Self-inflicted wounds in the military

Deployed soldiers may injure themselves in order to be temporarily evacuated from the front lines for treatment, and possibly receive a medical discharge.

A person may achieve a similar effect by deliberately neglecting their health, e.g., by letting a minor wound become infected, or foregoing foot care in damp environments to trigger the development of diseases like trench foot and tropical ulcers, which are debilitating but not usually fatal or permanent if treated properly.

Most self-inflicted wounds go unrecognized, though consequences are usually severe if caught, sometimes carrying the death penalty.

In the British army during World War I, the maximum penalty for a self-inflicted wound ("Willfully maiming himself with intent to render himself unfit for service", as it was described) under Section 18 of the Army Act 1881 was imprisonment, rather than capital punishment.

Many self-inflicted wound reports during World War I placed soldiers under suspicion for injuries that could have been genuine accidents.