforms and Ranks (Part 2)
A History of Australian Navy Health Sailor Uniforms and Ranks (Part 2) Commander Neil Westphalen, Royal Australian Navy Reserve Purpose More than a century after its establishment, many Royal Australian Navy (RAN) uniforms and ranks still reflect those used by the (British) Royal Navy (RN).The first of this three-part article described the history of Navy… Read more »
A History of Australian Navy Health Sailor Uniforms and Ranks (Part 1)
Commander Neil Westphalen, Royal Australian Navy Reserve Purpose Mariners have been identifiable by their clothing for centuries. This reflects their ongoing need for attire that allows free movement for negotiating ladders, doorways and hatches, and performing physically demanding tasks such as hauling lines on cluttered decks and moving heavy weights. In the past, their garments… Read more »
‘A near-run thing’: The foundation and early years of 1 Malaria Research Laboratory, forerunner of the Australian Army Malaria Institute, 1963–1969 (Part 4 of ‘Pioneers of Australian military malariology’)
Ian Howie-Willis Abstract During the 25 years following World War II, malaria re-emerged as a major threat to Australian military personnel deployed to malarious regions in South-East Asia. By 1952, malariologists in Britain knew that drug-resistant strains of the malaria parasites Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax had emerged in Malaya.[i] Successive contingents of Australian soldiers… Read more »
2025 AMMA Conference
