Male Soldier Research Articles

Secret histories revealed: The journal of Joseph Elisée Pèyre-Ferry

Abstract This article examines the recently published (2005) journal of a French officer and soldier fighting in the final year (1802–1803) of the Haitian Revolution. Napoleon Bonaparte’s failed campaign to recolonize the French territory of Saint-Domingue has been the subject of historians and imaginative writers alike, but Pèyre-Ferry’s journal complicates previous representations of the French mission to subdue its former colony and reinstitute slavery. As captain of the grenadiers, Pèyre-Ferry fulfils his military duty but uses his journal to launch a subtly feminist critique of colonialism through the perspective of a male soldier. Indeed, Peyre-Ferry’s close relationship with his mother, played out in his journal, is the medium through which his anti-colonial and pro-feminist sentiments take shape. What emerges in this remarkable journal is a radical critique of the racist assumptions implicit in the colonial venture.

Combat Trauma and Psychological Injury in Euripides’ Medea

Combat Trauma and Psychological Injury in Euripides’ Medea Brian Lush (bio) Introduction In his groundbreaking work, Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character, Jonathan Shay provides an interpretive framework that illuminates the utility of ancient Greek poetry for understanding battle trauma and PTSD. Shay, who served for two decades as a staff psychiatrist in the Boston Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic, argues that combat trauma in both the Iliad and the Vietnam War can be explained with similar etiologies.1 Shay assesses the “tragedy” of the undoing of Achilles’ character and of markedly similar psychological injuries among his Vietnam-era patients, and lays the groundwork for using Greek epic and tragedy as a narrative means of promoting soldiers’ revisitation and examination of their own traumatic experience.2 In this paper I extend Shay’s reading of the Iliad to Euripides’ Medea, performed on the eve of the Peloponnesian War in 431 BCE. Although Euripides does not cast a male soldier as its protagonist, the play depicts Medea as suffering from the background trauma, betrayal, isolation, and consequent symptoms that Shay has attributed to combat veterans with lasting psychological injuries. Since Euripides’ Medea is a complex figure that involves frequent conflations of antithetical characteristics (martial and maternal, masculine and feminine, Greek and barbarian), I will necessarily focus upon some important attributes to the relative neglect of others.3 However, this examination is not intended to dismiss or replace other productive readings of the drama, nor is this model proposed as the final word on Medea’s martial-heroic aspect. In approaching the tension between Medea’s martial and maternal aspects with a model of combat trauma, I instead hope to open familiar scholarly controversies and discussions of the play to a novel and illuminating interpretive framework that takes account of Medea as a devoted warrior who suffers traumatic hardships in her experiences with and betrayal by Jason. In my discussion of the play, I look first to the fundamental ways in which Medea’s character and self-conception reflect those of an epic warrior and exist [End Page 25] in conflict with her maternal aspect and with typical Greek notions of femininity; this permits us a close comparison of Medea to a martial combatant. Next, I apply Shay’s etiology of lasting psychological injury to Medea, with particular emphasis on traumatic experience in Medea’s background, the betrayal of ‘what’s right’ (θέμις), loss of a special comrade-in-arms, and the identifiable symptoms of the ‘berserk’ state. I then discuss Medea’s ‘divided self’ and her disturbing filicide in terms of the growing turmoil between her martial and maternal aspects—a conflict that can be explained by the emergence of persistent combat mobilization and hypervigilance that characterize PTSD and lasting psychological injury. I conclude with a tentative proposal of the play’s invitation to revisit and evaluate traumatic experience in a civic and socially inclusive context. Before we undertake an analysis of combat trauma in Medea, let us take a brief look at the composition of the City Dionysia’s audience in the late fifth century BCE, as this will help illustrate the applicability of this model in Medea’s social and cultural context. Citizen-Soldiers in the Audience A substantial proportion of Medea’s audience in 431 BCE would have been comprised of adult male citizens of Athens, likely organized in the Theater of Dionysus into thirteen kerkides or ‘wedges,’ ten of which were occupied by the ten traditional tribes of Attica; the middle wedge was allotted to members of the year’s boulê and ephebes, while the outer two were occupied by noncitizens.4 The City Dionysia’s audience served as an immediate and primary target group for which the tragedians composed their dramas.5 Experience in battle made up a crucial aspect of the lives of the festival’s male Athenian spectators, and this study will deal largely with Medea’s appeal to the sizable portion of the audience composed of these combat veterans. Additionally, David Roselli (2011) has cogently argued for the importance of noncitizen audience members in understanding theater dynamics at the City Dionysia, and resident aliens’ probable contribution to Athens’ military...

