# Military Medicine and the Hidden Costs of War - Hardcover

by **Tanisha M. Fazal** (Author)

**A highly original comprehensive history of US military medicine.**

Decisions to go to war are often framed in cost-benefit terms, and typically such assessments do not factor in longer term costs. However, recent dramatic improvements in American military medicine have had an unanticipated effect: saving more soldiers' lives has vastly increased long-term, downstream costs of war with profound consequences for global politics in an era of heightened great power competition.

In _Military Medicine and the Hidden Costs of War_, Tanisha M. Fazal traces the modern history of medical treatment and casualty rates in American conflicts from the Civil War to the more recent counterinsurgency wars. As she shows, wars became increasingly survivable for wounded troops, to the point now where a large majority of wounded soldiers survive. Yet the human and financial implications of this steep increase in the wounded-to-killed ratio are dramatic, and her powerful analysis of this shift provides a necessary corrective to how we understand the costs of war. For each major conflict, Fazal analyzes the weapons used, injuries sustained, and policies put in place for veterans' care and pensions. As she argues, these improvements have significant financial and deeply personal implications for the returned wounded and their families, as well as the US government and its citizenry. Fazal's analysis highlights the significance of policymakers underestimating the costs of war, which in turn makes it easier both to initiate and continue military action abroad, contributing to Americas' penchant for engaging in so-called "endless wars."

A sweeping political history, _Military Medicine and the Hidden Costs of War_ will fundamentally change our understanding of the lasting consequences of America's wars.

### Author Biography

**Tanisha M. Fazal** is Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota. Her scholarship focuses on sovereignty, international law, and armed conflict. She is the author of two award-winning books, _Wars of Law: Unintended Consequences in the Regulation of Armed Conflict_ and _State Death: The Politics and Geography of Conquest, Occupation, and Annexation_ and numerous articles in academic and policy journals. She is also a frequent commentator on international security issues. From 2021-2023, she was an Andrew Carnegie Fellow.

**Number of Pages:** 256

**Dimensions:** 1.1 x 8.9 x 5.9 IN

**Publication Date:** March 29, 2024

## Details

- **Price:** 52.99 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 52.99 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Military Medicine and the Hidden Costs of War - Hardcover

---

> Source: [Smart supply deals](https://smartsupplydeals.com/products/military-medicine-and-the-hidden-costs-of-war-hardcover)
> Updated: 2026-07-22