Each knew it was a defining moment in their lives never to be repeated.
Mark Wilkins, author of Aero-Neurosis, will speak about how WWI--the birth of mechanized warfare--affected the men who were charged with fighting the war in the skies over the Front. The 'technology shock' that coalesced at the Western Front was not envisaged by anyone, and men's nervous systems were ravaged by the dazzling array of faceless weapons.
The medical and psychiatric profession evolved symbiotically with the war--like the patients they were charged with treating, doctors were unprepared for what awaited them. Doctors argued over best practice for treatment but with mounting casualties, each country needed every man thus confounding approaches to treatment. The unique conditions of combat flying during WWI produced a strain on the nervous system and psyche that was unique--many of these 'walking wounded' bore the scars of what they experienced long after the guns fell silent. Ironically, many craved the danger and strain that they had experienced even though they knew it might ultimately be their downfall.
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Aero-Neurosis is available for purchase at the Museum Store!
