**2. Introduction**

One of the principal characteristics of *Homo sapiens* is that he is competitive and assertive. This has had no doubt a major influence on his evolution as a dominating and intelligent species, but there have been huge costs. Principle among these is

man's tendency to cruelty, violence and warfare. Indeed, it has been estimated that in the last two millennia, there have been very few years in which war has not been recorded somewhere on the globe. However, in parallel with this are the positive aspects of man's nature, and among these are charity, sympathy, empathy, compassion and generosity. In relation to conflict, these have been expressed in many ways including emergency and ongoing welfare campaigns, sustainable development initiatives, peace-making and preserving, refugee care and the provision of medical services. In particular the norms regarding the treatment of civilians and respecting their rights as non-combatants or casualties of war have been codified in numerous treaties and conventions since 1864 until the present day. These are jointly now referred to as "The Hague Conventions on Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Conventions" [1].

In time of war, the victims are frequently caught in a double bind of bad fortune. On the one hand, they are often the casualties of fighting, suffering both physical trauma and psychological damage; but equally times of conflict are often marked by outbreaks of disease and famine, and indeed pre-existing routine medical conditions, which are neglected, may lead to irreversible consequences and complications. On the other hand, available medical treatment and services may typically be very limited and of poor quality, especially for the civilian population.
