The Military Grace Notes of Winnie-The-Pooh

Winnie-The-Pooh was not written to explain shell shock to a son. (Photo by Ethan Imaap)

So, where did this Pooh-as-PTSD narrative begin? Apparently, a group of Canadian doctors, led by Sarah E. Shea, a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in pediatric behavioral medicine, wrote a paper in the Dec. 12, 2000 edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal entitled “Pathology in the Hundred Acre Wood: a neurodevelopmental perspective on A.A. Milne.” The intent was to poke fun at her profession and to call attention to the ease by which psychologists labeled people, especially children, and then reflexively prescribed medication or a cocktail of medicines.