The term military medicine has a number of potential connotations. It may mean: *A medical specialty, specifically a branch of

occupational medicine Occupational medicine, until 1960 called industrial medicine, is the branch of medicine which is concerned with the maintenance of health in the workplace, including prevention and treatment of diseases and injuries, with secondary objectives ...

attending to the medical risks and needs (both preventive and interventional) of soldiers, sailors and other service members. This disparate arena has historically involved the prevention and treatment of

infectious disease An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...

s (especially

tropical disease Tropical diseases are Infectious disease, diseases that are prevalent in or unique to tropics, tropical and subtropics, subtropical regions. The diseases are less prevalent in temperate climates, due in part to the occurrence of a cold season, whic ...

s), and, in the 20th Century, the ergonomics and health effects of operating military-specific machines and equipment such as submarines, tanks, helicopters and airplanes.

Undersea The underwater environment is the region below the surface of, and immersed in, liquid water in a natural or artificial feature (called a body of water), such as an ocean, sea, lake, pond, reservoir, river, canal, or aquifer. Some characterist ...

and

aviation medicine Aviation medicine, also called flight medicine or aerospace medicine, is a preventive or occupational medicine in which the patients/subjects are pilots, aircrews, or astronauts. The specialty strives to treat or prevent conditions to which aircr ...

can be understood as subspecialties of military medicine, or in any case originated as such. Few countries certify or recognize "military medicine" as a formal speciality or subspeciality in its own right. * The planning and practice of the surgical management of mass battlefield casualties and the logistical and administrative considerations of establishing and operating combat support hospitals. This involves military medical hierarchies, especially the organization of structured medical command and administrative systems that interact with and support deployed

combat unit Military organization or military organisation is the structuring of the armed forces of a state so as to offer such military capability as a national defense policy may require. In some countries paramilitary forces are included in a natio ...

s. (See

Battlefield medicine Battlefield medicine, also called field surgery and later combat casualty care, is the treatment of wounded combatants and non-combatants in or near an area of combat. Civilian medicine has been greatly advanced by procedures that were first ...

.) * The administration and practice of health care for military service members and their dependents in non-deployed (peacetime) settings. This may (as in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

) consist of a medical system paralleling all the medical specialties and sub-specialties that exist in the civilian sector. (See also

Veterans Health Administration The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the component of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) led by the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health that implements the healthcare program of the VA through a national ...

which serves U.S. veterans.) * Medical

research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existi ...

specifically bearing upon problems of military medical interest. Historically, this encompasses all of the medical advances emerging from medical research efforts directed at addressing the problems encountered by deployed military forces (e.g., vaccines or drugs for soldiers,

medical evacuation Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to wounded being evacuated from a battlefield, to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of a ...

systems, drinking water

chlorination Chlorination may refer to: * Chlorination reaction In chemistry, halogenation is a chemical reaction that entails the introduction of one or more halogens into a compound. Halide-containing compounds are pervasive, making this type of transform ...

, etc.) many of which ultimately prove important beyond the purely military considerations that inspired them.

Legal status

Military medical personnel engage in

humanitarian Humanitarianism is an active belief in the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotional ...

work and are "

protected persons Protected persons is a legal term under international humanitarian law and refers to persons who are under specific protection of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, their 1977 Additional Protocols, and customary international humanitarian law during an ...

" under

international humanitarian law International humanitarian law (IHL), also referred to as the laws of armed conflict, is the law that regulates the conduct of war (''jus in bello''). It is a branch of international law that seeks to limit the effects of armed conflict by prot ...

in accordance with the

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and

Second Geneva Convention The Second Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea is one of the four treaties of the Geneva Conventions. The Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condit ...

s and their Additional Protocols, which established legally binding rules guaranteeing neutrality and protection for wounded soldiers, field or ship's medical personnel, and specific humanitarian institutions in an

armed conflict War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular ...

. International humanitarian law makes no distinction between medical personnel who are members of the

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

(and who hold military ranks) and those who are civilian volunteers. All medical personnel are considered

non-combatant Non-combatant is a term of art in the law of war and international humanitarian law to refer to civilians who are not taking a direct part in hostilities; persons, such as combat medics and military chaplains, who are members of the belligerent ...

s under international humanitarian law because of their humanitarian duties, and they may not be attacked and not be taken as

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

; hospitals and other medical facilities and transports identified as such, whether they are military or civilian, may not be attacked either. The red cross, the red crescent and the red crystal are the

protective sign Protective signs are symbols to be used during an armed conflict to mark persons and objects under the protection of various treaties of international humanitarian law (IHL). While their essential meaning can be summarized as "Don't shoot" or "Don't ...

s recognised under international humanitarian law, and are used by military medical personnel and facilities for this purpose. Attacking military medical personnel, patients in their care, or medical facilities or transports legitimately marked as such is a war crime. Likewise, misusing these protective signs to mask military operations is the war crime of

perfidy In the context of war, perfidy is a form of deception in which one side promises to act in good faith (such as by raising a flag of truce) with the intention of breaking that promise once the unsuspecting enemy is exposed (such as by coming out ...

