War and Public Health

The first comprehensive examination of the relationship between war and public health, this book documents the public health consequences of war and describes what health professionals can do to minimize these consequences and even help prevent war altogether. It explores the effects of war on health, human rights, and the environment. The health and environmental impact of both conventional weapons and weapons of mass destruction - nuclear, chemical, and biological - is described in chapters that cover the consequences of their production, testing, maintenance, use, and disposal. The negative impact of the proliferation of weapons and of the international arms trade, including the diversion of resources that could otherwise be allocated for health and human welfare, is also discussed. Separate chapters cover especially vulnerable populations, such as women, children, and refugees. In-depth descriptions of specific military conflicts, including the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, and wars in Central America provide striking illustrations of the issues covered in other chapters. A series of chapters explores the roles of health professionals and of organizations during war, and in preventing war and its consequences.

Barry S. Levy, M.D., M.P.H., is President-Elect of the American Public Health Association and Adjunct Professor Professor of Community Health at Tufts University School of Medicine. He is also the president of Barry S. Levy Associates, a consulting firm in environmental and occupational health, based in Sherborn, Massachusetts. He has edited 14 books and monographs, and over 100 other publications.
Victor W. Sidel, M.D., is Distinguished University Professor of Social Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center. He is a former president of the American Public Health Association, and a founder and past president of Physicians for Social Responsibility. He is currently Co-President of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, the recipient of the 1985 Nobel Prize for Peace.