War and Health
From Solferino to Kosovo—The Evolving Role of Physicians
- Vincent Iacopino, MD, PhD;
- Ronald J. Waldman, MD, MPH
- Author Affiliations: Physicians for Human Rights, Boston, Mass (Dr Iacopino); and the Program on Forced Migration and Health, Center for Population and Family Health, Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY (Dr Waldman).
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
- KEYWORDS:
- human rights
- mental disorders
- physicians' role
- refugees
- war
In the past century, the world has witnessed ongoing epidemics of armed conflicts and violations of international human rights, epidemics that have devastated and continue to devastate the health and well-being of humanity. Armed conflicts have claimed the lives of more than 100 million people in the 20th century, and increasingly, civilians have become the victims of war and internal conflicts.1 Today, 90% of war-related deaths are civilians.1 Torture, forced disappearance, and political killings are systematically practiced in dozens of countries,2 and more than 100 million land mines threaten the lives and limbs of ordinary people.1 In 1995, 1 in every 200 people in the world was displaced as a result of war or political repression.1
Conceptualization of health and human suffering is often reflected in physicians' health practices and research.3 Since the concept of disease as the cause of human suffering has preoccupied …
