This major new reader has been put together by Physicians for Social Responsibility in Finland, a member of IPPNW, the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, the recipient of the Nobel Prize in 1985. Comprising 70 articles, specially commissioned for this volume and written by leading authorities in their field, it provides an unusually wide-ranging examination of the interface between warfare and human health and society. In a world where the post-cold war era has proved a profound disappointment as regards any diminution in the incidence of armed conflict, this up-to-date and comprehensive source book will prove invaluable to health professionals and social scientists as well as those active in human rights, peace and development.

These 70 articles examine how warfare, human health and society interact. Topics include: the changing character of wars and the demographic consequences; medical/health aspects of weapons; health professionals in war; factors behind wars; violence; the arms trade; and regulation of modern war.

When people are in danger, everyone has a duty to speak out. This book is a good example. Here the health profession shows its expertise in a responsible way. I hope their book can help us to change our way of thinking as well as our way of acting.