. Military medical personnel may be armed, usually with

service pistol A service pistol, also known as a personal weapon or an ordnance weapon, is any handgun issued to regular military personnel or law enforcement officers. Typically, service pistols are revolvers or semi-automatic pistols issued to Officer (armed ...

s, for the purpose of

self defense Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in ...

or the defense of patients.

Historical significance

The significance of military medicine for combat strength goes far beyond treatment of battlefield injuries; in every major war fought until the late 19th century disease claimed more soldier casualties than did enemy action. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

(1860–65), for example, about twice as many soldiers died of disease as were killed or mortally wounded in combat. The Franco-Prussian War (1870–71) is considered to have been the first conflict in which combat injury exceeded disease, at least in the German coalition army which lost 3.47% of its average headcount to combat and only 1.82% to disease. In new world countries, such as Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada, military physicians and surgeons contributed significantly to the development of civilian health care. Improvements in military medicine have increased the survival rates in successive wars, due to improvements in

battlefield medicine Battlefield medicine, also called field surgery and later combat casualty care, is the treatment of wounded combatants and non-combatants in or near an area of combat. Civilian medicine has been greatly advanced by procedures that were first ...

and

trauma care Major trauma is any injury that has the potential to cause prolonged disability or death. There are many causes of major trauma, blunt and penetrating, including falls, motor vehicle collisions, stabbing wounds, and gunshot wounds. Depending ...

. Similar improvements have been seen in the trauma practices during the Iraq war. Some military trauma care practices are disseminated by citizen soldiers who return to civilian practice. One such practice is where major trauma patients are transferred to an operating theater as soon as possible, to stop internal bleeding, increasing the survival rate. Within the United States, the survival rate for gunshot wounds has increased, leading to apparent declines in the gun death rate in states that have stable rates of gunshot hospitalizations.

Military medicine by country

North America

Canada

Royal Canadian Medical Service The Royal Canadian Medical Service (RCMS, french: Service de santé royal canadien) is a personnel branch of the Canadian Armed Forces, consisting of all members of medical occupations. Nearly all members of the RCMS, along with the members of the ...

Royal Canadian Dental Corps The Royal Canadian Dental Corps (RCDC, french: links=no, Corps dentaire royal canadien) is a personnel branch of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). Most members of RCDC, along with the members of the Royal Canadian Medical Service, are employed in ...

Canadian Forces Health Services Group The Canadian Forces Health Services Group (CF H Svcs Gp) is a formation of the Canadian Forces within the Military Personnel Command. It includes personnel from both the Royal Canadian Medical Service and the Royal Canadian Dental Corps, fulfills ...

* Surgeon General (Canada) *

National Defence Medical Centre The National Defence Medical Centre (NDMC) was the national and largest hospital of the Canadian Forces in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It served the needs of the members of the military. Constructed in 1961, it was closed in the 1990s due to budget ...

United States

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (ASD(HA)) is chartered under United States Department of Defense Directive (DoDD) 5136.1 in 1994. This DoDD states that the ASD(HA) is the principal advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Defense o ...

Military Health System The Military Health System (MHS) is a form of nationalized health care operated within the United States Department of Defense that provides health care to active duty, Reserve component and retired U.S. Military personnel and their dependents. ...

*''

Military Medicine The term military medicine has a number of potential connotations. It may mean: *A medical specialty, specifically a branch of occupational medicine attending to the medical risks and needs (both preventive and interventional) of sold ...

'', academic journal *

TRICARE Tricare (styled TRICARE) is a health care program of the United States Department of Defense Military Health System. Tricare provides civilian health benefits for U.S Armed Forces military personnel, military retirees, and their dependents, in ...

United States Unified Medical Command The United States Unified Medical Command was a proposed Unified Combatant Command within the United States Department of Defense. The plan was rejected in December 2006 due to heavy resistance from Air Force Surgeon General Lieutenant General ...

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) is a health science university of the U.S. federal government. The primary mission of the school is to prepare graduates for service to the U.S. at home and abroad in the medical corps as ...

Medical Education and Training Campus The Medical Education and Training Campus (METC) is a United States Department of Defense (DoD) integrated campus under a single university-style administration, with nearly 50 programs of study available to U.S. military enlisted students and a ...

* Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine *

Defense Health Agency The Defense Health Agency (DHA) is a joint, integrated combat support agency that enables the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, and United States Space Force, U.S. Space Force medical services to provide a medically ready force and ready med ...

National Center for Medical Intelligence The National Center for Medical Intelligence (NCMI) ; formerly known as the ''Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center'') is a component of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). The role of NCMI is described in DoD Instruction 6420.01. Headqu ...

* Health Professions Scholarship Program *

Joint Task Force National Capital Region/Medical The Joint Task Force National Capital Region Medical (JTF CapMed), also known as National Capital Region Medical, is located on the Naval Support Activity Bethesda campus in Bethesda, Maryland and was established by the Deputy Secretary of Defen ...

Fort Belvoir Community Hospital Fort Belvoir Community Hospital is a Department of Defense medical facility located on Fort Belvoir, Virginia, outside of Washington D.C. In conjunction with Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Belvoir provides the Military Health System ...

