From the history of leadership in the development of US military medicine (To the 200th anniversary of the birth of Jonathan Letterman (1824‑1872)

Current issues of social sciences and history of medicine, Jun 2025

Purpose: to scientifically substantiate the expediency of studying and critically analyzing the historical experience of the military medical organization of the US Army as a leading NATO country. To analyze the results of the radical modernization of the medical supply system of the American army carried out by Jonathan Letterman in the mid-1860s. Highlight the importance of these innovations on the basis of a comprehensive study and prove their relevance in the process of improving the organization of medical support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Materials and methods. The research used materials from English-language publications devoted to the formation and modern tasks of American military medicine. For a comparative analysis of the historical development of the military medical organization in the armies on the American and Eurasian continents, the data of the latest publications of the department of Medical Support of the Armed Forces of the Ukrainian Military Medical Academy on the subject of research and publications from the depository fund of the National Science Medical Library of Ukraine were used. Applied methods of system-historical analysis, information search, bibliographic. The results. Argued expediency of an study of the development of the medical support system of the US Army to improve the activities of the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Jonathan Letterman’s innovations in the modernization of American military medicine in the second half of the 19th century, which still remain an integral part of military medical operations implemented by the US Army, are highlighted and evaluated. It is proved, that the fundamental principles of army medicine, formed and introduced in the US army in the 1860s by Letterman, were significantly ahead of their time in understanding the priority tasks of military medicine in accordance with the requirements of modern armies. A comparison of the effectiveness of the military medical organization in the armies operating on the American and Eurasian continents during this period was made. It was established that, in contrast to the legislative approval and introduction of innovative changes in the organization of medical support of the US army, the autocratic government of the Russian Empire ignored or significantly slowed down the modernization of the military medical organization of the army after the defeat in the Crimean War (1853-1856), which led to catastrophic consequences during the First and Second World Wars. The importance of leadership in the implementation of innovative changes in such an important component of the armed forces as the military medical organization is proven on the example of Jonathan Letterman’s activities. Conclusions: The system of medical support of troops on the battlefield, developed and implemented by Jonathan Letterman in the second half of the 19th century, and today remains the basis of medical care management in the US Army in wartime conditions. The effective modernization of the military medical organization in the US army during the Civil War (1861‑1865) had a positive effect on the capabilities of American army medicine in the 20th and early 21st centuries. A critical understanding of the historical experience of the organization of medical support in the US Army as a leading country of the NATO is important for the professional growth of Ukrainian military doctors, as well as for the improvement of the military medical organization in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

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From the history of leadership in the development of US military medicine (To the 200th anniversary of the birth of Jonathan Letterman (1824‑1872)

