WAR

   A war is an act of fighting between two or more countries or opposing groups within a country, involving large numbers of soldiers and weapons. When a war breaks out, a lot of tragic consequences usually follow. Wars have short term and long term effects. The immediate effect of war is the death of people in large numbers, especially the youth. Soldiers not only suffers on the battlefield but also physically and psychologically. Because people are so close during wartime conditions, diseases such as tuberculosis could easily spread. Some emissions that come out of the weapons used in war can cause asthma, heart and respiratory conditions. Nerve gas leads to instant death.
     War also breeds emotional problems. The first world War is often associated with the syndrome called shell shock. This was originally believed to have a physical origin caused by the impact of loud shelling. However, it became clear that soldiers who had never been exposed to shells were developing the same symptoms. Because of its psychological origins, shell shock was defined as a neurosis and there was a little sympathy for shell shocked soldiers. War can also have a dramatic impact on the health of civilian populations. The radiation sickness and birth defects of children were problems experienced long after the buildings destroyed by the bomb were rebuilt.
    Wars also have environmental impacts. The application of weapons, the destruction of buildings and oil fields, fires, military transport movement and chemical spraying are all examples of the destroying effects of war on the environment. Air, water and soil are polluted, humans and animals are killed, and many health problems are left for those still living to nurse.