Breastfeeding as Subversive

The US military has frequently been a focus for feminist scholarship. Much of this scholarship concentrates on the masculine character of the institution. Although the associations between masculinity and the military are significant, little scholarship has examined women's embodied experiences or the representations of women in the military context. This essay addresses this gap in the literature by using a textual approach to explore the visual elements of a controversial image picturing two US Air Force servicewomen breastfeeding in uniform, which was released by the Mom2Mom Support Group in the summer of 2012. Specifically analyzed are how the photograph's representations of the maternal body function to subvert patriarchal aspects of US culture in two ways: by disrupting conventional understandings of women's relationships to the military and by challenging the border between motherhood and sexuality in a sphere where both are often rendered invisible. This analysis argues that aversive responses to the image can likely be attributed to its subversive nature, which threatens US national identity and the traditional division between the male soldier and the female body.

Delayed haemoptysis from explosive device fragments

A male soldier aged 32 years was injured by an improvised explosive device buried in a river bank in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He sustained multiple right sided fragment injuries to the thorax and limbs. He was evacuated by helicopter to a military hospital. On arrival in the emergency department he was profoundly hypoxic and hypotensive with radiological evidence of a massive right sided haemothorax. He immediately had a right sided thoracotomy through the sixth intercostal space. At thoracotomy, fragments of stone, clothing, and body armour were removed from his chest wall and pleural cavity. Bleeding from the chest wall was stopped and he was transferred to intensive care, then transported by air to the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine in Birmingham. In Birmingham a CT scan showed multiple fragments with a density suggestive of stone in the lower part of the right lung close to the pericardium, below the pulmonary veins, and adjacent to the distal oesophagus (figure). 3 days after injury he developed serious haemorrhaging from his endotracheal tube, causing hypoxia. Haemorrhage stopped after the administration of clotting products. Pulmonary angiography did not show a bleeding source. He required mechanical ventilation for more than 3 weeks. He also developed delirium while in intensive care.

Acalculous cholecystitis occurring in the context of Plasmodium malariae infection: a case report

IntroductionAcalculous cholecystitis has been shown to occur in the context of malarial infection with Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum and requires prompt diagnosis and treatment to prevent complications. To the best of our knowledge this is the first reported case of the disease occurring in a patient infected with Plasmodium malariae.Case presentationWe report the first case of acalculous cholecystitis associated with Plasmodium malariae in a 59-year-old male Nepalese ex-Gurkha soldier. He presented with fever and vomiting and later developed right upper quadrant pain. Abdominal ultrasound and computed tomography scans confirmed acalculous cholecystitis for which he was treated medically with chloroquine, gentamicin and metronidazole. He made a full recovery.ConclusionsPhysicians should be aware that in addition to Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum infections, acalculous cholecystitis can occur in the context of Plasmodium malariae infection. Mechanisms for this are discussed but further studies are needed to establish the etiology of this association.

Cristalius: A Case in Designer Drugs

Among recreational drug users, there is a new wave of designer drugs being marketed as "bath salts" and "plant food," which mimic the effects of cocaine/amphetamines and ecstasy (MDMA [3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methamphetamine]). Presented is the case of a patient who snorted a bath salt called Cristalius. A 22-year-old male Soldier was seen in an emergency department for syncope, agitation, confusion, and tachycardia. He reported snorting 1 g of Cristalius the night before. Significant labs included a creatine kinase of 668 U/L, serum creatinine of 1.35 mg/dL, and troponin of 0.516 ng/mL. His abnormal labs trended to normal and a computed tomography coronary angiogram was unremarkable. The main ingredients postulated in these products are mephedrone and a synthetic cathinone derivatives of the khat plant. The intended effects include euphoria, empathic connection, mood enhancement, increased sensory perception, with decreased inhibition. Unwanted sympathomimetic side effects include hypertension, tachycardia, chest pain, diaphoresis, dilated pupils, seizures, bruxism, and headaches. Neuropsychiatric symptoms include agitation, anxiety, paranoia, tremors, and insomnia. No treatment guidelines currently exist for mephedrone or MDPV (3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone) toxicity. If suspected, ensure adequate cardiac evaluation is completed regardless of age. Appropriate supportive care and addressing any complications is the primary treatment.