Association of Military Surgeons of the United States Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

Tactical Combat Casualty Care Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC or TC3) are the United States military guidelines for Major trauma, trauma life support in Battlefield medicine, prehospital combat medicine, designed to reduce preventable deaths while maintaining operatio ...

Armed Forces Institute of Pathology The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) (1862 – September 15, 2011) was a U.S. government institution concerned with diagnostic consultation, education, and research in the medical specialty of pathology. Overview It was founded in ...

* Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute * Defense Health Program Budget Activity Group *

Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board The Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board (DoDMERB) is an element of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) which processes the medical components of admission for applicants to the United States Service academies, United St ...

National Museum of Health and Medicine The National Museum of Health and Medicine (NMHM) is a museum in Silver Spring, Maryland, near Washington, DC. The museum was founded by U.S. Army Surgeon General William A. Hammond as the Army Medical Museum (AMM) in 1862; it became the NMHM in ...

Medicine in the American Civil War The state of medical knowledge at the time of the Civil War was extremely primitive. Doctors did not understand infection, and did little to prevent it. It was a time before antiseptics, and a time when there was no attempt to maintain sterility du ...

National Museum of Civil War Medicine __NOTOC__ The National Museum of Civil War Medicine is a U.S. historic education institution located in Frederick, Maryland. Its focus involves the medical, surgical and nursing practices during the American Civil War (1861-1865). History The ...

;

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

Surgeon General of the U.S. Army The Surgeon General of the United States Army is the senior-most officer of the U.S. Army Medical Department (United States), Army Medical Department (AMEDD). By policy, the Surgeon General (TSG) serves as Commanding General, United States Army ...

* Army Medical Department *

Battalion Aid Station {{no footnotes, date=February 2013 In the United States Army and Marine Corps, a battalion aid station is a medical section within a battalion's support company. As such, it is the forwardmost medically staffed treatment location. During peaceti ...

s *

Borden Institute The Borden Institute is a U.S. Army “Center of Excellence in Military Medical Research and Education”. In 1987, U.S. Army Colonel Russ Zajtchuk conceived the idea for a “Center of Excellence in Military Medical Research and Education,” u ...

* Combat Support Hospital *

Fort Detrick Fort Detrick () is a United States Army Futures Command installation located in Frederick, Maryland. Historically, Fort Detrick was the center of the U.S. biological weapons program from 1943 to 1969. Since the discontinuation of that program, i ...

Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas, U.S. Represen ...

Forward Surgical Teams In the United States Army, Medical Detachments (Forward Surgical), popularly known as Forward Surgical Teams (FST), are small, mobile surgical units. A functional operating room can be established within one and a half hours of being on scene an ...

United States Army Medical Corps The Medical Corps (MC) of the U.S. Army is a staff corps (non-combat specialty branch) of the U.S. Army Medical Department (AMEDD) consisting of commissioned medical officers – physicians with either an M.D. or a D.O. degree, at least one ye ...

United States Army Nurse Corps The United States Army Nurse Corps (USANC) was formally established by the U.S. Congress in 1901. It is one of the six medical special branches (or "corps") of officers which – along with medical enlisted soldiers – comprise the Army Medica ...

United States Army Veterinary Corps The U.S. Army Veterinary Corps is a Staff Officer, staff corps (non-combat specialty branch) of the Army Medical Department (United States), U.S. Army Medical Department (AMEDD) consisting of Officer (armed forces)#Commissioned officers, commis ...

Mobile Army Surgical Hospital Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals were U.S. Army field hospital units conceptualized in 1946 as replacements for the World War II-era Auxiliary Surgical Group hospital units, which had become obsolete. MASH Units were in operation from the Korean ...

Portable Surgical Hospital During World War II, Portable Surgical Hospitals (PSH) were a type of field hospital within the United States Army. They were units of the United States Army Medical Department designed to be man-portable by the team staffing the hospital. Unique ...

68W 68W (pronounced as sixty-eight whiskey using the NATO phonetic alphabet) is the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) for the United States Army's Combat Medic. 68Ws are primarily responsible for providing emergency medical treatment at point of wo ...

, the "combat medic" *''

Textbook of Military Medicine The ''Textbook of Military Medicine'' (TMM) is a series of volumes on military medicine published since 1989 by the Borden Institute, of the Office of The Surgeon General, of the United States Department of the Army. It constitutes a comprehensi ...

'' published by the U.S. Army *

United States Army Medical Department Center and School The U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence (MEDCoE) is located at Fort Sam Houston, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. MEDCoE comprises the 32d Medical Brigade, the U.S. Army Medical Professional Training Brigade (MPTB), and the AMEDD Noncommiss ...

United States Army Medical Department Museum The U.S. Army Medical Department Museum — or AMEDD Museum — at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas, originated as part of the Army's Field Service School at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. It moved to Fort Sam Houston in 1946. It is current ...

* U.S. Army Dental Command * U.S. Army Medical Command *

United States Army Medical Research and Development Command United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases The United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID; pronounced: you-SAM-rid) is the U.S Army's main institution and facility for defensive research into countermeasures against biological warfare. It is located ...

Walter Reed Army Medical Center The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC)known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951was the U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. Located on in the District of Columbia, it served more than 150,000 active and ret ...

