No More Heroes: Madness and Psychiatry in War

by Richard A. Gabriel

Book Overview

The author of Military Incompetence traces the history of madness in war and warns that we may be reaching the limits of our human capacities in future wars, and presents some startling information on the army's immoral chemical research aimed at changing this by altering a soldiers' brain processes.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0809073897
• ISBN13: 9780809073894
• Release Date: January 1987
• Publisher: Hill & Wang
• Length: 179 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

An important book on the subject

An important work on a neglected subject, i.e. the psychological costs of war on its soldiers. Prof. Gabriel makes several important points using historical examples as well as medical evidence. He shows that psychiatric casaluties are the most prevelent type of injury on the battlefield. Also, he does a good job of supporting the contention that all soldiers, except for the truly insane, will break down on the battlefield no matter how brave a soldier he might be. What I thought was problematic was I felt he was overstating his case on that war will soon be impossible to wage because the weaponry is just too lethal, and thus almost immeadiatly debilitate a soldier psychologically. For one, human beings have a large capacity to adapt themselves to conditons. Also, there have been several conflicts since the book was written, and soldiers continue to be able to fight in them. Finally, I thought some of the other assertions made may have have been a little too overarching, and more evidence might have been needed. However, all in all, a very interesting and readable book.