The 'unexpected survivors' of war
Medical treatments for injured soldiers developed so significantly during the war in Afghanistan that a new term had to be created – “unexpected survivors”. These are people who have lived through such extreme injuries on the battlefield, that only 10 years ago they would have been considered completely beyond saving. Emily Mayhew is historian in residence at the department of bio-engineering at Imperial College London. Her new book, A Heavy Reckoning: War, Medicine and Survival in Afghanistan and Beyond, Harry Parker is the author of Anatomy of a Soldier and is a former Army captain who lost his legs in Afghanistan. (Image: injured soldier in hospital bed; Credit: Getty Images)