Possible potassium chlorate nephrotoxicity associated with chronic matchstick ingestion.

We present a case of a 48-year-old active duty male soldier with a history of chronic exposure to potassium chlorate, later diagnosed with chronic interstitial nephritis. He reported regular matchstick consumption to prevent chigger (Trombicula autumnalis) bites, amounting to ∼5.8 g of potassium chlorate over 3 years. Potassium chlorate can cause anuric renal failure within days of a toxic dose. Its slow excretion and mechanism of action suggest that renal toxicity may result from lower-dose chronic exposure. This case represents possible sequelae of chronic potassium chlorate ingestion.

Self-inflicted Chronic Bacterial Keratoconjunctivitis Using Self Semen

This case report describes a case of self-inflicted chronic bacterial keratoconjunctivitis involving the patient's own semen. A 20-year-old male soldier was referred to our clinic for the evaluation of refractory chronic bacterial conjunctivitis. Over the previous 4 months, he had been treated for copious mucous discharge, conjunctival injection, and superficial punctate keratitis in both eyes at an army hospital and a local eye clinic. Despite the use of topical and systemic antibiotics according to the results of conjunctival swab culture, there was no improvement. During the repeated smear and culture of conjunctival swabs, surprisingly, a few sperm were detected on Gram staining, revealing that the condition was self-inflicted bacterial keratoconjunctivitis involving the patient's own semen. Thus, in cases of chronic keratoconjunctivitis that do not respond to appropriate antibiotic treatment, self-inflicted disease or malingering should be considered.

Idiopathic Thrombosis of the Inferior Vena Cava and Bilateral Femoral Veins in an Otherwise Healthy Male Soldier

Thrombosis of the inferior vena cava is less common than deep venous thrombosis of the lower extremities, particularly in the absence of an obvious congenital caval abnormality or hypercoagulable state. We present a case of IVC thrombosis in an otherwise healthy and active 28-year-old male soldier secondary to dehydration and venous webbing. IVC thrombosis is an uncommon and underrecognized condition; in this case, the patient's caval thrombosis was initially mistaken for acute back strain. Prompt recognition is necessary to minimize long-term sequelae.

An Unusual Presentation of Scimitar Syndrome in a Military Service Member

This is the case of a twenty-two-year-old active duty male soldier with nonexertional chest pain and worsening performance on his physical fitness test. His history was significant for a diagnosis of dextrocardia upon entry to the military. On acute presentation to the emergency department, he was deemed a candidate for the expedited coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) protocol to assess for a possible anatomic cause of his symptoms. CCTA revealed the presence of an anomalous right pulmonary vein draining into the inferior vena cava. Additionally, the imaging showed dextroversion of the heart, dilation of the inferior vena cava, right atrium, and right ventricle, as well as a hypoplastic right lung, a collection of findings consistent with scimitar syndrome and not dextrocardia.