Walter Reed Army Institute of Research The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) is the largest biomedical research facility administered by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The institute is centered at the Forest Glen Annex, in the Forest Glen Park part of the uni ...

* U.S. Army Public Health Center *

United States Army Health Services Command The U.S. Army Health Services Command was activated on 1 April 1973 as part of a reorganization of the Army Medical Department. It took control of almost all Army medical facilities in the continental US, including medical education. Purpose Th ...

Army Medical Museum and Library The Army Medical Museum and Library (AMML) of the U.S. Army was a large brick building constructed in 1887 at South B Street (now Independence Avenue) and 7th Street, SW, Washington, D.C., which is directly on the National Mall. It was desig ...

Army Medical Department regimental coat of arms The regimental coat of arms of the Army Medical Department of the United States Army—known as the AMEDD—is an heraldic emblem dating back, with slight variations, to about 1863. Since 1986, it has formed the basis of the AMEDD's distincti ...

Combat lifesaver course The US Army Combat Lifesaver Course is an official medical training course conducted by the US Army. The course is intended to provide an intermediate step between the buddy aid-style basic life support taught to every soldier and the advanced ...

;

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

* Surgeon General of the U.S. Navy *

Bureau of Medicine and Surgery The Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) is an agency of the United States Department of the Navy that manages health care activities for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. BUMED operates hospitals and other health c ...

* United States Navy Health Care * U.S. Navy Medical Corps * U.S. Navy Dental Corps *

U.S. Navy Nurse Corps The United States Navy Nurse Corps was officially established by Congress in 1908; however, unofficially, women had been working as nurses aboard Navy ships and in Navy hospitals for nearly 100 years. The Corps was all-female until 1965. Pre-190 ...

* U.S. Navy Medical Service Corps * U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman * United States Naval Hospital (disambiguation) *

Special amphibious reconnaissance corpsman A Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman (SARC) is a United States Navy hospital corpsman who provides MARSOC and other USSOCOM units advanced trauma management associated with combatant diving and parachute entry. Traditionally, they are a ...

Naval Hospital Corps School Naval Hospital Corps School was the United States Navy's only basic hospital corpsman school. It was located within Lake County, Illinois, at 601 D St., Bldg 130H, Naval Station, Great Lakes, Illinois 60088, for nearly a century. History It was e ...

Naval Medical Center San Diego Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD), also known as Bob Wilson Naval Hospital and informally referred to as "Balboa Hospital", or "The Pink Palace" (because the stucco of the first buildings that were constructed was pinkish in color), is a tech ...

Naval Medical Center Portsmouth The Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP), formerly Naval Hospital Portsmouth, and originally Norfolk Naval Hospital, is a United States Navy medical center in Portsmouth, Virginia, United States. It is the oldest continuously running hospital ...

National Naval Medical Center National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

(Walter Reed National Military Medical Center) *

Naval Hospital Yokosuka Japan United States Naval Hospital Yokosuka Japan with its eight branch clinics are US Navy medical treatment facilities catering to the medical needs of eligible Sailors, Marines, Soldiers, Airmen, family members, U.S. government employees, retired mili ...

Naval Health Clinic New England Naval Health Clinic New England is a medical clinic providing health care for the Navy that serves in the Northeast region. It is a part of Naval Station Newport. The clinic provides medical care to 70,000 beneficiaries. Despite the name, Naval He ...

Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point The Naval Health Clinic, Cherry Point is a military treatment facility located aboard Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point providing medical care to United States uniformed service members, beneficiaries and retirees living and serving in the E ...

Naval Medical Research Center The Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) is an agency that performs basic and applied biomedical research to meet the needs of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. Its areas of focus include study of infectious diseases, biodef ...

* Naval Health Research Center *

Naval Medical Forces Atlantic Naval Medical Forces Atlantic was established August 2005 as Navy Medicine East and is a Flag_officer, flag level command reporting directly to the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. Naval Medical Forces Atlantic is responsible for administrative com ...

Naval Medical Research Unit Dayton Naval Medical Research Unit Dayton (NAMRU-D) is a biomedical research laboratory of the United States Navy in Dayton, Ohio. It is one of seven subordinate commands of the Naval Medical Research Center and incorporates two research divisions. The ...

Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory The Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory (NSMRL) is located on the New London Submarine Base in Groton, Connecticut. The laboratory's mission is to protect the health of American sailors, focused on submarines and scuba diving. It is a su ...

Charleston Naval Hospital Historic District The Charleston Naval Hospital Historic District is a portion of the Charleston Navy Base that included a collection of buildings connected with the medical needs of the Navy base. Early years: 1902-1922 On 2 November 1902 the Bure ...

Old Naval Observatory The Old Naval Observatory is a historic site at 23rd and E Street in Northwest, Washington, D.C. It is where the United States Naval Observatory was located from 1844 to 1893, when it moved to its present grounds. The original observatory build ...

Hospital ship A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones. ...

Sick bay A sick bay is a compartment in a ship, or a section of another organisation, such as a school or college, used for medical purposes. The sick bay contains the ship's medicine chest, which may be divided into separate cabinets, such as a refrigera ...

