Book Description
This work, written by a practising medical doctor, looks at the phenomenon known as 'the irritable heart of soldiers'. This condition, characterised by chest pains, palpitations, breathlessness, fatigue, syncope and exercise intolerance, first became an issue in the American Civil War, where it incapacitated thousands of troops. In this study, the author brings to bear his expertise as a historian, professor of medicine and a former soldier to analyse the condition and to trace the changing medical and social attitudes to it. By viewing the condition through the dual lenses of history and modern medical knowledge, this work provides a unique perspective on one of the pioneering areas of Anglo-American cardiology.