Military history books: The care of US soldiers maimed in World War One

The April 2013 issue of the Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era provides a book review of Beth Linker's War’s Waste: Rehabilitation in World War I America.  The book covers the post war physical rehabilitation of US soldiers maimed during World War One.  The overall verdict is that the book fills the void on a subject rarely, if ever, fully written on.  One interesting point is that soldiers could be dishonorably discharged if they did not obey orders to rehabilitate and use their prosthetic limbs regularly.

The book discusses many medical management issues including the costs of the care provided to injured service members, nursing care, the motivation of the orthopedic surgeons working on the soldiers and establishment of the U.S. Veterans’ Bureau.  The author also studies the strong efforts made by the US government to transition these wounded service members back into regular society. 

The book has also received a great deal of positive attention from many prestigious journals further establishing its quality and worth.  I would recommend this book to anyone interested in World War One medical history or a cultural study the rehabilitation of maimed US soldiers.