Paper Proposal

For my research topic I have decided to focus on United States Army medics in both World War One and Two. I plan on comparing and contrasting the training, equipment, and their effects on the combat experiences of Army medics in both World War One and World War Two. Medics were an integral part of the medical evacuation system and the first line of care for casualties prior to being sent to the rear field hospitals. For World War Two accounts I will be researching accounts from all theaters of combat the army medics were involved in. This is important for my research as the three theaters of World War Two are integral to the application of different adaptations the medics had to make, and the utilization of new medical technologies in relation to casualty rates. Relating to the combat experiences of the medics I will research the new innovations in both weaponry and medicine. Advances in medicine such as sulfa drugs and penicillin were both developed and mass produced in the 1930’s and 1940’s, and helped to decrease casualty rates due to bacterial infection and venereal disease. Through researching the different experiences of Army medics in both World War One and Two, I will be able to trace the evolution of the medics’ importance in the Army and changing experiences due to the differing warfare styles and medical innovations in both time periods.