World War I's legacy: Modern health care for vets

A century after the United States entered World War I, we can appreciate more than ever its profound effect on medical practice.

For many people, World War I conjures up images of men with "shell shock," trench foot and influenza. The burden of these conditions hastened the development of a host of new medical specialties as well as the construction of many hospitals and clinics.

For these reasons, some historians believe World War I was responsible for ushering in modern medicine and the modern hospital. An equally important — yet often overlooked — part of this history was the establishment of rehabilitation medicine, a specialty that helped pave the way for the eventual creation of a federal agency specifically devoted to the medical needs of U.S. veterans.