The Obscure Object of Knowledge: German Military Medicine Confronts Gas Gangrene during World War I

Among the results of the recently revived interest in the medical aspects of World War I have been reexaminations and reassessments of claims about the contributions of war-related research and experiences to medical progress. 1 The official medical histories trumpeted the accomplishments of scientific medicine and argued that the war had significantly advanced medical knowledge. Thus, for example, the official German history contrasted Germany's defeat in the war with the triumphant medical achievements in the field that vindicated the international reputation of German physicians and medical researchers. 2 More recent accounts have been divided over this issue, with some medical historians contending that the war contributed little of lasting value in terms of [End Page 291] either organization or specific knowledge that was carried over into peacetime, whereas others have reaffirmed contemporary assertions that the war constituted a kind of gigantic in vivo experiment that led to significant breakthroughs. 3 Given the variety of wounds and the range of infectious diseases treated during the war, it is doubtful that this issue can be decided globally. Rather, it will have to be evaluated in terms of specific fields of research and medical specializations.