Disappearing Natives

i made it uphere on this bridge betweenstarshine and clay,my one hand holding tightmy other hand; come celebratewith me that everydaysomething has tried to kill me and has failedLucille Clifton1Los desaparecidos. The Natives should have died off by now. Didn't modernity and post-modernity disappear them? Who are left but digital natives? To still be alive is miracle, an alternate reality-on the bridge between starshine and clay. Can you taste two billion year-old air on your breath or smell the remnants of primordial seas in your sweat? Do you feel e-coli breaking bread in your bowels? Does your heart synch up with these words, these poetic echoes of ancient ancestors? Abstracted from our bodies, can we twenty-first century cyborgs, we colonized monsters heed incantations calling forth self and other, simultaneously ...In this paper, investigate the monstrous post-humanity offered up for our entertainment in films such as Source Code. also try to conjure los desaparecidos.The great acting teachers of my youth, Viola Spolin and Joe Chaikin, urged us to feel self with self. Chaikin and others believed we all become the places we've been, the people we've known, the characters we play.2 A Zulu saying agrees: umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu: a person is person through (other) persons. Leopold Senghor also famously declared, I feel the other, dance the other, therefore am.3Dancing/Acting is bridge from self to other self. Creating meaning from experiences in the world always involves performance, moment of embodied exchange.4 We living beings dance our meaning, act our many selves on public stages, in private encounters, and in the theatre of the mind.5Feeling self with self in world of pain and triumph requires more than can manage some days. You too, perhaps? Something is trying to kill us, disappear us every day, but the Natives have not vanished.As sit down to write about selfhood and distant techno-information replacing local wisdom, about the mono-cultural imperatives of colonialism and global capitalism, am bored with despair. Even an academic rant doesn't appeal. Yet, am haunted by the blasted body of once handsome white male soldier encased in/attached to an iron-lung-like black box. This image comes from the science fiction film, Source Code, but works as real to me. Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) is someone know intimately for eighty six minutes. Stevens' pain, joy, exploitation, and triumph fill the theatre of my mind/body. Actually Stevens' body is legless torso with stubs for arms and an injured skull, the barely living remains of helicopter pilot shot down in the Afghanistan war. A tangle of wires feeds in and out of his body, providing breath and sustenance, but also offering access to other bodies in parallel universes, where other (alternate?) realities play out. Forcing access, should say. Stevens lives in/with the machines, but has not chosen this particular cyborg existence. Nor is Stevens' fractured, disabled being-the life of his mind/body-under his control. All that he is/was is now component of the experimental Source Code project. Again and again for eight minutes, the protagonist-body, the person, the decorated, severely wounded white male soldier must ride train about to blow up. He must live the explosion-death of another body, Sean Fentress, straight white middle class male-a body similar to his own. Imagine Gyllenhaal dropping into the body of an old Chinese lesbian. Would that be blockbuster? Imagine the story centering on the Chinese lesbian! Captain Stevens' tragic status depends on how much cultural capital he has to lose. As supreme subject, how has he come to be colonized?In between (simultaneous to?) riding the ghost train again and again and coming to know the other passengers who get blown up, Captain Stevens is trapped in crashed cockpit/escape pod, unaware of the black box life support, unaware of his monstrous existence. …

Emasculated by Trauma: A Social History of Post‐Traumatic Stress Disorder, Stigma, and Masculinity

Winner of William M. JonesBest Graduate Student Paper Award at 2012 American Culture Association ConferenceThe suppression of fear and other strong emotions is not demanded only of men in trenches. It is constantly expected in ordinary society.-Elliott Smith and T. H. Pear, 191 71The history of medicine is a social one. Although medical knowledge and its history are often understood as objective fact, divorced from cultural and social context, historians of medicine have recendy begun to undermine these assumptions. Social histories of medicine have put forth a thesis about social nature of knowledge, specifically related to health, disease and medicine. Namely, way a disease is understood, treated and talked about is shaped not only by medical knowledge, but also by broader cultural, social and political climates and ideologies. This social construction of disease is evident across history of medicine but is perhaps most prominent in history of mind-body medicine. The history of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other war-related traumatic disorders is a study in evolving American sensibilities, social mores, and gendered cultural expectations. Since its first appearance on battlefield, PTSD and its predecessors were used by Americans to symbolize manifestation of societal concerns surrounding unfulfilled gender roles, tightly bound to concepts of heteronormativity. Trauma-related nervous disorders became mark of someone who had failed to live up to culturally constructed notions of ideal male citizen soldier. Thus, victims were blamed for their unmanly behaviour by way of stigmatizing medical diagnoses.Cultural mores surrounding gendered social roles have long shaped both medical understanding of PTSD (and related predecessors) and way its victims are treated and regarded within societal framework. According to Harvard historian Ann Harrington, a cultural inability to understand non-physical properties that lead to disease and ill health has caused society to explain these health problems through a variety of narratives. Harrington grounds western culture's inability to comprehend mind-body medicine in modern medicine's foundational assumption of physicality of illness. Namely, modern western medicine believes that physical illness must have a physical cause. This assumption is what makes mind-body medicine so complicated. Due to ambiguity and lack of understanding surrounding connections between mind-body, physicalist cultures must turn to narratives as a way of explaining what does not fit into physicalist medical paradigm. These narratives are useful in understanding experiences of bodies and minds and how they have been understood within specific cultural contexts throughout history.Harrington explores six narratives in her book: power of suggestion, body that speaks, power of positive thinking, by modern life, healing ties and eastward journeys.2 While quite expansive in scope, these narratives do not represent an exhaustive list and fail to adequately address stories surrounding battlefield trauma. In light of this, another narrative of mind-body medicine is needed. Within this narrative, entitled emasculated by trauma, male body of trauma it has experienced on modern battlefield, marrying two narratives of the body that speaks and broken by modern life. However, this story is also one of soldiers as failed citizen subjects. Soldiers suffering effects of trauma show an inability to exhibit virtues of ideal male, by failing to meet expected gender norms and fulfil male gender roles. Soldiers are still and have historically been expected to be strong and fearless, but trauma-related nervous disorders such as PTSD serve to expose vulnerabilities and frailty of these men. Therefore, this narrative explains both a soldier's failure to fulfil cultural expectations of men, as well as cultural and institutional notions of good soldier. …

