Creative Minds in the Aftermath of the Great War: Four Neurologically Wounded Artists

Many artists were involved in the First World War. Some of them were mobilized, like millions of soldiers, others enlisted to fight on the battlefield. The stories of writers who returned neurologically wounded from the war, such as Guillaume Apollinaire (1880-1918) or Blaise Cendrars (1887-1961), are well-known. The cases of painters and sculptors who suffered from First World War neurological wounds are scarce. Nevertheless, their injuries led to intense modifications of artistic practice. We detail four examples of artists whose creative mind was impacted by their First World War neurological wounds or diseases. The painter Jean-Julien Lemordant (1878-1968), who suffered from blindness after his injury, stopped his artistic work and became an icon of Franco-American friendship. The sculptor Maurice Prost (1894-1967), suffering from a neuroma due to the loss of his arm, built a special device to continue his work as a wildlife artist. The painter Georges Braque (1882-1963) was trepanned but carried on with his cubist work without ever mentioning the conflict. Conversely, the painter Fernand Léger (1881-1955), who suffered from a war neurosis, produced a significant war testimony through drawings and letters.

Neurology and War: From Antiquity to Modern Times

Here, we chronicle the evolution of warfare from antiquity to modern times (18th century) and its impact on the later-to-be-defined field of neurology, especially with regard to brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerve injuries and neurological disorders caused by biological weapons and psychological trauma. We describe how individuals courageously and intelligently dealt with the horrors of war, from the Egyptians to the Greeks and onward to the Romans, up until the physicians of modern times. In doing so, they responded to the call of duty by inventing solutions that benefitted not only soldiers but also civilian medicine.

Extracts from John Hennen's Principles of Military Surgery

Born in Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland, John Hennen graduated in Edinburgh and had a career as an army surgeon, serving through the Peninsular War. His Principles of Military Surgery reached a third edition (posthumously) in 1829; his views on nerve-injuries, tetanus, head-injuries and syphilis are considered below.