PTSD IN THE CIVIL WAR: Dr. A. A. Nofi reviews Heavy Laden: Union Veterans, Psychological Illness, and Suicide, by Larry M. Logue and Peter Blanck.

Veterans of the Civil War were perhaps the first to draw attention to the possible psychological consequences of combat. At the time, veterans with psychological problems, including criminality, alcoholism and addiction, violent behavior, and suicide were attributed to “nervous trouble”, “nostalgia”, “soldier’s heart”, and other vaguely defined conditions which are now known as post-traumatic stress disorder.

The review is brief but informative. Dr. Nofi adds that the book is “an important read for students of veterans affairs…” Historical context is always valuable,