Western front 1914-18 Medicine

When was the battle of ypres

1915

How much of the trenches was british ground km

150km

what are the blood groups

A B AB O

when was RAMC formed

1898

when did ramc accept women

1916

what does QAIMNS stand for

queen alexsndras imperial military nursing service

how many in QAIMNS

300

what happened to bristling people volunteering to be nurses

british wouldn’t take them instead they helped french and belgium forces until 1916

what does VAD stand for

voluntary aid detachment

what was VAD

made up of volunteer civilians mainly women worked as cooks in hospitals and ambulance drivers

when was FANY founded whne were nurses used

1907 1916

what did dr lewis yealland do

electric shocks to treat some patients suffering from shell shock

When were hard helmet introduced

1916

How far was the undergound hospital in arras from german frontline

800m

why was Britain in an important position in the battle of ypres

had many ports

why were the british in a bad position in the battle of ypres

we’re in low lying ground with heavy soil so they often flooded

when was poison gas first used

battle of ypres germany 1915

What was the relevance of hill 60

on the battle of ypres april 1915 miners mined underneath to blow up bombs

when was the battle of arras

1917

what happened at the battle of arras

new zealand and england created a network of tunnels under arras they had rooms coming off with electricity and running water

when was the battle of the somme

july to november 1916

why was battle of the somme significant

large number of deaths and casualties

how many british casualties were there on day 1 of the battle of somme

60K

how many overall allies casualties were there on day 1 of the somme

400K

when was the battle of cambrai

1917

what was unusual about battle of cambrai

used 450 tanks in the front line vs germany

pro and con of tanks in battle of cambrai

they won on day 1

couldnt defend as not enough infantry support

4 key features of a trench

• sandbags to help structure

• deep enough for a man to walk in

• a fire step to look out and fire their guns

• a duckboard to stand on to keep feet dry

what % of their time would soldiers spend on the front line

15

what % of their time would soldiers spend in the support trench

10

what % of their time would soldiers spend in the reserve line

30

what percentage of their time would soldiers spend away from the trenches

45

why is the trench system called a system

because it’s a process not just one area

how would an injured soldier on the front line get to safety for medical treatment

they would have to be carried through the trenches

5 key issues created by trenches and surrounding terrain

• no mans land is dangerous

• trenches are often flooded and muddy

• system may be clogged with men and equipment

• multiple people will be injured at once

• can be dark

what’s an injury

external caused by a thing

what’s an illness

internal caused by germs/bacteria

how was trench fever spread

by lice (grey back) they were in the seams of uniform everyone had lice impossible to get rid of

symptoms of trench fever

headaches

shivers

pain in bones and joint

how to prevent trench fever

they disinfected the uniform, louse repellent gel, baths

how would they treat trench fever

by using the closest medicine they could get

what caused trench foot

waterlogged conditions, had to change socks 2x a day

symptoms of trench foot

swelling, numbness, blotchy skin, heavy foot

trench foot prevention

elevate and air dry feet and wear shoes

trench foot treatment

bed rest foot dash with lead and opium

what does NYD mean

not yet diagnosed

what does NYD.N mean

not yet diagnosed . nervous

What does NYD.N.Mld mean

not yet diagnosed . nervous . mild

what is shell shock

a psychological reaction to constant high pressure situations now we know it as PTSD

how was shell shock treated

• general anaesthesia

• electric shock therapy

• accused of cowardice

how many men were reported to have suffered from shell shock within the British army

80K

why was code used to discuss shell shock

because they didn’t know what it was or what it was called

Why did WW1 lead to medical advances

because they need to fix things quickly also due to new weapons there are new injury’s to deal with to get men back to fighting

tell me about rifles

• were made sharper to go further and deeper into the body

• more efficient

• break bones

• pierce organs

What happened in 1889 related to rifles

had a cartilage case for automatic fire

tell me about machine guns

• 500 rounds a minute (same as 100 rifles)

• break up your body

• major part of french defence

• mass produced

• devasting impact

tell me about shrapnel

• explode mid air

• break into many fragment

• could hit vital organs

• hollow checks with lead of steel balls with gunpowder and fuse time

• most effective

tell me about artillery

• greatest killer

• continuous bombardment

• major internal damage

• removed limbs

why were soldiers on the western front so likely to develop life threatening infections

the amount of mud and dirt

what was gas gangrene

caused by bacteria in the dirt and it was a very fast developing infection, its wounds that become swollen with gas turned white then green and make a bubbling sound or sensation when pressed

what gas was used in ww1

chlorine gas (1915)

what gases were used in ww2

phosgene and mustard

how did soldiers try to protect themselves from gas attacks

urinate in a hankachief to hold over there noses

effects of gas attacks on soldiers

• blindness

• loss of taste and smell

• coughing

what was the evacuation route

1- stretcher bearers

2- regimental aid post

3- motor ambulance

4- casualty clearing station

5- hospital train

6- base hospital

what does RAMC stand for

royal army medical corps

what was the RAMC’s job

endure that incase of sickness they treat and evacuate the ill.

how many people involved with in RAMC in 1918

113000

what was the communication trench

these trenches connected the ither lines of trenches - used to move between trenches

what was the support trench

dig out behind front line trenches - were retreated to during an attack

what was the reserve trench

dug behind the support trenches - used to prepare for a counter attack

what were dug-outs

dig into the sides of trenches used for protection and rest

when were steel helmets introduced

1915

what did chlorine gas cause

suffocation

what did phosgene gas cause

suffocation and quick death

what did mustard gas cause

burnt the skin causing internal and external blisters caused suffocation

what would stretcher bearers do

collect the dead and wounded from no man’s land at night or in breaks of fighting it took 4 men to carry a stretcher

what happened and the regimental aid post

close to front line in a dug out, light wounds were treated so soldiers could return to the fighting

what was the dressing station

set up in a tent behind trenches

what was the casualty clearing station

first medical facility in which the moderately seriously wounded would receive treatment, treated by doctors, nurses and surgeons contains operating theatres, mobile x-ray machines and hospital ward beds

what was a base hospital

normally a civilian hospital

What does FANY stand for

first aid nursing yeomanry

what do FANY do

• provided professional nursing care

• drove motor amubulances

• cleaned hospitals

• washed clothes

• bathed wounded

how many motor ambulances were there in 1915

250

where were soldiers treated in the battle of arras

in an underground hospital with 700 beds and several operating theatres

what was women’s role in ww1

manufacturing and agricultural roles doctors nurses ambulance drivers

how much did john listers methods reduce the death rate

46% to 15%

what does aseptic mean

to prevent germs from reaching wounds

what does antiseptic mean

killing germs in wounds

how were operating theatres made germ free

• continuously cleaned

• surgical instruments were steam sterilised

• surgeons wore rubber gloves surgical gowns and masks

What was the carrel-Dankin method

where you use tubes to keep the chemical solution (carbolic acid) flowing through the wound

what was the thomas splint

helped to heal fractured bones

who made the thomas splint

hugh owen thomas

at the beginning of ww1 what percentage of soldiers with a broken thigh bone died and what was it after then use of the thomas splint

80 20

how were x-rays helpful

• helped surgeons locate bullets and shrapnel

• could be removed more accurately

• reduced chance of infection

how many mobile x-rays did the british have by 1915

2

what stopped blood from clotting

sodium citrate