Shapiro M F
Int J Health Serv. 1983;13(3):443-58. doi: 10.2190/66UF-TXRE-T50H-AY1B.
During international or civil wars, private citizens of noncombatant nations often provide medical aid to one of the contending factions, particularly when they support a participant not favored by their own government. This paper details and analyzes the prominent campaign in the United States, Canada and Great Britain to provide medical aid to the Republicans during the Spanish Civil War (1936 to 1939). The substantial medical aid that was provided clearly alleviated some suffering, but one of the major objectives of the campaign was to arouse public opinion sufficiently to end the boycott of military aid to Republicans; this objective was never achieved. Whether it be in Republican Spain, Vietnam or El Salvador, even a successful medical aid campaign to people in a military conflict may save some lives but may not affect substantially the course of the conflict. Those who are primarily interested in influencing political or military developments, hoping to advance the cause of a particular contending faction, may find tactics other than medical aid campaigns more useful in accomplishing their goals.
在国际战争或内战期间，非参战国的普通公民常常会向其中一方交战派别提供医疗援助，尤其是当他们支持的一方未得到本国政府青睐时。本文详细阐述并分析了美国、加拿大和英国在西班牙内战（1936年至1939年）期间为共和党人提供医疗援助的突出行动。所提供的大量医疗援助显然减轻了一些痛苦，但该行动的主要目标之一是充分唤起公众舆论，以结束对共和党人军事援助的抵制；这一目标从未实现。无论是在西班牙共和国、越南还是萨尔瓦多，即使是一场针对军事冲突中民众的成功医疗援助行动，可能挽救一些生命，但可能不会对冲突进程产生实质性影响。那些主要对影响政治或军事发展感兴趣、希望推动某一特定交战派别的事业的人，可能会发现，除医疗援助行动之外的策略在实现其目标方面更为有用。
