RADIOLOGY IN A TRENCH COAT A TRENCH IN RADIOLOGY René Van Tiggelen - Translated by Jan Dirckx A year from now we commemorate the centenary of The Great War, gone RADIOLOGY down in history as the fi rst industrial war, a brutal slaughter on a scale never experienced before. NEW EDITION In Flanders' Fields and on the French and German front lines an adolescent FULLY REVISED medical discipline, barely nineteen years old, reaches full adulthood: and EXPANDED IN A TRENCH COAT RADIOLOGY. This diagnostic specialty's unique signifi cance is recognized by all other medical specialties from the fi rst days of its existence. The circumstances of the war propel radiology's development in ultra-fast- forward. In addition to the diagnosis of fracture and disease, the localization MILITARY RADIOLOGY ON THE WESTERN FRONT of projectiles is its outstanding priority. Antibiotics are not yet in existence; thus the immediate removal of a foreign body is extremely critical since DURING THE GREAT WAR preventing infection is practically the sole guarantee for the healing, if not the survival of the wounded soldier. Amidst the desperation of a stalemate in the war the pioneer-radiologists labor like true heroes and fi ght their way to their patients' salvation, often at the peril of their own health. The “ray of X” becomes a ray of hope. We also remember that radiologists and their assistants are amongst the fi rst THE ON MILITARY WESTERN FRONT RADIOLOGY DURING THE GREAT WAR “nuclear victims” due to the radiation exposure during their work. Despite (or thanks to?) this chaotic theatre, radiology takes a big leap forward. By the end of the war it earns its stars & bars side by side with the other medical disciplines. After the war no hospital, no clinic goes without X-rays any longer. The contributions made by American, British, French, Belgian and German radiologists are extensively discussed and illustrated in a true historic perspective. From the author's background as a radiologist this lavishly illustrated 220 page book (more than 260 fi gures, some of them in colour) offers an overview on the subject that is probably unique in the world. About the author The author, René Van Tiggelen graduated in Medicine at the University of Louvain (UCL-1967). He then decided to specialize in radiology under the leadership of Professors P.Bodart (UCL) and G.Cornélis (UCL/KUL). He obtained simultaneously a degree in social medicine and hospital management. He made his whole career as a radiologist in the Belgian armed forces. As an army medical offi cer with the rank of colonel, he used to be the deputy chief of staff of the medical department. As a senior hospital lecturer he taught bone radiology at the VUB (Brussels Free University, Flemish section) from 1982 to 1996 and has been a guest teacher at the EHSAL since 1998. With a team of volunteers he created the Belgian with contributions about the American, Belgian, British, Museum of Radiology in 1990 and has been its managing director since. French and German armies' radiological services 2003 Sarton Award at the University of Ghent. 2011 Laureate of the Frans Jonckheere prize, awarded by the Académie royale de Médecine de Belgique, for his work: “A Transparent Skull. An illustrated history of neuroradiology.” René Van Tiggelen Translated by Jan Dirckx cover RX met rug.indd 1 23/01/13 11:33 Radiology in a Trench Coat Military radiology on the Western Front during the Great War “I know that the reader perhaps does not need to know it all, but, I need to tell him”. J-J Rousseau (1712-1778). From the same author “A Transparent Skull. An illustrated history of neuroradiology.” 2007 ISBN 2930418281 Radiology in a Trench Coat Military Radiology on the Western Front during the Great War René Van Tiggelen Contributors Luc De Broe, Jan Dirckx, Walter Esch, Françoise Goetghebuer, Jeroen Huygelier, Georges Mazy, Lieven Mortelmans, François Olier, Laurent Provost, Robert Smets, Ronny Van Loon, Luc Viaene Lay-out Jacques Louagie Brussels 2013 © The Authors © Academia Press Eekhout 2 9000 Gent Tel. 09/233 80 88 Fax 09/233 14 09 [email protected] www.academiapress.be Distribution: J. Story-Scientia Scientific Booksellers Sint-Kwintensberg 87 B - 9000 Gent Belgium Tel. 00 32 9 225 57 57 Fax 00 32 9 233 14 09 [email protected] www.story.be Van Tiggelen René RADIOLOGY IN A TRENCH COAT. MILITARY RADIOLOGY ON THE WESTERN FRONT DURING THE GREAT WAR Brussels, 2013, 221 pages. ISBN 978 90 382 1939 4 D/2012/4804/133 U 1863 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or me- chanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher or the author. The author has attempted to trace the copyright holder of all the figures reproduced in this publication and apologizes to copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not been obtained. Belgian museum of Radiology www.radiology-museum.be [email protected] Contributors