APSNIM, 2024, №:2 (38) ІСТОРІЯ МЕДИЦИНИ ISSN: 2411‑6181(on-line); ISSN: 2311‑9896 (print) Current issues of social studies and history of medіcine. Joint Ukrainian – Romanian scientific journal, 2024, № :2 (38), P. 61-67 УДК 61:355](09)(73):355.415.6‑044.922(477) DOI 10.24061/2411-6181.2.2024.434 HISTORY OF MEDICINE ЛІДЕРСТВО В ІСТОРИЧНІЙ РЕТРОСПЕКТИВІ ВІЙСЬКОВОЇ МЕДИЦИНИ США (ДО 200-РІЧЧЯ ВІД ДНЯ НАРОДЖЕННЯ ДЖОНАТАНА ЛЕТТЕРМАНА (1824‑1872) Михайло БАДЮК1, Ірина ПАСЬКО1, Валерій СОЛЯРИК1, Ігор БІРЮК2, 1 Українська військово-медична академія, м. Київ, Україна 2 Буковинський державний медичний університет, Чернівці, Україна, , , , FROM THE HISTORY OF LEADERSHIP IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF US MILITARY MEDICINE (TO THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF JONATHAN LETTERMAN (1824‑1872) Mykhailo BADІUK1, Iryna PASKO1, Valeriy SOLARIK1, Igor BIRYUK2 1 Ukrainian Military Medical Academy, Kyiv, Ukraine, 2 Bukovinian State Medical University», Chernivtsi, Ukraine ORCID: 0000-0003-3032-8202, Researcher ID: B‑4028‑2017 Badiuk Mykhailo, Pasko Iryna, Solarik Valeriy, Biryuk Igor. From the history of leadership in the development of US military medicine (To the 200th anniversary of the birth of Jonathan Letterman (1824‑1872). Purpose: to scientifically substantiate the expediency of studying and critically analyzing the historical experience of the military medical organization of the US Army as a leading NATO country. To analyze the results of the radical modernization of the medical supply system of the American army carried out by Jonathan Letterman in the mid‑1860s. Highlight the importance of these innovations on the basis of a comprehensive study and prove their relevance in the process of improving the organization of medical support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Materials and methods. The research used materials from English-language publications devoted to the formation and modern tasks of American military medicine. For a comparative analysis of the historical development of the military medical organization in the armies on the American and Eurasian continents, the data of the latest publications of the department of Medical Support of the Armed Forces of the Ukrainian Military Medical Academy on the subject of research and publications from the depository fund of the National Science Medical Library of Ukraine were used. Applied methods of system-historical analysis, information search, bibliographic. The results. Argued expediency of an study of the development of the medical support system of the US Army to improve the activities of the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Jonathan Letterman’s innovations in the modernization of American military medicine in the second half of the 19th century, which still remain an integral part of military medical operations implemented by the US Army, are highlighted and evaluated. It is proved, that the fundamental principles of army medicine, formed and introduced in the US army in the 1860s by Letterman, were significantly ahead of their time in understanding the priority tasks of military medicine in accordance with the requirements of modern armies. A comparison of the effectiveness of the military medical organization in the armies operating on the American and Eurasian continents during this period was made. It was established that, in contrast to the legislative approval and introduction of innovative changes in the organization of medical support of the US army, the autocratic government of the Russian Empire ignored or significantly slowed down the modernization of the military medical organization of the army after the defeat in the Crimean War (1853‑1856), which led to catastrophic consequences during the First and Second World Wars. The importance of leadership in the implementation of innovative changes in such an important component of the armed forces as the military medical organization is proven on the example of Jonathan Letterman’s activities. Conclusions: The system of medical support of troops on the battlefield, developed and implemented by Jonathan Letterman in the second half of the 19th century, and today remains the basis of medical care management in the US Army in wartime conditions. The effective modernization of the military medical organization in the US army during the Civil War (1861‑1865) had a positive effect on the capabilities of American army medicine in the 20th and early 21st centuries. A critical understanding of the historical experience of the organization of medical support in the US Army as a leading country of the NATO is important for the professional growth of Ukrainian military doctors, as well as for the improvement of the military medical organization in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Keywords: medical support of the US Army, Jonathan Letterman, history of military medicine, medical support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, leadership in military medicine. «Вивчення історії військової медицини може дати розуміння колективних знань попередніх поколінь, процесу організаційного розвитку під час війни та клінічних і системних інновацій, необхідних для наступної війни» Мартін Брікнелл, генерал-лейтенант, головний лікар збройних сил Великої Британії в 2018‑2019 рр. Вступ. Поступова трансформація системи медичного забезпечення Збройних Сил України з переходом її на стандарти НАТО, викладені в існуючих військових публікаціях збройних сил США, потребує обізнаності українських військово-медичних фахівців щодо історичного розвитку медичного забезпечення армії найпотужнішої із країн Північно- Атлантичного альянсу – Сполучених Штатів Америки. Актуальні питання суспільних наук та історії медицини. Спільний українсько-румунський науковий журнал. (АПСНІМ), 2024, № 2(38), P. 61-67 61 HISTORY OF MEDICINE Офіцери медичного корпусу повинні вміти керувати і організовувати всю цілісну систему лікувально- евакуаційних заходів, яка являє собою сукупність взаємопов’язаних принципів організації надання медичної допомоги пораненим, ураженим, травмованим і хворим військовослужбовцям. Здатність адаптуватися до цих багатогранних ролей і ефективно виконувати їх вимагає лідерських навичок. У зв’язку з цим яскравий приклад життєвого циклу лідерства Джонатана Леттермана засвідчує результативність його фахової діяльності, яка випереджувала свій час, і досі залишається у фокусі уваги військово-медичних фахівців. В історії медицини титулу «батька військової медицини» удостоєні троє видатних її представників: французький хірург Амбруаз Паре (1510‑1590), шотландський лікар і фізіолог Джон Прінгл (1707‑1782) і американський військовий лікар Джонатан Леттерман (1824‑1872). Кожному із цієї почесної плеяди доводилося діяти в різні історичні епохи і у різних країнах. Перед кожним із них поставали принципово відмінні завдання, обумовлені організацією збройних сил, рівнем розвитку засобів та способів ведення війни, воєнної науки і воєнного мистецтва, а також рівнем розвитку медицини в цілому, наявністю і якістю під (...truncated)


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Бадюк Михайло, Ірина Пасько, Солярик Валерій, Ігор Бірюк. From the history of leadership in the development of US military medicine (To the 200th anniversary of the birth of Jonathan Letterman (1824‑1872), Current issues of social sciences and history of medicine, 2025, pp. 61-67,