Abstract
The lack of a universally applicable definition of terrorism has confounded the understanding of terrorism since the term was first coined in 18th Century France. Although a myriad of definitions of terrorism have been advanced over the years, virtually all of these definitions have been crisis-centered, frequently reflecting the political perspectives of those who seek to define it. In this article, we deconstruct these previously used definitions of terrorism in order to reconstruct a definition of terrorism that is consequence-centered, medically relevant, and universally harmonized. A universal medical and public health definition of terrorism will facilitate clinical and scientific research, education, and communication about terrorism-related events or disasters. We propose the following universal medical and public definition of terrorism: The intentional use of violence - real or threatened - against one or more non-combatants and/or those services essential for or protective of their health, resulting in adverse health effects in those immediately affected and their community, ranging from a loss of well-being or security to injury, illness, or death.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 47-52 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Prehospital and disaster medicine |
Volume | 18 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2003 |
Keywords
- adverse effect
- death
- definition
- disaster
- event
- health
- healthcare system
- injury
- medical definition
- non-combatant
- psychological injury
- public health
- terrorism
- violence
- vulnerable
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Emergency Medicine
- Emergency