DE BROE Luc. M. Chemistry. Former employee of the Schering and AstraZeneca companies. Librarian of the Palfyn Foundation, Ghent (Museum for the History of Medicine). DIRCKX Jan. Nurse. Former Administrator of the Medical Imaging Department at the free University of Brussels (VUB). Dutch-English interpreter for Language Line Services firm in the U.S. Volunteer translator and proofreader for the Belgian Museum of Radiology. ESCH Walter. BA, BBA. Former manager at Agfa-Gevaert, Healthcare (Mortsel-Belgium). GOETGHEBUER Françoise. Romanist. Volunteer secretary of the Belgian Museum of Radiology. HUYGELIER Jeroen. Belgian military historian. LOUAGIE Jacques. Lay-out informatician. Volunteer of the Belgian Museum of Radiology. MAZY Georges. Author of monographs on the motorization of the Belgian Army. MORTELMANS Lieven. Physician-radiologist. Former head of the Radiology Department of the AZ Middelheim Hospital in Antwerp. OLIER François. Major. NCO French Military Medical Service (Brest). Historian. Co-author of "Hôpitaux militaires dans la guerre 1914-1918". PROVOST Laurent. Medical imaging technologist (France). Author of numerous articles on the history of radiology. SMETS Robert. Engineer medical imaging. Former employee of Siemens Healthcare (Belgium). VAN LOON Ronny. Physicist. Professor emeritus at the Free University of Brussels (VUB). VIAENE Luc. Physician, Major-General (retd.). Former Chief General-Staff of the Army Medical Service and co-author of books on the history of the Medical Service of the Belgian Army. I Dedication This book is dedicated to the memory of the Belgian troops of the Medical Service, deceased during the Great War: 54 Physicians 13 Veterinarians (not incorporated in the Medical Service at the time) 1 Pharmacist 19 urses N 12 haplains C 248 Non-commissioned offi cers and soldiers "He who does not honour the past is not worthy of the present". Inscription on the front of the fortress of Douaumont (France) III Contents Foreword By D. Hanson, CEO of the Royal Military Museum VII Chap. 1 The onset of military radiology 1 Chap. 2 The Belgian Army radiologists among the pioneers 5 Chap. 3 Guidelines of the Medical Department until the beginning of hostilities 11 Chap. 4 How is our rear combat zone organized? 15 Chap. 5 Radiology treks to the Yser Front 27 Chap. 6 The X-ray equipment, how in fact does it function at this time? 37 Chap. 7 Vehicles for radiology 47 Chap. 8 The localization of projectiles and their extraction 59 Chap. 9 Dangers of X-rays 75 Chap. 10 Problems and solutions in radiology 83 Chap. 11 Unfortunate interference by Röntgen 89 Chap. 12 Dr. Etienne Henrard, the radiologist who becomes a General 95 Chap. 13 From lab technician to technologist 105 Chap. 14 Radiology described by those who have undergone it 111 Chap. 15 Imperial German military radiology 115 Chap. 16 French military radiology 129 Chap. 17 Radiology in the British Expeditionary Force 151 Chap. 18 " La Fayette, nous voici !" " La Fayette, we are coming!" 163 Chap. 19 Positive effects of the conflict on radiology 181 Afterword by Major General G. Laire (MD), Surgeon General of the Medical Component 195 Glossary 199 Sources 203 Index of names 215 Acknowledgements 219 V Foreword For more than a decade and with the centennial of the outbreak of hostili- ties just around the corner countless historians have revisited the myth of the “Great War of 1914-1918”. The vision upon the conflict has in that way definitely been adjusted. In this perspective we understand how and why the First World War, as a modern and industrial war about to thoroughly influence the 20th century, was the result of a constant evolution. Modern indeed, as the 1789 revolution and in particular the 1813 Leipzig battle heralded conflicts between states and/or nations, rather than opposing kings and their armies as was the case during the Ancien Régime. Industrial also, because of the massive production of weapons, ammunition or uniforms, and because industry managed to produce new weapons such as machine-guns or armoured vehicles. Without forgetting the American Civil War however, it is now largely ac- cepted that the “Great War” is the first example in history of a fully-fledged industrial war. VII The Great War has recently been perceived as the conflict supplying a defin- ing element to the entire 20th century. “Quite a discovery!”, the reader will be inclined to think. After the era of the “Sun King” or that of “Enlightenment” the 20th century in its turn receives a denominator: it becomes the “century of brutalisation”. Both philosophers and historians in that way wish to stress that, from then on- wards, the military aspects fundamentally differed from previous situations: fighting was no longer suspended because of cold weather and the state of war became permanent, with – as a consequence – violence as a total, global and constant reality.