SOCI 136F Chapter 4: Elaine Showalter reading
Document Summary
1916- shellshock cases accounted for 40% of casualties in fighting zones. Number of cases caused a hospital bed shortages, and began to use spas, asylums, and private mental institutions as war mental hospitals. Epidemic contrasted heroic and masculine perception of soldiers: british masculine ideal included emotion suppression and ability to withstand conditions of war, number of breakdowns caught medical personnel off guard. Early theories for shellshock were based physiological causes like injury to brain or central nervous system, food poisoning, noise, or toxin conditions of the blood. Treated as malingering by some once it was understand that there were no organic causes: shows how male hysteria was perceived as a form of resistance to the war. Being called a coward hinted at effeminacy and homosexuality: soldiers" inner struggle against feminist qualities was reflected externally in quarrels with women, soldiers" powerlessness and lack of autonomy reflected role of women in society.