Loblolly boy Loblolly boy is the informal name given to the assistants to a ship's surgeon aboard British and American warships during the Age of Sail. The name derives from a porridge traditionally served to sick or injured crew members. The term is no longer ...

Diving medicine Diving medicine, also called undersea and hyperbaric medicine (UHB), is the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of conditions caused by humans entering the undersea environment. It includes the effects on the body of pressure on gases, the diag ...

United States Navy staff corps In the United States Navy, commissioned officers are either line officers or staff corps officers. Staff corps officers are specialists in career fields that are professions unto themselves, such as Military medicine, physicians, Military justice, ...

;

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

* Surgeon General of the U.S. Air Force * U.S. Air Force Medical Service (including Dental Corps, Medical Corps, Nursing Corps, and other corps) *

United States Air Force Nurse Corps The U.S. Air Force Nurse Corps ensures the health of military personnel and their family members. Entry requirements New members of the Air Force Nurse Corps are required to hold at minimum a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree prior to rec ...

United States Air Force Pararescue Pararescuemen (also known as PJs) are United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and Air Combat Command (ACC) operators tasked with recovery and medical treatment of personnel in humanitarian and combat environments. These speci ...

United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine The United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM) is the United States Air Force (USAF) organization focused on education, research, and operational consultation in aerospace and operational medicine. USAFSAM was founded in 1918 t ...

Museum of Aerospace Medicine The Edward H. White II Museum of Aerospace Medicine was a museum of the United States Air Force and was located in Hangar 9 at Brooks Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.Aeromedical evacuation Aeromedical evacuation (AE) usually refers to the use of military transport aircraft to carry wounded personnel. The first recorded British ambulance flight took place in 1917 in the Sinai peninsula some 30 miles south of El Arish when a Royal ...

Critical Care Air Transport Team The Critical Care Air Transport Team (CCATT) concept dates from 1988, when Col. P.K. Carlton and Maj. J. Chris Farmer originated the development of this program while stationed at U.S. Air Force Hospital Scott, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Dr. C ...

Expeditionary Medical Support System The Expeditionary Medical Support System (EMEDS) is a modular field hospital system developed by the U.S. military for mobile deployment of medical treatment facilities in any location. EMEDS consists of a variety of modular, medical response pa ...

Aviation medicine Aviation medicine, also called flight medicine or aerospace medicine, is a preventive or occupational medicine in which the patients/subjects are pilots, aircrews, or astronauts. The specialty strives to treat or prevent conditions to which aircr ...

Europe

France

* French Defence Health Service * École du service de santé des armées

Belgium

Belgian Medical Component The Medical Component of the Belgian Armed Forces ( nl, Medische Component, french: Composante Médicale) is the military medical service which provides medical support for its members in home and abroad operations, participating in humanitarian ai ...

Germany

Bundeswehr Joint Medical Service The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

Bundeswehr Medical Academy The Bundeswehr Medical Academy (german: Sanitätsakademie der Bundeswehr), (short SanAkBw) is a part of the '' Joint Medical Service'' of the Bundeswehr and is subordinate of the Bundeswehr Joint Medical Service Headquarters in Koblenz. It is ...

Luftwaffe Institute of Aviation Medicine The Luftwaffe Institute of Aviation Medicine, in German called Flugmedizinisches Institut der Luftwaffe (FLMEDINSTLW) is the central institute of aviation medicine of the German airforce (Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-wa ...

* Naval Medical Institute *

Generaloberstabsarzt ''Generaloberstabsarzt'' and ''Admiraloberstabsarzt'' are the top Joint Medical Service OF8-ranks of the German ''Bundeswehr''. The equivalent to this ranks in the ''Heer'' is ''Generalleutnant'' and in the German Navy the ''Vizeadmiral''. ...

Generalstabsarzt Generalstabsarzt and Admiralstabsarzt are in German armed forces the rank designations of the second highest grad of the generals rank group. Germany Bundeswehr Generalstabsarzt and Admiralstabsarzt are the second highest general ranks of the ...

Generalarzt ''Generalarzt'' (short: ''GenArzt'' or ''GA'') is the designation of a military rank as well as the official title in German speaking armed forces. It is equivalent to the ''Admiralarzt'' / ''Generalapotheker'' and Brigadegeneral / Flottillenadmiral ...

Oberstarzt Oberstarzt (OTA) is a military rank in German speaking armed forces. It denotes a medical staff officer surgeon or medical staff officer dentist and is comparable to Colonel (de: Oberst) or Captain (naval) (de: Kapitän zur See) NATO-Rangcode O ...

Oberfeldarzt Oberfeldarzt (short: OFArzt or OFA) is a military rank in German speaking armed forces. It denotes a medical staff officer surgeon or medical staff officer dentist and is comparable in rank to lieutenant colonel (de: Oberstleutnant) or (nava ...

Oberstabsarzt Oberstabsarzt (short: OStArzt or OSA) is a military rank in German speaking armed force. It describes a medical staff officer surgeon or medical staff officer dentist comparable to major (de: Major) or lieutenant commander (de: Korvettenkapitä ...

