This past week, I have been reading the Edward Barsky Papers, the Fredericka Martin Papers, histories of the American Medical Brigades in Spain, and James Neugass's memoir War is Beautiful. I have gathered a lot of information on the medical advancements made in Spain, the organization of the Medical Brigade in Spain, the activities of the medical volunteers after Spain, and the characters of three remarkable people, Edward Barsky, James Neugass, and Fredericka Martin. I have therefore decided to write my research paper on how and why the character of these volunteers (exemplary of so many who went to Spain) made possible the great medical successes in Spain.

From Edward Barsky's memoir, I have gathered a lot of the information about medical innovation in Spain. In Chapter 11 "Some Notes on Military Surgical Practice," he relates in fair detail about the techniques he invented while working in Spain that he found more effective than the standard text-book techniques. He learned better ways to treat head injuries, limb fractures, lung punctures, intestinal damage, and soft tissue damage. He also relates the evolution of modern blood transfusions in Spain. Also, he relates the usefulness of the auto-chir to front-line surgery.

A continuous theme in Barsky's memoir is mental health. Even in the chapter on surgical practice, Barsky emphasizes the importance and sacredness of the human mind. In fact, he devotes all of chapter 5 to "Some Aspects of War Psychology." In this chapter, Barsky argues that in war, it is essential to maintain mental health and always act rationally. He argues that this is the most important weapon in modern warfare. He asserts that because of their rationality and optimism, he and the Medical Brigade were able to construct a hospital overnight.

James' Neugass's memoir War Is Beautiful is a very interesting memoir of the Spanish Civil War because Neugass wrote it when he was there- in fact it is probably better classified as a diary. Neugass was the ambulance driver for Edward Barsky and throughout the memoir, Neugass mentions his relationship with "Major B." and the mutual support and respect that they had for each other. Neugass describes driving over a mountain during a snow storm and how they would take turns driving even thought Neugass's job was to drive and Barsky's job was to operate. Several times, Neugass relates conversations with "Major B." in which they support each other's morale with optimistic thinking. Neugass's writing throughout the memoir is quite beautiful and he explores many different aspects of the war, from politics to the meaning of life. Throughout the book, he reiterates the question "Why did I come to Spain?" After reading his descriptions of the many difficulties volunteers experienced in Spain, the answer to this question sometimes becomes unclear. Neugass's point is that despite all of the hardships and tragedies of war, he wants to fight for freedom and democracy- he possesses the undying optimism that makes the idealist's dreams possible.

I still need to look at the Daily Worker and find articles on the American Medical Brigades to find evidence of optimism in propaganda and how this helped raise money and make the accomplishments of the medical brigades possible.