The Workload of the Italian Military Health Service During the First World War: A Quantitative Assessment

Abstract

The article proposes a quantitative evaluation of the workload of the Italian military health service during the First World War. In the Great War, there were unprecedented medical and health care issues. This was a result of the size of armies; the poor living conditions of the soldiers; and the introduction of new weapons. This article reconstructs some quantitative aspects of the Italian military health service in the Great War in terms of both supply (e.g. the number of health structures and medical personnel) and demand (e.g. the soldiers who were injured and who became ill during the conflict).