Medical Practice in War

Richard Hooker, the author of MASH, was himself a US Army surgeon in the 8055th MASH during the real Korean War. He used his experiences there as a template for MASH the novel. Thus, the book is heavily influenced by Hooker's solid medical knowledge. Surgeries are often described in some detail, particularly when there is a focus on chest surgeries to repair chest wounds, among the most common serious injuries in the war.

Hawkeye and Duke are general surgeons but Trapper specializes in thoracic surgery and is brought into the 4077th to attend to these wounds and teach the other surgeons his techniques.

One of the main parts of medical practice in the Korean War is a shortage of supplies, skill, time and energy. Supplies of blood in particular are often stretched thin, along with routine antibiotics. Often it is difficult to do regular medical...