CiM: Government action and war, 1905-20 Flashcards
Why were politicians motivated to improve national health? (2)
Which political group and how? (1)
-1/3rd of British Boer War Volunteers were unfit for service, in some areas up to 90%
-Required an effective army to manage empire, so health and fitness was important
-Liberal Party (1906) sympathetic to concerns of ordinary people, basis of modern welfare state
Children’s health (5)
-Free school meals introduced for children from poor families (1906)
-Number of meals provided went from 3m -> 14m (1914), supporting their growth
-Board of Education provided hygiene booklet (1906)
-School Medical Service set up (1907), checked children for illnesses although treatment not complementary
-The Children and Young Persons Act (1908), illegal to sell children tobacco/alcohol + child begging/neglection
Old-age pensioners and unemployed (3)
-Old age pension (1908) for 70+ who earned less than 31.50/yr; refused if alcoholics or imprisoned previously
-Pension helped elderly to afford housing, food and heating, although only 600,000 granted in 1908
-Labour Exchanges (1909) for unemployed people to look for work, supporting their families
1911 National Insurance Act
-Any worker who became ill could receive free medical care and claim sickness benefit
-Maternity grant given to help pay for baby essentials
-Optional fund to provide unemployment benefit if they lost their job
-Significant as it prevented families falling below the poverty line and allowing them to cope for a while
-Act only applied to workers; if members of their families were sick they didn’t recieve treatment
Common dangers in WWI (3)
-Injuries caused by bullets/shrapnel, many wounds became infected from clothing entering wound
-Gangrene (rotting from lack of blood supply) usually fatal
-Poison gas, mustard gas that required washing and rinsing of body (portable shower units)
Conditions in trenches (4)
-Diseases along with injuries, rats eating food and dead bodies
-Body lice unable to be removed until they moved back to base to be cleaned
-Muddy ground on Western Front caused trench foot due to wet feet (leading to gangrene)
-Clothing was often dirty due to muddiness, infection more likely to occur
Role of women in WWI (3)
-RAMC needed more helps, many women joined Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (ambulance drivers)
-Middle class women acted as nurses in hospitals, cleaning floors, changing bedding and cleaning bedpans
-Marie Curie, Dr Elsie Inglis, Dr Louisa Garrett, Dr Flora Murray
Blood transfusion timeline (6)
Karl Landsteiner (1901) blood groups, person to person transfusion possible
Richard Lewisohn (1915) sodium citrate stopped blood clotting, blood stored for few days
Richard Weil (1915) blood stored longer if refrigerated, larger vol. stored and greater scale
Lawrence Robertson (1915) indirect transfusion: syringe and tube, improved survival odds
Francis Rous/James Turner (1916) glucose citrate, stored up to 4 weeks and improved survival odds
Battle of Cambrai (1917) type O blood depots, improved survival odds as universal donor
Surgery in war (2)
-Debridement: Cutting away of dead/damaged/infected tissue to prevent spread of infection
-Amputation: worst case, 240000 men lost limbs by 1918 to prevent infection and death
