medicine factors: war

Question 1

medieval: medicine

Answer 1

Crusades (1100-1300):

• Christians came into contact with the more advanced Islamic medical texts whilst in the middle east.
• They brought the ideas and books (Canon of Medicine) back with them.
• For example, better hygiene, medicines and surgical procedures.

Question 2

medieval: surgery

Answer 2

100 Years War (1337-1453):

• John Arderne developed painkilling ointments of Hemlock, Opium and Henbane which reduced cauterisations.
• Wrote ‘A Practice for Surgery’ in 1350 which challenged Galen and Hippocrates

Question 3

early modern: medicine

Answer 3

British Sailors - James Lind:

• 1753, British sailors were travelling all over the world as part of the British Empire.
• A lack of vitamins and scurvy killed more sailors than warfare.
• James Lind worked out that the should have a daily dose of lime juice to stop it.

Question 4

early modern: surgery

Answer 4

The Italian War (1536-38):
- Ambroise Pare was a surgeon and army doctor in Italian War (Siege of Milan)
- Ran out of oil for cauterisation so used a mixture of egg yolk, turpentine, and rose oil.
Used ligatures to tie off wounds and invented the Crow’s Beak Clamp to halt bleeding.
- Developed artificial limbs
- Observed patients and wrote ‘Les Oeuvres’ in 1575 (widely used)

Question 5

19th century: medicine and surgery combined

Answer 5

Crimean War:

• Florence Nightingale cleaned up hospital wards and cut infection death rate from 40% to 2%
• Wrote books ‘Notes on Nursing’ and raised £44,000 to set up her own hospital.

Question 6

20th Century: medicine and surgery combined

Answer 6

World War Two (1939-45):

• Sped up production of penicillin
• Because of all of the consequences of the war, the people thought they deserved a brighter future with an improved healthcare system.
• Improved skin grafts from Archibald McIndoe (treating burned pilots)
• Heart surgery progressed with army surgeon Dwight Harken removing bullets and shrapnel.
• More vegetables grown.
• Better blood transfusions with 700,000 donors.
• Harold Ridley found Perspex splinters in eyes weren’t always rejected which improved cataract surgery
• Better medicines (i.e. Mepacrine an anti-malaria tablet)
• Evacuees had shocked people because urban children were often diseased or malnourished.
• Slum areas destroyed bombers (could rebuild better housing)
• Conditions led to Beveridge Report and eventual creation of Welfare State and NHS.