C11 - The Impact of War and Technology on Surgery Flashcards
Why does medicine develop more quickly in wartime than in peacetime?
- governments spend a lot of money on the development of the latest medical techniques and the most up-to-date medical technology
- they know that if medical services are good, then more soldiers have a chance of survival, and the more soldiers are available, the greater the chance of victory
- doctors and surgeons work very hard in wartime, often in battlefield situations, to develop their ideas in order to treat the injured
- the huge numbers of wounded soldiers give doctors and surgeons more opportunities than are available in peacetime to test their ideas out
How did WW1 and WW2 help X-rays develop?
Discovered in 1895, hospitals used them to look for broken bones and disease before WW1. During the war, their effectiveness was proved when mobile X-ray machines were developed by Polish scientist Marie Curie. This allowed surgeons to find out exactly where in the body bullets or pieces of shrapnel were lodged, without having to cut them open.
How did war help develop blood transfusions?
In 1900, Karl Landsteiner discovered blood groups, which helped doctors work out that a transfusion only worked if the donor’s blood type matched the receiver’s. It was not possible to store blood for long until 1914 when Albert Hustin discovered that sodium citrate stopped blood from clotting. British National Blood Transfusion Service opened in 1938. Large blood banks developed in both the USA and Britain during WW2.
How did war help develop plastic surgery?
During WW1, Harold Gillies (London-based army doctor), set up a special unit to graft skin and treat men suffering with severe facial wounds. Queen’s hospital opened in Kent in 1917: by 1921 it provided over 1000 beds for soldiers with severe facial wounds. During WW2, Archibald McIndoe used new drugs such as penicillin to prevent infections while treating pilots with horrific facial injuries.
How did the treatment of broken bones improve due to war?
New techniques were developed to repair broken bones during WW1. For example, the Army Leg Splint was developed, which kept a broken leg ‘in traction’. The splint is still in use today.
How did heart surgery develop as a result of war?
Heart surgery progressed during WW2. US army surgeon Dwight Harken, stationed in London, cut into beating hearts and used his bare hands to remove bullets and bits of shrapnel.
How was diet improved because of war?
As a result of food shortages during wartime, many people grew their own food. This improved their diets because the food the government encouraged people to grow - fresh vegetables for example - was very healthy.
How were hygiene and disease improved due to war?
In order to keep Britain ‘fighting fit’ during WW2, there was a campaign that warned against the dangers of poor hygiene. A national immunisation programme against diphtheria was launched during the war too.
How was drug development improved during the wars?
Penicillin was developed in the years leading up to WW2. The British and US governments realised how important this new ‘wonder drug’ was in curing infections in deep wounds. By 1944, enough penicillin was being made to treat all of the Allied forces in Europe.
How can war negatively affect medical development?
- thousands of doctors are taken away from their normal work to treat casualties
- some medical research is stopped during wartime so countries can concentrate everything on the war effort
- throughout history, warfare has disrupted towns and cities, sometimes destroying libraries and places if learning. Medical advances may have been delayed because these places were destroyed and manuscripts and research lost.
What is keyhole surgery?
Surgeons can now perform operations through very small cuts. Using miniaturised instruments and fibre optic cameras liked to computers, surgeons can magnify the areas they are working on so they can rejoin nerves and blood vessels.
What is radiation therapy?
It involves the use of high energy radiation to shrink tumours and kill cancer cells. Sometimes a radioactive substance such as radioactive iodine is used, which travels in the blood to kill cancer cells.
What is laser surgery?
Surgery using lasers rather than a scalpel has become increasingly popular since a laser was first used in an eye operation in 1987. Lasers are increasingly used to treat a variety of skin conditions, help clear blocked arteries, remove tumours and ulcers and control bleeding.