Recurrent Posterior Shoulder Instability After Rifle Shooting

Rifle shooting produces a sudden counterforce against the body thorough the anterior shoulder, which may produce a traumatic injury in soldiers. Posterior instability of the shoulder can occur in soldiers who practice rifle shooting. To the authors' knowledge, few reports have examined shooting-related injuries in soldiers. This article describes the case of a 27-year-old male soldier who presented with left shoulder pain and instability after rifle training. He developed symptoms, and presented radiographic findings consistent with a posterior Bankart lesion. Intraoperatively, while in the lateral decubitus position, a posterior portal was created 3 cm inferior and 2 cm lateral to the posterolateral corner of acromion for making a proper angle for inserting anchors. A reverse bony Bankart lesion and adjacent cartilage breakdown at the glenoid rim were noted. An arthroscopic capsulolabral repair was performed with 3-mm bioabsorbable anchors to the glenoid rim. No gross reverse Hill-Sachs lesion or hyaline cartilage lesion was noted. Postoperatively, the arm was supported in a sling with an abduction pillow for 5 weeks. Codman's exercises, scapular protraction exercises, and elbow and wrist exercises were started. Physical therapy focused on reestablishing glenohumeral range of motion and rotator cuff and periscapular muscle strength. Six months postoperatively, the patient had normal scapular kinesis and reported no shoulder pain or symptoms of instability associated with a reverse bony Bankart lesion.

Environmental and genetic controls of soldier caste in a parasitic social wasp.

A larval army caste is found in some parasitic wasps with polyembryonic or clonal proliferation, where many clone larvae emerge from a single egg. In contrast to non-parasitic eusocial Hymenoptera, sterile soldier larvae that protect their clonal reproductives are found in both females and males. Recently, the proportion of soldier larvae has been found to vary radically, depending on the internal conditions of the host, such as multiparasitism by other larval parasites. However, the proportion of male soldier larvae is constant, irrespective of the host internal environment. It is unknown if these traits are heritable. Here we show that a high heritability is found in both sexes, while, in the 6th instar hosts, substantially lower heritability is found in females. These results imply that the structure of the larval caste is determined genetically by both female and male embryonic cells, but more likely modified environmentally in females.

Hemostatic resuscitation for massive hemorrhage with warm fresh whole blood in a patient with severe blunt trauma

A 24-year-old male Navy soldier was struck on the left thigh by a ruptured cable and was subsequently thrown into the sea. Initial evaluation showed an Injury Severity Score of 34. Core body temperature was 34.1°C. Laboratory data included a hemoglobin level of 4.5g/dL and a hematocrit of 13.3%. Prothrombin time was prolonged (>100 seconds), international normalized ratio was elevated (9.99), and partial thromboplastin time was elevated (>180 seconds). The patient was treated for hypothermia, coagulopathy, and metabolic acidosis during resuscitation. The patient was transfused with 16,320mL of blood during the first 24 hours following the accident, including 4500mL (18 units) of warm fresh whole blood (WFWB) donated by the patient's military colleagues. The patient was successfully resuscitated, and the injured leg was salvaged. Component therapy can afford replacement of specific deficiencies or requirements, decrease the risk of transfusion-transmitted infectious diseases, and improve resource utilization. However, a protocol of early transfusion with WFWB should be considered during resuscitation following massive hemorrhage in specific conditions such as battle fields or urgent situations.

Treatment of Granulomatous Amoebic Encephalitis with Voriconazole and Miltefosine in an Immunocompetent Soldier

A 38-year-old male immunocompetent soldier developed generalized seizures. He underwent surgical debulking and a progressive demyelinating pseudotumor was identified. Serology and molecular testing confirmed a diagnosis of granulomatous amoebic encephalitis caused by Acanthamoeba sp. in this immunocompetent male. The patient was treated with oral voriconazole and miltefosine with Acanthamoeba titers returning to control levels and serial imaging demonstrating resolution of the residual lesion.

