Heavy Reckoning: War, Medicine and Survival in Afghanistan and Beyond (Wellcome) - Hardcover

Dr Emily Mayhew is a military medical historian specialising in the study of severe casualty, its infliction, treatment and long-term outcomes in 20th and 21st century warfare. She is historian in residence in the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College, and a Research Fellow in the Division of Surgery within the Department of Surgery and Cancer. She is the author of Wounded: From Battlefield to Blight 1914-1918, which was shortlisted for the Wellcome Prize 2014. Wellcome Collection is a free museum and library that aims to challenge how we think and feel about health. Inspired by the medical objects and curiosities collected by Henry Wellcome, Wellcome Collection exhibitions, events and books connect science, medicine, life and art. wellcomecollection.org

A great book, compelling and hard hitting. A Heavy Reckoning is a crucial milestone in remembering the most important lesson learnt from recent conflict in Afghanistan -- Harry Parker, author of Anatomy of a Soldier Moving, thought provoking and informative, it is not one to be missed. * Soldier Magazine * An extraordinary human story of resilience ... an outstanding study of a lamentably underreported aspect of modern warfare. * Sunday Times * An outstanding study of medicine on the front line in Afghanistan and beyond. * The Sunday Times * A riveting description of the journey from the battlefield through every stage of resuscitation to recovery back home. * Spectator * In her book, Emily Mayhew, a medical military historian who studies the history of severe casualty in warfare, describes all of this carnage in the most extraordinary, close-up detail and by the end you appreciate her for doing it - after all, why on earth would she spare us? -- Mark Smith * Scotland Herald * Mayhew's book is a valuable contribution to the history of military medicine -- Pete Starling * British Society for the History of Medicine * Mayhew is uniquely placed to tell this story, which flits between medical science and heart-thumping narrative. -- Miles Amoore * Literary Review * Disturbing and moving in equal measure, it raises some profound questions about the trade-off between survival and lasting wellbeing and the limits of modern medicine. A highly recommended, if sobering read. -- Becky Clark * Soldier Magazine * Superbly details the effect of the war on British soldiers. * TLS *