medicine on the western front - injuries Flashcards
what was trench foot
- swelling of feet - caused by standing in wet trenches
- gangrene + decomposition of foot
- amputation often needed
how was trench foot prevented?
- changing socks
- whale oil
- attempts to reduce waterlogged trenches
what was trench fever
- cold/ flu like symptoms
- spread by lice
- half a million men affected
how was trench fever prevented
- delousing stations
what was shell shock?
PTSD
- not understood at time - (not yet diagnosed, nervous)
- tiredness, headaches, nightmares, loss of speech, shaking, mental breakdown
- 80,000 troops experienced
what were reactions to shell shock
- seen as cowardice
- possible treatment in uk
- many soldiers shot for having it
what were the new wounds in ww1
- shells
- shrapnel
what were injuries caused by shells and shrapnel
- fractured bones and pierced organs
- immediate death/ injury
- 58% of wounds
- shrapnel from shell explosions would embed themselves in soldiers
what happened to shrapnel injuries
infected - developed gangrene
- tetanus infections injections in1914 helped reduce this
what was used to treat shrapnel wounds
amputation
what was worn to prevent shrapnel wounds
steel brodie helmet
- reduced fatal head wounds by 80%
what were the 3 types of gas used
chlorine (ypres 1915)
phosgene (1915)
mustard (1917)
how many people were killed by gas attacks
6000- relatively low but caused mass panic and fear
what did chlorine gas cause
chlorine - death by suffocation
what did phosgene gas cause
killed exposed person in 2 days