Stabsarzt Stabsarzt (short: StArzt or SA), in English ''Staff Surgeon'', is a military commissioned officer rank in German speaking armed forces. In the German Bundeswehr and the former Wehrmacht and Reichswehr, it describes a qualified or licensed surgeon ...

Oberarzt (military) Oberarzt (short: OArzt or OA), literally meaning "senior physician," in English known as first lieutenant (Dr.), was a military Officer (armed forces), commissioned officer rank in the Austro-Hungarian Common Army until 1918, and in the German Reic ...

Assistenzarzt (military) Assitenzarzt (short: AArzt or AA) was a military rank in the Austrian-Hungary Common Army until 1918 and in German Reichswehr and Wehrmacht until 1945. It describes a qualified or licensed surgeon or dentist comparable to 2nd lieutenant (de: Leu ...

Italy

* Corpo sanitario dell'Esercito Italiano * Corpo sanitario militare marittimo * Corpo sanitario aeronautico * Servizio sanitario dell'Arma dei carabinieri

Russia

Main Military Medical Directorate The Main Military Medical Directorate, (russian: link=no, Главное военно-медицинское управление Министерства обороны Российской Федерации). also known as Military Medical Di ...

Kirov Military Medical Academy The S. M. Kirov Military Medical Academy (russian: Военно-медицинская академия имени С. М. Кирова) is a higher education institution of military medicine in Saint Petersburg and the Russian Federation. Senior ...

(founded in 1798) * Military academies in Russia#Kuybyshev Military Medical Academy *'' Military Medical Business'', academic journal *

Museum of Military Medicine The Museum of Military Medicine, formerly the Army Medical Services Museum (AMS Museum), is located in Keogh Barracks, on Mytchett Place Road, Mytchett, Surrey, England. History The museum is based on the "Mytchett Collection", a collection o ...

Serbia

* Military Medical Academy

Sweden

Surgeon-General of the Swedish Armed Forces The Surgeon-General of the Swedish Armed Forces ( sv, Generalläkaren, GL, previously ''Generalfältläkaren'', since 2017 called the ''Försvarsinspektören för hälsa och miljö'', FIHM) is the senior medical officer of the Swedish Armed Forces ...

Medical Corps of the Swedish Armed Forces __NOTOC__ The Medical Corps of the Swedish Armed Forces ( sv, Försvarets medicinalkår, Medk) was a joint administrative corps for military physicians and military veterinarians in the Swedish Armed Forces. It was formed in 1969 ( SFS 1969:409) ...

Swedish Armed Forces Centre for Defence Medicine The Swedish Armed Forces Centre for Defence Medicine ( sv, Försvarsmedicincentrum, FömedC) is a tri-service military medicine center in the Swedish Armed Forces. Its staff is made up of officers, civilian specialists, group commanders and office ...

Surgeon-in-Chief of the Swedish Army The Surgeon-in-Chief of the Swedish Army ( sv, arméöverläkaren) was from 1943 to 1969 the senior-most officer and head of the Swedish Army Medical Corps. History The decision to establish a Surgeon-in-Chief of the Swedish Army and inspector of ...

Surgeon-in-Chief of the Swedish Navy The Surgeon-in-Chief of the Swedish Navy ( sv, marinöverläkaren, MÖL) was from 1902 to 1969 the senior-most officer and head of the Swedish Naval Medical Officers' Corps, responsible for naval surgeons and the overall medical care in the Swedi ...

Surgeon-in-Chief of the Swedish Air Force The Surgeon-in-Chief of the Swedish Air Force ( sv, flygöverläkaren) was from 1943 to 1969 the senior-most medical service officer in the Swedish Air Force, responsible for flight surgeons and the overall aviation medicine. The Surgeon-in-Chief ...

Swedish Army Medical Corps The Swedish Army Medical Corps ( sv, Fältläkarkåren, Flk) was from 1806 to 1969 an administrative corps of the Swedish Army, consisting of military surgeons. In 1969 the corps was amalmagated into the Medical Corps of the Swedish Armed Forces. ...

Swedish Naval Medical Officers' Corps The Swedish Naval Medical Officers’ Corps ( sv, Marinläkarkåren, MLK) was an Corps, administrative corps established in 1902 for military physicians in the Swedish Navy and in the Swedish Coastal Artillery. The corps was amalgamated into the Me ...

Swedish Armed Forces Diving and Naval Medicine Centre Swedish Armed Forces Diving and Naval Medicine Centre ( sv, Försvarsmaktens dykeri och navalmedicinska centrum, FM DNC) is a centre which is responsible for education and training of divers for the Swedish Armed Forces. The centre is also respon ...

Swedish Army Veterinary Corps The Swedish Army Veterinary Corps ( sv, Fältveterinärkåren) was an administrative corps for veterinarians of the Swedish Army from 1887 to 1969. Its task was, in peace as well as in war, to provide army units etcetera with especially trained sta ...

United Kingdom

* Royal Navy Medical Service *

Royal Naval Hospital A Royal Naval Hospital (RNH) was a hospital operated by the British Royal Navy for the care and treatment of sick and injured naval personnel. A network of these establishments were situated across the globe to suit British interests. They were ...

Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service (QARNNS) is the nursing branch of the British Royal Navy. The Service unit works alongside the Royal Navy Medical Branch. As of 1 January 2006, according to former Ministry of Defence junior minist ...

Medical Assistant (Royal Navy) The Medical Assistant is a Royal Navy medical rating in the United Kingdom. Medical Assistants serve on all types of ships in the surface fleet, submarine fleet, Royal Marines, Fleet Air Arm or ashore in a sick bay, hospitals, or other establish ...

Institute of Naval Medicine The Institute of Naval Medicine is the main research centre and training facility of the Royal Navy Medical Service. History The site was established in 1969 to research environmental health conditions for submariners in the Royal Navy. At a saf ...

Naval surgeon A naval surgeon, or less commonly ship's doctor, is the person responsible for the health of the ship's company aboard a warship. The term appears often in reference to Royal Navy's medical personnel during the Age of Sail. Ancient uses Speciali ...

* Surgeon's mate *

* Journal of the Royal Naval Medical Service *

List of hospitals and hospital ships of the Royal Navy ''HMHS'' is an acronym for His/Her Majesty's Hospital Ship. Early modern era Seventeenth century The earliest record of British hospital ship was ''Goodwill'', which briefly accompanied a Royal Navy squadron in the Mediterranean in 1608 or 1609 ...

Army Medical Services The Army Medical Services (AMS) is the organisation responsible for administering the corps that deliver medical, veterinary, dental and nursing services in the British Army. It is headquartered at the former Staff College, Camberley, near the ...

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

Medical Support Officer {{unsourced, date=December 2021 The term Medical Support Officer is the name given to Commissioned Officers within the British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed For ...

* Combat Medical Technician *

Royal Army Dental Corps The Royal Army Dental Corps (RADC) is a specialist corps in the British Army that provides dental health services to British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace. The corps is a part of the British Army's Army Medical Services. ...

Royal Army Veterinary Corps The Royal Army Veterinary Corps (RAVC), known as the Army Veterinary Corps (AVC) until it gained the royal prefix on 27 November 1918, is an administrative and operational branch of the British Army responsible for the provision, training and ca ...

Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC; known as ''the QAs'') is the nursing branch of the British Army Medical Services. History Although an "official" nursing service was not established until 1881, the corps traces its heritage t ...

Territorial Force Nursing Service The Territorial Force Nursing Service (TFNS) was established in 1908, part of the reform of the British auxiliary forces introduced by Richard Haldane which created the Territorial Force. Nurses with at least three years of training were able to ...

Royal Army Medical College The Royal Army Medical College (RAMC) was located on a site south of the Tate Gallery (now known as Tate Britain) on Millbank, in Westminster, London, overlooking the River Thames. The college moved from the site in 1999 and the buildings are no ...

RAF Medical Services The Royal Air Force Medical Services is the branch of the Royal Air Force that provides health care at home and on deployed operations to RAF service personnel. Medical officers are the doctors of the RAF and have specialist expertise in aviat ...

Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (PMRAFNS) is the nursing branch of the British Royal Air Force. It was established as the Royal Air Force Temporary Nursing Service (RAFNS) in 1918, and became part of the permanent establishment ...

RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine The RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine (RAF CAM) is a medical organisation run by the Royal Air Force and based at RAF Henlow in Bedfordshire. It is the main organisation conducting aviation medicine research in the UK. History Formation The centr ...

RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine The Royal Air Force Institute of Aviation Medicine was a Royal Air Force aviation medicine research unit active between 1945 and 1994. Early days The RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine (IAM) was opened on 30 April 1945 by the Princess Royal. ...

Surgeon-General (United Kingdom) The Surgeon-General of the United Kingdom Armed Forces is the most senior uniformed medical officer in the British Armed Forces. Army The post of Surgeon-General dates from 1664; there was also, from 1685, a Physician-General appointed; together, ...

Defence Medical Services The Defence Medical Services (DMS) is an umbrella organisation within the Ministry of Defence in the United Kingdom. It consists of the Defence Medical Services Group, part of Strategic Command, the Royal Navy Medical Service, Army Medical Servic ...

Defence Medical Academy The Defence Medical Academy is based at DMS Whittington. It is the training centre of Defence Medical Services. It trains military personnel to deal with situations that civilian paramedics would be involved with; i.e. more advanced situations t ...

* Ministry of Defence Hospital Units * Defence CBRN Centre

Other regions

Australia

Joint Health Command (Australia) The Joint Health Command (JHC) is responsible for the delivery of military medicine and joint healthcare services to Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel, including military psychiatry and rehabilitation services. The JHC is also responsible ...

Australian Army Medical Women's Service The Australian Army Medical Women's Service (AAMWS) was an armed services organisation which existed from 1942 until 1951. Growing out of the St John Ambulance Voluntary Aid Detachments, it was formed in December 1942 and its members served as ...

Australian Army Medical Units, World War I The following is a list of Australian Army medical units in World War I. Field Ambulance 1st Division (Australia) * 1st Australian Field Ambulance (New South Wales) * 2nd Australian Field Ambulance (Victoria) * 3rd Australian Field Ambul ...

