The Backwash of War

There are many people to write you of the noble side, the heroic side, the exalted side of war. I must write you of what I have seen, the other side, the backwas.
Ellen Newbold La Motte

Ellen Newbold La Motte (1873–1961) was an American nurse, journalist and author. She is known for her book The Backwash of War in which she chronicled her experience as a nurse in World War I in an often bitter and cynical manner. She was also a leading practitioner in the treatment of tuberculosis and an advocate for addressing opium addiction in China.