De grote school van de natie. Legerartsen over drankmisbruik en geslachtsziekten in het Belgisch leger (circa 1850-1950)

<p><strong><em>The training ground of the nation: Army doctors dealing with alcohol abuse and venereal disease in the Belgian army (circa 1850-1950)</em></strong></p><p>In the second half of the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century, Belgian...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: L. Nys
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: openjournals.nl 2000-01-01
Series:BMGN: Low Countries Historical Review
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.bmgn-lchr.nl/articles/5286
_version_ 1798018195903217664
author L. Nys
author_facet L. Nys
author_sort L. Nys
collection DOAJ
description <p><strong><em>The training ground of the nation: Army doctors dealing with alcohol abuse and venereal disease in the Belgian army (circa 1850-1950)</em></strong></p><p>In the second half of the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century, Belgian army doctors were very concerned about the high incidence of alcoholism and venereal disease in the army. They launched a vigorous campaign to combat these 'diseases'. The underlying motives for this campaign were many and various. In the first place, the army's medical staff wanted to improve the general health and physical fitness of the military. At the same time, they used their campaign to reverse the negative opinion of the army prevalent amongst the general public by trying to reform the moral standards in the barracks. Another important motive for their radical measures against alcoholism and venereal disease was to enhance military and national efficiency. Finally, towards the end of the nineteenth century, more and more army doctors considered alcoholism and venereal disease to be major causes of racial degeneration, and this further legitimised their continued action against these two evils. Ultimately, the army doctors expected the results of their drastic campaign to transcend the confines of the army and have a positive impact on the entire nation as well. In this way, the army would truly become 'la grande école nationale'.</p>
first_indexed 2024-04-11T16:20:03Z
format Article
id doaj.art-77c5fadc747e405eb90ee4f1991c6543
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 0165-0505
2211-2898
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-11T16:20:03Z
publishDate 2000-01-01
publisher openjournals.nl
record_format Article
series BMGN: Low Countries Historical Review
spelling doaj.art-77c5fadc747e405eb90ee4f1991c65432022-12-22T04:14:24Zengopenjournals.nlBMGN: Low Countries Historical Review0165-05052211-28982000-01-01115339242510.18352/bmgn-lchr.52865254De grote school van de natie. Legerartsen over drankmisbruik en geslachtsziekten in het Belgisch leger (circa 1850-1950)L. Nys<p><strong><em>The training ground of the nation: Army doctors dealing with alcohol abuse and venereal disease in the Belgian army (circa 1850-1950)</em></strong></p><p>In the second half of the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century, Belgian army doctors were very concerned about the high incidence of alcoholism and venereal disease in the army. They launched a vigorous campaign to combat these 'diseases'. The underlying motives for this campaign were many and various. In the first place, the army's medical staff wanted to improve the general health and physical fitness of the military. At the same time, they used their campaign to reverse the negative opinion of the army prevalent amongst the general public by trying to reform the moral standards in the barracks. Another important motive for their radical measures against alcoholism and venereal disease was to enhance military and national efficiency. Finally, towards the end of the nineteenth century, more and more army doctors considered alcoholism and venereal disease to be major causes of racial degeneration, and this further legitimised their continued action against these two evils. Ultimately, the army doctors expected the results of their drastic campaign to transcend the confines of the army and have a positive impact on the entire nation as well. In this way, the army would truly become 'la grande école nationale'.</p>https://www.bmgn-lchr.nl/articles/5286ArmyHealth care
spellingShingle L. Nys
De grote school van de natie. Legerartsen over drankmisbruik en geslachtsziekten in het Belgisch leger (circa 1850-1950)
BMGN: Low Countries Historical Review
Army
Health care
title De grote school van de natie. Legerartsen over drankmisbruik en geslachtsziekten in het Belgisch leger (circa 1850-1950)
title_full De grote school van de natie. Legerartsen over drankmisbruik en geslachtsziekten in het Belgisch leger (circa 1850-1950)
title_fullStr De grote school van de natie. Legerartsen over drankmisbruik en geslachtsziekten in het Belgisch leger (circa 1850-1950)
title_full_unstemmed De grote school van de natie. Legerartsen over drankmisbruik en geslachtsziekten in het Belgisch leger (circa 1850-1950)
title_short De grote school van de natie. Legerartsen over drankmisbruik en geslachtsziekten in het Belgisch leger (circa 1850-1950)
title_sort de grote school van de natie legerartsen over drankmisbruik en geslachtsziekten in het belgisch leger circa 1850 1950
topic Army
Health care
url https://www.bmgn-lchr.nl/articles/5286
work_keys_str_mv AT lnys degroteschoolvandenatielegerartsenoverdrankmisbruikengeslachtsziekteninhetbelgischlegercirca18501950