Women and warfare at the start of the twentieth century: the racialization of the ‘enemy’ during the South African War (1899–1902)

ABSTRACT The internment of Boer civilians in concentration camps by the British military authorities during the South African War of 1899–1902 was a highly controversial policy, not least because around 26,000 women and children were estimated to have died as a result of epidemics in the camps. Both supporters and opponents of the camps addressed the policy using gendered language rooted in ideas about British standards of ‘civilization’. Apologists defined the camps as one of the protective measures of the chivalrous British authorities, and downplayed the significance of the mortality rates by blaming infant deaths on the maternal shortcomings of Boer women. Opponents, however, stressed similarities between the British and Boer peoples, and invoked gendered language to attack what were held to be barbaric policies towards defenceless members of the community. At the heart of both discourses was a belief in British aspirations to embody an ideal ‘civilization’, underpinned by traditional gender ideologies. The association of this concept of ‘civilization’ with not merely cultural but racial difference led to the development of a racialized image of the enemy, rooted perhaps more strongly in perceptions of the female Boer civilian than of the male soldier.

Lumbar paraspinal heterotopic ossification

We report a case of lumbar paraspinal heterotopic ossification (HO) in a 28-year-old male Army soldier. The patient reported an accidental fall from 30 feet while rappelling from a helicopter, sustaining a lumbar hematoma, which was observed. Over the 3 years subsequent to his injury, he experienced progressively worsening pain in his low back but denied radicular symptoms. On examination, the patient had a firm mass that was tender to palpation within the right lumbar paraspinal muscles; otherwise, neurologic examination of bilateral lower extremities was normal.

Efficacy of Orlistat 60 mg on Weight Loss and Body Fat Mass in US Army Soldiers

A higher body mass index is associated with exercise-related injuries and increased risk for musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders, which are relevant to military personnel. Studies show the efficacy of orlistat 60 mg for promoting weight and body fat loss in civilians; however, its efficacy among predominantly young, male soldiers is unknown. This study's objective was to examine the effect of a 6-month, standard education-based weight-management program with and without orlistat 60 mg on changes in weight and body fat in overweight soldiers. Data were collected for this randomized, controlled trial from March 2008 to November 2010 at Fort Bragg, NC. Participants were enrolled in an education-based weight management program (n=435; 75% men) and were randomized to placebo or orlistat 60 mg, three capsules daily with meals. All participants were recommended to maintain a reduced-energy, low-fat diet. Among study completers (14% retention rate; placebo n=22, orlistat n=35) members of both groups lost significant weight from baseline (placebo −3.0±5.2 kg; orlistat −3.2±4.7 kg; P<0.01), but only the orlistat group lost fat mass (−2.5±3.9 kg; P<0.001), whereas the placebo group lost lean mass (−1.4±2.7 kg; P <0.01). An intent-to-treat analysis (≥1 follow-up body weight measure) demonstrated that the orlistat group lost more fat mass vs the placebo group (−1.3±2.9 kg vs −0.6±1.8 kg, respectively; P<0.05), but less lean mass (−0.2±2.0 kg vs −0.8±1.8 kg, respectively; P<0.01). Orlistat 60 mg may be an effective adjunct to an education-based weight management program in a mostly young, male soldier population.

Volvulus of splenic flexure: an autopsy case

The definition of volvulus is an axial twist of a portion of the gastrointestinal tract along its mesentery. The involved bowel is obstructed partially or completely with a variable degree of arterial and venous occlusion. The colon is the most common site for volvulus. The splenic flexure is the least common site of colonic volvulus. Splenic flexure volvulus (SFV) is a very rare cause of colonic obstruction, constituting 1-2 % of colonic volvulus. Mortality rate of the SFV cases is low. We experienced a SFV case who was a 20-year-old male soldier. The case had come to the state hospital with complaints of severe left abdominal and lumbar pain and a medical history of relapsing urinary infection and nephrolithiasis. The doctor had hospitalized him with the diagnosis of paralytic ileus caused by nephrolithiasis. He had died after 14 hours and 35 minutes from hospitalization. Autopsy findings showed out that the death cause was generalized peritonitis due to gangrenous SFV. In this paper, we presented this case and discussed its properties in the light of the literature data (Fig. 2, Ref. 7).