MTT : Western Front

What is trench foot?

A condition to the feet caused by the long immersion in cold water or mud, causing the blackening and death of tissue.

What is trench fever?

A highly contagious disease transmitted by lice that infested soldiers in trenches.

What is shellshock?

A physiological disorder that develops in some individuals who faced major traumatic experiences such as exposure to warfare, similar to PTSD.

What battle happened in 1914? How many injured?

First Battle of Ypres. Britain lost 50,000 troops and many head and facial injuries.

What battle happened in 1915? What occurred in the battle?

The Second Battle of Ypres. The first time gas was used in War, Germans advanced 2 miles closer.

What battle happened in 1916? What happened within the battle?

Battle of Somme. 400,000 British casualties, first time tanks were used in war.

What two battles happened in 1917? What happened during them?

Battle of Arras, 160,000 British casualties.

Third Battle of Ypres, many men drown in waterlogged terrains.

What battle happened in 1918? What happened during it?

The German Spring Offensive. Heavy fighting and many casualties.

What is the order of the trenches starting with ‘No Man’s Land’?

1. No Man’s Land

2. Barbed Wire

3. Frontline Trenches

4. Support Trenches & underground dugout shelters

5. Reserve Trench

6. Fire shells (Artillery)

What 3 gases were used during the war? What did they cause?

1. Chlorine gas: a visible yellow cloud that caused suffocation and blindness.

2. Phosgene gas: an invisible earthy-smelling gas that caused similar effects to chlorine.

3. Mustard gas: burns through clothing and skin to blister the body.

What is gas gangrene’s?

The rotting of the flesh due to wounds not being treated, it has no cure and spreads throughout the body.

How many soldiers suffered shell shock? How were they treated?

Around 80,000 British troops.

They were ridiculed and called cowards, some were punished or even shot.

What were the issues with stretcherbearers? (4 total)

1. Limited numbers, 16 per 1000 troops.

2. Rough landscapes.

3. Little lighting especially at night.

4. Had to expose themselves to shelling and gunfire.

What were the 4 ways of transporting the wounded?

1. Stretcher bearers.

2. Train ambulances.

3. Barge/ship ambulances.

4. Horse-drawn ambulances.

What were the issues with horse-drawn ambulances? (3 total)

1. Could not cope with large numbers of casualties.

2. Wounded soldiers were shaken about a lot which could worsen injuries.

3. Couldn’t fully access No-Man’s Land.

When were the first train ambulances used?

November 1914, in France for use of British soldiers.

What was the chain of evacuation?

1. Stretcher bearers

2. Regimental Aid Post (RAP)

3. Field ambulance and dressing stations

4. Casualty Clearing Station (CCS)

5. Base Hospitals (BH)

Where and what happened at the RAP?

• First line of medical support.

• In the frontline trenches.

• Simple treatments only and first aid provided.

Where and what happens at the field ambulance and dressing stations?

• 400m from RAP

• Located in abandoned buildings, dugouts and bunkers.

• Staffed by 10 medicinal officers, orderlies and stretcher bearers

• Could treat around 150 people.

• For more serious injuries such as blood loss.

Where and what happens at casualty clearing stations?

• Beyond the range of enemy artillery but usually near transport connections.

• Surgery would be performed here

• Chest injuries were treated here mostly

• 379 doctors, 502 nurses, 200,000 casualties

• Wounded soldiers would be divided into 3 groups called the triage system:

  1. Severely wounded

  2. Walking wounded

  3. Those in need

Where and what happened at base hospitals?

• Near coast or railway lines to allow evacuation to the UK

• Several miles from the frontline

• Most people would be sent home from here

• Proper hospital facilities

• Split into wards

• Could treat large volumes of people

• Specialist doctors and wards

What happened in 1918 in relation to CCS’s? How did this impact the Chain of Evacuation?

Germany attacked CCS’s. Put more pressure onto base hospitals as more causalities needed to be treated - larger volumes of people.

What were the key features of the hospital of Arras?

• Underground in caves.

• Stretched 800m in tunnels below the front line.

• 700 stretchers for beds.

• Abandoned in 1917 as it was attacked by shell.

State and explain the 3 methods of reducing infection on the Western Front.

Carol Dankin Method: used a sterilised salt solution inserted into a wound through a tube to remove infection and treat gangrene. Only lasted for 6 hours before it had to be replaced.

Amputation: cutting off the infected limb, over 240,000 men received amputations.

Wound excision: Cutting away of the dead, damaged and infected tissue from the wound to stop the spread of infection to neighbouring tissues.

What was the Thomas Splint? How did it help and what happened before it was invented?

The Thomas splint was a splint which prevented the joints from moving in the leg by straightening the bone.

The survival rate of leg injuries increased to 82%. It kept the joints from moving preventing the risk of extra injury.

Before there was a survival rate of 20% and compound fractures, blood loss and bone injuries were extremely common.

What was the Mobile X-ray Machine? How did it help and what happened before it was invented?

The Mobile X-ray Machine was an x-ray machine used to identify shell fragments and bullets in wounds by taking two x-rays. It could be moved around when needed more after certain battles.

It allowed bullets to be located from within wounds and prevented the need for surgeries to find them.

Before this to find shell fragments intrusive surgery was needed (increased chances of infection) and fractures or metal could not be detected.

What were 3 issues with mobile x-ray machines?

1. Takes several minutes to use which you have to stay still throughout for.

2. Likely to overheat.

3. Very few x-rays were present in any place.

Define blood transfusions.

The act of transferring donated blood, blood products or other fluids into the circulatory system of another person.

Who were the 5 people that helped with blood transfusions development? What problem did they solve?

Robertson = came up with the idea of transfusing blood from a donor to a patient directly using a syringe and a tube. (1915)

Problem solved = stopped patient going into shock before surgery, could now happen at a CCS.

Keynes = designed a portable blood transfusion kit for the front line. (1915)

Problem solved = blood transfusions could be provided sooner and closer.

Lewisohn = adding sodium citrate to blood made it last for longer and the optimum amount could last up to 2 days. (1915)

Well = citrate glucose solution meant blood could be stored for 4 weeks. (1916)

Problem (they) solved = blood could be stored for when needed without thickening.

Hope Robertson = Built a carrying case which could store 22 units of blood for battle. (1917)

Problem solved = allowed those in shock to be treated quickly and soldiers that would usually die could now be treated.

What did Harvey Cushing develop? Was it successful?

• Developed the use of local anaesthetic for brain surgery.

• Developed the use of magnets in brain surgery : removes metal shells and fragments more gently without being invasive.

Yes, he had a 70% success rate compared to the usual 50.

What did Harold Gilles develop?

• The tube pedicle (allowing blood to flow to reconstruct flesh in the face) to make skin grafts more successful.

• Developed and pioneered facial reconstructive surgery for soldiers with face injuries within the War using plastic surgery.

When was the Thomas splint invented/first used?

1915

When were the first blood transfusions performed?

1915

When was the Brodie helmet first used? Why?

1916. To reduce head injuries.

When was mustard gas first used?

1917

Shrapnel accounted for — of wounds.

58%

— of injuries were to arms and legs

60%

What’s the RAMC?

Royal Army Medical Corps

What were FANY’s?

Female volunteers who drove ambulances, operated soup kitchens and worked as orderlies in hospitals.

What did Karl Landsteiner discover? When?

Blood groups and that for blood transfusion to work, patients must be of the same blood group.

1901.