Medicine on the Western Front

Question 1

What did Wilhelm Rongten discover?

Answer 1

x-rays

Question 2

Which surgeon pioneered the use of antiseptic surgery?

Answer 2

Joseph Lister

Question 3

In what year did Joseph Lister publish the results of his work?

Answer 3

1867

Question 4

Which major surgical problem was unsolved by 1900?

Answer 4

blood loss

Question 5

What is the difference between antiseptic and aseptic surgery?

Answer 5

antiseptic destroys germs, aseptic aims to achieve a sterile environment

Question 6

When did Rongten make his discovery?

Answer 6

1895

Question 7

What was Karl Landsteiner’s important discovery?

Answer 7

He discovered blood groups.

Question 8

Which breakthrough by Louis Pasteur inspired the breakthrough in antiseptic surgery?

Answer 8

He recognised that germs were causing illness.

Question 9

Why would aseptic surgery be important on the Western Front?

Answer 9

It saved materials by preventing infection in the first place.

Question 10

Why was aseptic surgery very difficult to achieve on the western front?

Answer 10

Insanitary conditions

Question 11

Why would blood transfusions be so important?

Answer 11

A lot of wounds would leave bleeding gashes which were a huge cause of death.

Question 12

Why were X-ray machines vital pieces of equipment for surgeons on the Western Front?

Answer 12

They allowed surgeons to identify what bone was broken and where it was.

Question 13

What is one problem that would need to be solved in order to make blood transfusions even more valuable?

Answer 13

blood clotting

Question 14

What problem did treating wounds and infections tackle?

Answer 14

Bacteria could produce infection.

Question 15

What was the improvement or method in treating wounds or infections?

Answer 15

Aseptic surgery was invented to completely prevent infection.

Question 16

What were the benefits of development in treating wounds and infection?

Answer 16

More resources could be diverted elsewhere - little need for antiseptic surgery.

Question 17

What problem did Thomas Splint / Owen Thomas tackle?

Answer 17

Broken bones would deform if not supported.

Question 18

What was the improvement or method of Thomas Splint / Owen Thomas?

Answer 18

Adding steel bars to fractured bones to keep them straight.

Question 19

What was the benefit of the development from Thomas Splint / Owen Thomas?

Answer 19

Drastically increased survival rates.

Question 20

What problem did mobile x-ray machines tackle?

Answer 20

Helped locate bullets, shrapnel and worse in the body = less chance of infection if removed quickly.

Question 21

What was the improvement or method in x-ray?

Answer 21

By 1916, most CCSs and hospitals had x-ray equipment.

Question 22

What were the benefits of mobile x-ray machines?

Answer 22

less infections (fragments removed quickly)

Question 23

What problem did blood transfusion tackle?

Answer 23

Bleeding out was a common consequence of gun wounds.

Question 24

What was the improvement or method of blood transfusion?

Answer 24

Surgeons could afford to patch wounds more precisely as they could give more blood back.

Question 25

What were the benefits of development blood transfusion?

Answer 25

Less bleeding caused less death.

Question 26

What problem did plastic surgery tackle?

Answer 26

Severe deformations of the face from injuries.

Question 27

What was the improvement or method in plastic surgery?

Answer 27

Cartilage could be replaced.

Question 28

What was the benefit of the development of plastic surgery?

Answer 28

People could regain their looks and confidence.

Question 29

What problem did brain surgery tackle?

Answer 29

Head injuries were common in the trenches.

Question 30

What was the improvement or method of brain surgery?

Answer 30

X-rays could now be used to identify areas of the brain.

Question 31

What was the benefit of the development of brain surgery?

Answer 31

More soldiers could be healthy enough to cope in the army.

Question 32

What was wound excision or debridement?

Answer 32

The cutting away of dead, damaged and infected tissue from around the site of the wound.

Question 33

What injury or infection could wound excision help and why?

Answer 33

It could prevent infections such as Tetanus because it quickly stopped it from spreading to places like the spine where it could cause paralysis.

Question 34

What injury or infection could amputation help and why?

Answer 34

Most likely gangrene, because gangrene spread throughout the skin and it was visible which area should be amputated to stop the spread.

Question 35

What was the Carrel-Dakin method?

Answer 35

Using sterilised salt solution in the wound through a tube.

Question 36

What injury or infection could the Carrel-Dakin method help?

Answer 36

Most useful for smaller less serious wounds as it would quickly sterilise the soldiers for getting back on the front line.

Question 37

What development to medicine on the Western Front did Lawrence Bruce Robertson make?

Answer 37

Pioneered use of blood transfusions. Used the indirect method (a syringe and tube was used to transfer blood from the donor to the patient).

Question 38

What development to medicine on the Western Front did Geoffrey Keynes make?

Answer 38

Designed a portable blood transfusion kit. Added a device to the blood bottle which helped prevent clotting.

Question 39

What development to medicine on the Western Front did Richard Lewisohn make?

Answer 39

Discovered that by adding sodium citrate to blood, patients no longer needed to be in the same room as the donor.

Question 40

What development to medicine on the Western Front did Richard Weil make?

Answer 40

Discovered that blood with sodium citrate could be refrigerated and stored for up to two days.

Question 41

What development to medicine on the Western Front did Francis Rous and James Turner make?

Answer 41

Found that by adding a citrate glucose solution to blood, it could be stored for up to four weeks.

Question 42

What development to medicine on the Western Front did Oswald Hope Robertson make?

Answer 42

Saved 11 out of 20 men with 26 day old blood.

Question 43

What did Hugh Owen Thomas invent?

Answer 43

A splint to stop joints from moving (The Thomas Splint).

Question 44

What would surgeons do with 2 x-rays?

Answer 44

Take them from different angles to help the surgeon identify the location of shrapnel and bullets.

Question 45

What were 3 problems with x-rays in WW1?

Answer 45

1) Couldn't detect all objects of the body. 2) Length of time men had to stay still. 3) Tubes used in x-ray machines were fragile and overheated quite quickly.

Question 46

What did Harvey Cushing do?

Answer 46

Cushing found new techniques in brain surgery, and tried to find a solution for removing shrapnel from the brain.

Question 47

What did Harold Gillies do and why?

Answer 47

He developed plastic surgery because head injuries which didn't kill could cause severe disfigurement.