Shell Shock

Pat Barkers Regeneration contains references to people, places, and cultural ele ments of particular significance to her themes as well as to the study of the First World War. unmatchable cultural reference, that of bawl out shock, is made early in the novel. On page four, Dr. W greeniam Rivers learns that Siegfried Sassoon is being sent to Craiglockhart War Hospital with a case of shell shock. To prevent shell shock from incapacitating the patients, Craiglockhart emphasizes the value of therapy, a theme in the novel, as a way to fight back against the mental battles.

The term shell shock was first coined in 1915 by C.S. Myers in The spear to describe the pain found on the battlefield in soldiers who had been exposed to an exploding shell (Spiller). During the beginning of World War One, the dis direct was common only among soldiers. Victims were often mocked and labeled cowards by their peers, make many to desert the army. Around three hundred of these men were shot, and hundreds more were imprisoned for their apparent cowardness (Storr). Soon officers began falling ill as well, and by 1917, the ratio of shell-shocked officers to shell-shocked enlisted men was an astounding 1: 6 (Bourke). With this shift, shell shock became recognized as a legitimate medical disorder.





The symptoms of shell shock were numerous and change from soldier to soldier. Physical effects ranged from trembling, sweating, insomnia, diarrhea, and minor twitches to paralysis, blindness, and muteness. Victims also go through anguish, anxiety, and the inability to control their emotions. As a result, most were uneffective to separate their past from reality. During the war, psychologist Karl Bimbaum observed great weariness and extravagant weeping, even in otherwise strong men (Spiller). numerous of the soldiers exhibited what Sigmund Freud termed conversion disorders, which were subconsciously-formed problems such as the inability to walk, talk, see, or intoxicate (Stuttaford). These symptoms were beyond the...If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: Orderessay



If you want to get a full essay, wisit our page: write my essay .