Main description:

First published in 1940, this book was written by Charles S. Myers, who was Consulting Psychologist to the British Armies in France and the First World War. Based on a war diary, it explains the work he did in France and England for shell shock and shell concussion cases, and, as he writes, may well serve 'to re-enlighten the general public as to the nature of shell shock, and to convince them how dependent it is on previous history and inherited predisposition, on inadequate examination and selection of soldiers for the front line, on lack of proper discipline and esprit de corps; and how necessary it may be to adopt apparently harsh measures in order to diminish the undoubted contagiousness of the complaint.'

Contents:

Preface; 1. The origin and development of my work in France; 2. The features and causation of 'shell shock'; 3. The treatment and psychopathology of 'shell shock'; 4. The disposal of cases in France; 5. The disposal of cases in the United Kingdom; Glossary of medical terms; Index.