An unending war : the Australian Army's struggle against malaria, 1885-2015 / Ian Howie-Willis ; [preface by] Professor G. Dennis Shanks ; [foreword by] Major General John H. Penn AO RFD.

Collection type Library
Author Howie-Willis, Ian, 1937-, author.; Shanks, G. Dennis, writer of preface.; Penn, John H., writer of foreword.;
Call Number 614.532072 H862
Document type Monograph
Year 2016. 016
Pagination 348 pages : black and white illustrations, black and white facsimiles, black and white maps, black a
Publisher Big Sky Publishing,
Note Includes bibliographical references (pages 294-335) and index. Malaria is not only the greatest killer of humankind, the disease has been the relentless scourge of armies throughout history. Malaria thwarted the efforts of Alexander the Great to conquer India in the fourth century BC. Malaria frustrated the ambitions of Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan to rule all Europe in the fourth and thirteenth centuries AD; and malaria stymied Napoleon Bonaparte's plan to conquer Syria at the end of the eighteenth century. Malaria has also been the Australian Army's continuing i mplacable foe in almost all its overseas deployments formation of the Australian Army in 1901. On at least three occasions malaria has halted Australian Army operations, bringing it to a standstill and threatening its defeat. The first time was in Syria i n 1918, when a malaria epidemic cut a swathe through the Australian-led Desert Mounted Corps. The second time was in Papua New Guinea in 1942-43, when the Army was fighting malaria as well as the Japanese. The third time was in Vietnam in 1968, when malar ia caused more casualties than did enemy action. Indeed the Australian Army has been fighting 'an unending war' against malaria ever since the Boer War at the end of the nineteenth century. The struggle against the disease continues 115 years later becaus e virtually all Army's overseas deployments are to malarious regions. Fortunately for Australian troops serving in nations where malaria is endemic, the Australian Army Malaria Institute undertakes the scientific research necessary to protect our service personnel against the disease. Ian Howie-Willis, in this very readable book, tells the dramatic story of the Army's long and continuing struggle against malaria. It breaks new ground by showing how just one disease, malaria, is as much the serving soldier 's foe as any enemy force.
Place made Newport, NSW

Shelf Items

Barcode Call Suffix Volume Part Year Location Status
AWM103985 614.532072 H862 Stacks PUD000114
AWM085946 614.532072 H862 Stacks On Shelf

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