Australian Army Nursing Service The Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) was an Australian Army Reserve unit which provided a pool of trained civilian nurses who had volunteered for military service during wartime. The AANS was formed in 1902 by amalgamating the nursing servic ...

Royal Australian Army Medical Corps The Royal Australian Army Medical Corps (RAAMC) is the branch of the Australian Army responsible for providing medical care to Army personnel. The AAMC was formed in 1902 through the amalgamation of medical units of the various Australian coloni ...

Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps The Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps (RAANC) is a Corps of the Australian Army. It was formed in February 1951 from the Royal Australian Army Nursing Service. A Corps Badge was introduced in 1951 with the motto ''Pro Humanitate'' (for Humanity) ...

Royal Australian Army Dental Corps The Royal Australian Army Dental Corps (RAADC) is a corps within the Australian Army. It was formed on 23 April 1943 during World War II as the Australian Army Dental Corps, before being granted the 'Royal' prefix in 1948. Prior to its formation ...

Australian Army Veterinary Corps The Australian Army Veterinary Corps (AAVC) was a corps of the Australian Army which was formed in 1909 to replace the veterinary department of the Commonwealth Military Forces. Following the establishment of a number of permanent artillery batt ...

Australian Army Psychology Corps The Australian Army Psychology Corps (AA Psych) is the branch of the Australian Army responsible for providing psychological care to Army personnel. Unique at time in the British Commonwealth, the corps was formed on 22 October 1952, replacing th ...

Royal Australian Navy School of Underwater Medicine The Royal Australian Navy School of Underwater Medicine (RANSUM) is an instructor-led training course based at Sydney, Australia. History Before 1961 medical support at the diving section of HMAS ''Watson'' was provided by the District Medical ...

RAAF Institute of Aviation Medicine The Royal Australian Air Force Institute of Aviation Medicine (AVMED) ensures the effectiveness and safety of Australian Defence Forces (ADF) air operations by conducting research and training ADF aircrew to understand and manage the physiologica ...

List of Australian hospital ships The Australian Hospital Ships, using ship prefix AHS, were a number of converted civilian ships used for medical services during the Second World War. They were all staffed primarily by the Army Medical staff. The ships fell into two groups: A ...

Israel

Logistics, Medical, and the Centers Directorate The Israeli Technological and Logistics Directorate (acronym: Atal) is a directorate in the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, responsible for its logistics responses and tasks, and in particular: the building of military bases, maintai ...

Medical Corps (Israel) The Medical Corps ( he, חֵיל הָרְפוּאָה, ''Heil HaRfu'a'') is an Israel Defense Forces corps responsible for providing healthcare services and medical treatment and instruction to all levels of the IDF. History During wars or eme ...

Unit 669 Airborne Combat Rescue And Evacuation Unit 669 ( he, יחידת החילוץ והפינוי הקרבי בהיטס 669,''Yechidat HaHilu'tz VeHaPinu'i HaKravi Behetes 669'') is the Israel Defense Forces heliborne Combat Search and Rescue extract ...

South Africa

South African Medical Service The South African Medical Service (SAMS) was a branch of the South African Defence Force (SADF). In 1994 when the SADF was merged with various other military and armed resistance forces as part of the post-apartheid reforms the SAMS became the Sou ...

South African Military Health Service The South African Military Health Service is the branch of the South African National Defence Force responsible for medical facilities and the training and deployment of all medical personnel within the force. Though unusual, as most national mili ...

Vietnam

*Vietnam Military Medical University (''Học Viện Quân Y'') in

Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...

India

* Director General Armed Forces Medical Services (India) * Army Medical Corps (India) *

Armed Forces Medical College upright=1.1, AFMC main building The Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) is a leading medical training institute in Pune, India, in the state of Maharashtra. The college is managed by the Indian Armed Forces. Established in May 1948 as a post ...

Command Hospital Command Hospitals are major military hospitals in India. There is not more than one in each Command. The Indian Armed Forces have eight Command Hospitals. They are: See also *List of Armed Forces Hospitals In India As of 2020, there are 112 ...

Indian Medical Service The Indian Medical Service (IMS) was a military medical service in British India, which also had some civilian functions. It served during the two World Wars, and remained in existence until the independence of India in 1947. Many of its officer ...

Thailand

Phramongkutklao College of Medicine

International

* International Committee of Military Medicine * Committee of Chiefs of Military Medical Services in NATO ( COMEDS)

References

External links

U.S. military medicine

related links from USAF Air University
Association of Military Surgeons of the United States
(AMSUS)
''Military Medicine'', the International Journal of AMSUS''Patriot Medicine'', a vertical network for the military medical ecosystem
Life and Death in the War Zone ,

NOVA A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

The Borden Institute Homepage
* ttp://www.vnh.org/ Virtual Naval Hospital - a digital library of military medicine and humanitarian medicine* http://www.ipernity.com/doc/57114/5652001/in/keyword/487917/self (military medical exams) Australian military medicine
Australian Military Medicine Association
International Magazine for Military Medicine
MCIF MEDICAL CORPS INTERNATIONAL FORUM
International Magazine for Military Medicine NATO Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine
NATO Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Military Medicine Military supporting service occupations