The Development Of British Military Medicine,1793-1815

Since modern time,the Military Revolution in Europe had a profound impact on its society.In particular,the military revolution made gunpowder weapons begin to be widely used in the armies of all countries,which led to a major change in tactics.The infantry array became the main force of the army,which also led to the escalation of the war scale and the increase of the casualties of soldiers.Accordingly,handling the injuries caused to soldiers by gunpowder weapons became a challenge for battlefield ambulance medicine and contributed to the development of European military medicine in the long-term medical practice.In the 1793-1815,during the British War against France,the scale of war and the scope of military conflict expanded unprecedented,which caused great pressure on the British military medical service system.Britain,as a major country against France,has won out in decades of military competition,and the contribution of its military medical system to the war cannot be ignored.This paper is mainly divided into four parts.Chapter 1 describes the origin of European military medicine and the development of medicine in the 18 th century,the types of trauma and treatments for soldiers caused by gunpowder and sword weapons.Chapter 2 introduces the medical development of the British navy in the 18 th century,the living conditions of naval soldiers and the salary of surgeons.The British Navy’s successful fight against scurvy had contributed significantly to the maintenance of the naval fleet crew and to the defeat of the French fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar.The third chapter describes that the military operations of the British overseas colonies in the 18 th century,which promoted the reform of the logistics supply system and the development of tropical medicine,and also accumulated rich experience in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.Chapter four discusses the reform of the medical system in the Iberian War during the Napoleonic Wars and the medical service of the British army at the Battle of Waterloo.The conclusion points out that the military victory of the Napoleonic Wars could not be achieved without the contribution of the army and naval medical and health system.This not only comes from the accumulation of medical experience of the British army in several important wars in the 18 th century,but also requires the persistent persistence of professional and responsible military doctors to promote the reform of the military medical system.At the same time,a large number of wounded and wounded British soldiers in the front and rear hospitals during the Napoleonic Wars provided military doctors with extensive medical practice opportunities,and created a large number of skilled surgeons,which was of great significance to the development of the post-war British medical cause.