Concepts and Practice of Humanitarian Medicine

This book seeks to define the field of humanitarian medicine. This is the field practiced and advanced by organizations like the UN, WHO, Red Cross, Doctors without Borders, and the International Association of Humanitarian Medicine (IAHM), which all provide medical relief in developing countries as well as war and disaster situations. Co-editors Gunn and Masellis have gathered new and previously-published articles and speeches that set out the principles of humanitarian medicine, starting with the idea of health as a human right, and examining topics such as quality of life, torture, and nuclear conflict. The book takes a historical view, drawing on important treatises and conventions throughout the history of the UN and the WHO, and paying tribute to Brock Chisholm, the first Director-General of the WHO. Contributors are all major world figures in health and human rights, including Nobel laureates Kofi Annan and Joseph Rotblat.