Dokter en dienaar*

Although the Netherlands declared itself neutral during the First World War, 200,000 Dutch men were mobilized in 1914. This caused unrest in Dutch society, also among physicians. They were asked not only to be partly responsible for soldier recruitment through medical examinations, but also to write medical certificates for soldiers who requested leave due to illness. Many physicians struggled with such requests. Who was the doctor supposed to serve when a patient made a dubious request for a ‘sick note’: his patient or the army? And did a doctor’s certification not violate the oath of secrecy that physicians had sworn? This article looks back at an issue which greatly frustrated Dutch physicians during the First World War.

Conflict of interest and financial support: none declared.