He faced criticism for numerous military censorship violations, and he developed a severe peripheral neuropathy during the war. However, he continued to stress the importance of patient care and his surgical prowess was evident.
Harvey Cushing, regarded as the father of modern neurosurgery, served in World War I between and Cushing was instrumental in treating soldiers with injuries to the head, spine, and peripheral nerves. Through analyzing Dr. This impactful memoir begins on March 18, , 8 months into the official start of World War I. Cushing was entering Paris, a refuge for injured soldiers at that time, and he witnessed the need for military hospitals and motor ambulance services to enable more efficient patient care among the mounting soldier casualties.
His story is divided into 11 chapters that advance chronologically in real time as the war progressed. We selected excerpts from each chapter that highlight Dr. Once Dr. Cushing received word of the outbreak of World War I, he was keen to volunteer his services. In late August , a group of American residents in Paris organized a military hospital and motor ambulance service that was sponsored by the American ambassador, Robert Bacon, under the auspices of the American Hospital at Neuilly-sur-Seine.
By December, however, the Ambulance requested that American universities staff the hospital in 3-month stints. George W. Harvard University followed in April , led by Dr. Cushing and Dr. Robert B. Harvey Cushing in uniform, World War I. Photograph taken in in Abbeville, France. Reprinted from Cushing H. Little, Brown; Public domain. On March 18, , Dr.
Sea conditions were rough, and aboard they faced many challenges, including a rampant case of influenza. However, the time aboard was not a complete loss. Lectures were held, as well as a conference on gaseous infections. The crew focused on the pathology of emphysematous lesions and brainstormed therapies.
