History- Medicine through time (British Sector of the Western Front)

Characteristics of the trench system

Listening post- listen for enemy movement

Main line- Closest to no man’s land where all the fighting happened with machine guns

Second line- wounded soldiers retreated here and where fighting happened if first line went down

Reserve trench- used to transport food, ammunition and very injured soldiers. Contained communication systems

Trenches zig-zag pattern as less men directly threatened if trench was overran

Describe the chain of evacuation

1. Regimental Aid posts- Within 200m of the frontline in communication trenches. Dealt immediate first aid to get them fighting ASAP. Couldn’t deal with serious injuries

2. Dressing stations- 400m from RAPs in abandoned buildings. Could fit up to 150 wounded men and could only treat them for a week.

3. Casualty clearing station- Had to drive there and usually located next to railway line in factories or schools. Walking wounded patched up and returned to fighting. Started doing operations to life-threatening injuries then taken to base hospitals

4. Base hospitals- Near French and Belgian coast so men could be taken back to Britain. Carried on treatments and operations started in CCS. Mainly head and chest injuries treated

Why was artillery fire and shrapnel so dangerous

58% of all injuries were the cause of artillery fire.
Factories produced millions of shells a week which led to continuous shelling
Shrapnel could be very small and hard to find so treating injuries was difficult
Artillery could severe limbs or inflict major internal damage which caused rapid blood loss.
Shrapnel caused arm and leg injuries but head injuries common

Describe the use of poison gas in WW1

2nd battle of Ypres- Chlorine gas used as weapon for the first time and suffocated hundreds. Urinate on a handkerchief and hold it to your nose to survive

July 1915- Gas masks provided so it was easier to defend against but still greatly feared by soldiers

December 1915- Phosgene gas used for first time which was faster than chlorine gas. Killed a person within 2 days of exposure

1917- First time mustard gas used which was odourless and worked within 12 hours. Skin would blister and lungs would blister and fill with blood if inhaled

Why gunshot wounds were dangerous

Machine guns could shoot 500 rounds per minute which destroyed everyone approaching over no Man’s land
Bullets 39% of wounds and pointed shape which drove them deeper into the body
Could break major bones and 20% chance of survival if shot in the leg
41,000 men had limbs amputated

What infections were prevalent during WW1 and how were they caused

Bullets and shrapnel contained muddy clothing and soil which caused infection
Farmers used manure on their fields which means a lot of bacteria present
Difficult to evacuate men from no man’s land so infection had more time to sent in
Gas gangrene could kill a patient in 1 day and wounds became swollen with gas turned white then green
Tetanus major problem until vaccines in 1914

Characteristics of trench foot (effects, solution, prevention)

Affected 1/6th of British Army
Painful swelling of the feet and would become numb, swollen, blistered and bruised
Could lead to gangrene

Only solution was amputation

Prevented by keeping feet dry (replacing socks often)
Rubbed whale oil on feet

Characteristics of trench fever

15% of men unfit for service between 1917-18
Symptoms: High temperature, headaches, aching muscles
Uniforms were fumigated, washed and ironed. Men issued louse repellent

Characteristics of shellshock

Affected 80,000 soldiers
Symptoms: Tiredness, headaches, nightmares and loss of speech
Evacuated to Britain to be treated or in France
Given food, rest and talks to calm them down

Who were the VAD and what did they do

VAD- Volunteer Aid Detachment, made of middle and upper class women.

They helped in operating theatres, nursed, cooking and washing/changing clothes and keeping things clean

Who were the FANY and what did they do

First Aid Nursing Yeomanry- All-female charity formed in 1907 not part of the army reserve.

Provided front line services such as ambulance driving, first aid, transporting supplies and entertainment

Who were the RAMC and what did they do (WW1)

Royal Army Medical Corps- Doctors treated the sick and wounded, ambulance drivers, stretcher bearers and encouraged good sanitation

What did Harvey Cushing contribute to medicine (WW1)

Developed new techniques for dealing with head wounds
Used magnets to remove shrapnel fragments from the brain rather than normal surgery.

How was the problem of blood loss solved in WW1

Blood banks were created to store blood for blood transfusions however, the blood had to be used quickly.

Richard Lewisohn discovered Sodium Citrate prevented blood clotting which meant it could be stored for longer

How was the problem of facial injuries solved during WW1

Surgeons began to use skin grafts, taking skin from another part of the body and grafting it onto the wound.
This was the earliest form of plastic surgeries, discovered by Harold Gillies