Medical problems on the Western Front Flashcards
What were the symptoms of trench foot?
- Painful swelling of the feet caused by standing in cold mud and water
- Can turn numb, red or blue, sores and ulcers
- In the second stage, gangrene set in
What is gangrene and what was it caused by?
Gangrene is the decomposition of body tissue, due to the loss of blood supply. The soil in the trenches was filled with a rich fertiliser that carried a bacteria which could cause gangrene infection.
Prevention was key to dealing with trench foot- what were the attempted solutions?
- Rubbing whale oil into feet to protect them
- Keeping feet as dry as possible
- Regularly changing socks
- If gangrene developed, amputation was the only solution to stop it spreading up the leg
Trench fever was a major problem as it affected an estimate of ____ men on the Western Front.
half a million
By ___, the cause of trench fever had been identified as ___.
1918; contact with lice.
What were the symptoms of trench fever?
Flu-like symptoms:
- Headache
- High temperature
- Aching muscles
Once the cause of trench fever had been identified, what was set up to solve the problem?
Delousing stations were set up. There was then a decline in numbers of men experiencing the condition.
It has been suggested that about ___ british troops experienced shellshock.
80,000
What were the symptoms of shellshock?
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Loss of speech
- Uncontrollable shaking
- Mental breakdown
The condition was not well understood at the time. What is shellshock now known to be?
PTSD.
How was shellshock dealt with?
- In some cases, such as Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, this involved treatment back in Britain.
- Some who suffered this were accused of cowardice; many were punished, some even shot.
The ___ hospital in Edinburgh treated ___ men for shellshock.
Craiglockhart; 2000.
Shrapnel =
pieces of a bomb, shell, or bullet that has exploded- hot metal flying through the air.
Why could even a minor shrapnel wound lead to death?
The wound could easily become infected.
When was the Brodie Helmet introduced?
1915.
The introduction of the Brodie Helmet reduced head wounds by __%.
80%.
What did soldiers have before Brodie Helmets?
The only protection they had was a flat cap.
How were blood transfusions improved in 1915?
Richard Lewisohn discovered that adding sodium citrate to blood stopped clotting, allowing blood to be refrigerated for days.
How were blood transfusions improved in 1916?
Francis Rous and James Turner discovered that adding citrate glucose to blood allowed it to be stored for months.
In __, Richard Lewisohn discovered that adding sodium citrate to blood stopped clotting, allowing blood to be refrigerated for days.
1915
In 1915, __ __ discovered that adding sodium citrate to blood stopped clotting, allowing blood to be refrigerated for days.
Richard Lewisohn
In 1915, Richard Lewisohn discovered that adding __ __ to blood stopped clotting, allowing blood to be refrigerated for days.
sodium citrate
In __, Francis Rous and James Turner discovered that adding citrate glucose to blood allowed it to be stored for months.
1916
In 1916, __ __ and __ __ discovered that adding citrate glucose to blood allowed it to be stored for months.
Francis Rous, James Turner
