Curious Science of Humans at War
Friendly maggots. Deadly diarrhea. Full penile implants.
This is not your typical war book. If you are interested in military strategy, the latest armaments or noteworthy battles, look elsewhere. Mary Roach’s at times stomach-churning but always illuminating and engrossing “Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War” (W.W. Norton & Company, 2016), goes behind the front lines and focuses on the doctors and scientists whose work can save lives – or important appendanges – and win wars. They probably won’t have to make the split-second decision to sacrifice their own lives to save a buddy’s, but the men and women whose battleground is the laboratory or surgical theater also serve.
The particular expertise of Ms. Roach, the author of “Stiff,” “Spook,” “Packing for Mars” and “Gulp,” is writing about science in a way that makes it accessible for nonscientists, with a stylish flair that entertains as well as informs. When asked once by Peter Sagal of NPR how she picks her book topics, she said, “Well, its got to have a little science, it’s got to have a little history, a little humor – and something gross.” “Grunt” checks all the boxes. Ms. Roach’s humor may be a bit offputting at first in a book about the very unfunny subject of war, but it is the gentlest touch, and the readers nevers doubt that the author has the greatest respect, regard – indeed, love – for members of the military and the military science community.
So, why read “Grunt”? Because you’ll pick up all kinds of amazing tidbits of information in chapters with titles such as “Below the Belt: The cruelest shot of all,” “Leaky Seals: Diarrhea as a threat to national security,” and “The Maggot Paradox: Flies on the battlefield, for better or worse.”
Consider the following grains of wisdom:
People who are heat-acclimated typically sweat early and copiously. Aerobic fitness and percentage of body fat thus far are the only factors shown to reliably set people apart in terms of their tolerance for heat.
The pectoral muscles of the modern soldier or Marine are often so bulked-up from weight training that longer needles designed for chest insertion are used to relieve air pressure in cases of collapsed lungs.
Since 2004, every person or dog who dies in the service of the U.S. military is autopsied – about 6,000 so far – in an effort to prevent future deaths by seeing how the protective equipment worked and whether medics could have done anything differently.
World War II was the first time in U.S. military history that battles were being fought over tropical seas, and the fear of shark attacks lessened the number of willing fliers. In this case, the fear was much more than the actual danger.
During the American Civil War, 95,000 soldiers died from diarrhea or dysentery. During the Vietnam War, hospital admissions for diseases linked to diarrhea outnumbered those for malaria by almost 4-to-1. Dysentery has more fatal to soldiers for time immemorial.
The art of phalloplasty – crafting a working penis from other parts of a patient’s body – has come a long way, thanks in part to more transgender surgeries.
Maggots are proven wound cleansers, but changing a maggot dressing is where things get tricky – for the insects and the medical staff who handles them.
And so it goes.
The stand-alone nature of the chapters in “Grunt” means each is a story unto itself, which makes the book a good choice when only small windows of reading time are available. And readers will have learned some fascinating trivia to share at their next cocktail party. Or not.
