The Srebrenica Genocide (1995)

When we say the word 'genocide' the phrase that usually follows is 'the Holocaust.' A genocide is defined as the "systematic elimination of all or a significant part of a racial, ethnic, religious or national group." And it is perhaps fair to say that the Western World has done well to educate the generations that have followed about the Holocaust. However other acts of genocide should not be forgotten, for instance the Srebrenica Genocide.

The Srebrenica Genocide was the systematic killing of mostly male Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) in July 1995 during the Bosnian Civil War. Estimates suggest that between 7,000 and 8,000 Bosniaks were killed.

After the Second World War a number of Balkan States such as Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia and Slovenia were brought together to be a part of the Republic of Yugoslavia. However soon after there was rising nationalist tension and ethnic conflict. The war was essentially between the Bosnians that wished for independence and those that didn't - Bosnian Serbs - who found support from Serbia. The civil war resulted in the disintegration of Yugoslavia and the independence of Bosnia. It is often the topic of debate as to whether the Bosnian Civil War actually classifies as a civil war, perhaps due to the inclusion and actions taken by Serbia.

The Srebrenica Genocide was only a part of the number of mass killings by Bosnian Serbs during the civil war. Srebrenica is a small city in the mountains of Bosnia.

Although earlier marked as a 'safe city' by the UN in the early stages of the Bosnian Civil War, Bosnian-Serb forces entered Srebrenica in June 1995. The mass killings soon followed. The male Bosniaks (male Muslim Bosnians) were systematically separated from the female women and children and led to their deaths. Hundreds were massacred is school gymnasiums and the worst massacre would occur at a football field near Nova Kasaba.

According to an eyewitness of the massacre the Serbian forces "picked out Muslims" and would just "line them up and shoot them into pits."(1) It was only until 2004 that Serbian officials acknowledged  that their forces had carried out the mass killings and also that the operation, to capture Bosnian Muslim men, was a planned and well thought out operation.

The Srebrenica Genocide and Massacre was one of the most horrendous since the times of the Second World War.

The mass graves of these Muslim male Bosniaks would only be found through a long-hard process and with the help of international assistance, such as US intelligence experts and the use of satellite photography. Bodies and mass graves are still continually found today.

Srebrenica Massacre Memorial Wall

Recently, partial blame of the Srebrenica Genocide has been shifted to the UN, who mistakenly identified Srebrenica as a safe place under their protection. However, although it is vital to bring those responsible to justice, it is of equal importance to remember the lives lost during this genocide and any other genocide that has plagued human history. Britain has recently called for July 11 to be marked as a memorial day for the victims of the Srebrenica Genocide. And as this day fast approaches, we should all try and remember not just the victims of the Srebrenica Massacre, but the victims of all genocides. The victims of the Holocaust, the Cambodian genocide, the Rwandan genocide, and numerous others that fill a long list. The victims of hatred, war and contrasting ideologies.



(1) Quote found in Mark Danner, "The Killing Fields of Bosnia", 1998

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Medieval Medicine - Butchers and Barbers?!

The Medieval period is often understood to be between the 5th and the 15th century, and is seen to have ended when the Age of Discovery and Renaissance began.

Knowledge of medicine during the Medieval period was near to non-existent. The most advanced medical knowledge at the time would have been found in the Muslim Middle East, however in Medieval Europe medical understanding was so limited that disease and death was common. They had no understanding of diseases - the reasons for them or even how to treat them. There was a variety of interpretations for the reason behind diseases. The Black Death, which plagued Medieval Europe, was often understood to have been a way of God punishing the people for their sins. Some also believed disease and ill-health could have been the work of demons, bad smells, or even at times the alignment of the stars.

Medieval doctors analysed and diagnosed people's health based on the Four Humours. These were four bodily fluids (yellow bile, black bile, blood and phlegm) which if some were in excess, were used as indicators for what disease a patient may be suffering with. It was understood that ideally everybody should have a balance of the Four Humours, and perhaps ill-health may be, in part, down to an imbalance of the Humours.

The Four Humours

Understanding of disease was limited mainly due to the fact that they had little actual understanding of the human anatomy. The Church forbade any dissection of the human body and therefore 'surgeons' had nothing to help them understand internal diseases. For instance, in order to cure general illnesses, patients were recommended to partake in a holy pilgrimage of some sort, as a show of love for God would cure any illness.

'Surgeons' tended to be butchers or barbers, who transferred their every day skills to the art of medicine. And (fun fact, perhaps?) the red and white pole that is found outside some barbers is actually derived from the medieval period where barbers would perform surgery. The red stood for blood and the white stood for the bandages the barbers/surgeons would use after their own 'operations.' Many of the Medieval treatments used by these butchers and barbers are seen as barbaric and near torturous in comparison to modern medicine. The treatment for 'evil spirits in the head' was to cut a hole in the skull, and sometimes the brain, to remove the 'evil spirits' that were trapped.

John Arderne

Medieval medicine however was most advanced in the Muslim Middle East. Muslim doctors had successfully managed to conserve the ideas of Greek and Roman medicine. These doctors, such as Ibn an Nafis, also began to develop the work of the Romans and Greek, which meant that Middle Eastern medicine was far ahead than European medicine at the time. In any other situation their ideas would have been quick to travel to Europe, however these ideas were slow to spread due to the war between Christians and Muslims.

However not all of the Medieval period's doctors were completely useless and un-intelligent. One of the most famous physician of the Medieval period remembered today was English surgeon, John Arderne. He wrote a number of medical texts and in fact some of his work is still present in modern day medicine today! Arderne was one of the first to discover that things such as Opium could be used as an external anaesthetic.


Perhaps being aware of the tragic state of medieval Medicine will make us all appreciate the modern medicine. We should all appreciate things such as antibiotics and doctors that aren't butchers and barbers, that we may take for granted in the Western World. 


If you would like to read more about John Arderne, I recommend this: 
https://universityofglasgowlibrary.wordpress.com/2012/09/25/john-of-arderne-the-father-of-english-surgery/

THIS BLOG claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyright to its respectful owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and do not wish for it appear on this site, please E-mail with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed.