DÉFENSE ZONE
Chirurgien de guerre, chercheur de paix (War surgeon, peace seeker), by Jean Mayer (foreword by Jean-Pierre Raffarin), brings together two perspectives rarely combined: that of the practitioner who operates on bodies broken by war, and that of the analyst looking for a way out of it.
What is the book about?
First of all, it is a testimony from the field: war surgery, its emergencies, its meagre means in the face of the influx of wounded, its impossible choices — a branch of medicine that the war in Ukraine has put back at the heart of Western armed forces’ concerns. Then it is a reflection: drawing on what he has seen war cost people, the author examines the mechanisms of conflict and the paths, however narrow, to peace.
What is its context?
The return of high-intensity warfare has turned military medicine upside down: massive influxes of wounded, prolonged care under fire, shortages of blood and evacuations — all lessons that Western medical services, including the French Military Health Service (SSA), are absorbing at a forced pace. Jean Mayer’s testimony comes at the right time: it reminds us what “high intensity” means in an operating theatre.
Why read it?
For the power of the medical view of war — the most concrete there is — and for the rare link between the experience of blood and geopolitical reflection. A read that usefully complements combatants’ accounts: here, you see what becomes of the fighting once the guns fall silent.
Who is Jean Mayer?
A surgeon who has worked in conflict zones, Jean Mayer belongs to that family of committed doctors who have made war their field of practice and peace their object of study. His book, with a foreword by former Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, combines memories from the field with an analysis of contemporary conflicts.
Where to order the book?
The book Chirurgien de guerre, chercheur de paix is available in the Défense Zone bookshop. On the same theme: Corps et âme, un médecin des forces spéciales (Body and soul, a special forces doctor) by Nicolas Zeller.
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