Monday, October 3, 2022
4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Joukowsky Forum, 111 Thayer Street
Reception to follow.
Are militaries with better medicine more effective on the battlefield? The relationship between military medicine and military effectiveness has been largely overlooked by scholars of military effectiveness. We aim to draw out this relationship in several ways. First, we outline a set of mechanisms linking military medicine to military effectiveness. Second, we report on the results of an early data collection effort on military medicine. And third, we examine the relationship between the introduction of penicillin and military effectiveness during a series of battles in World War II. Our preliminary conclusion is that investments in military medicine can significantly improve military effectiveness.