Medicine Through Time (Western Front) Flashcards
What was Trench fever cause by?
Body Lice
What were the symptoms of Trench fever?
Flu-like symptoms (high temperature, headache, aching muscles)
What were the solutions for Trench fever?
Delousing stations were set up
What is trench foot caused by?
Standing in cold water or mud
What were the symptoms of Trench foot?
Painful swelling of the feet, eventually leading to gangrene (decomposition)
What were the solutions for trench foot?
Rubbing whale oil on the feet; keeping dry and changing socks regularly; amputation (worst case)
What was gas gangrene caused by?
Open wounds infected by bacteria from soil
What were the symptoms of gas gangrene?
Dead tissue. The bacteria caused gas to build
up in the wound
What were the solutions of gas gangrene?
Amputation of infected areas
What was shell shock caused by?
Psychological damage, due to being exposed to heavy bombardment
What were the symptoms of shell shock?
Tiredness, nightmares, headaches, loss of
speech, shaking, mental breakdown
What were the solutions of shell shock?
In some cases,treatment back in Britain.
Generally, shellshock was misunderstood and sufferers were often accused of cowardice
What were shrapnel injuries caused by?
Being hit by bullets or shrapnel from rifles/explosions
What were the symptoms of shrapnel injuries?
Pieces of metal would penetrate the body,
taking with it parts of uniform, soil and dirt
What were solutions for shrapnel injuries?
Steel Brodie helmets were worn to protect the head
What were gas attack injuries caused by?
Chlorine, phosgene and mustard gas
What were the symptoms of gas attack injuries?
- Burning skin, internal and external blisters,
death by suffocation. - Massive psychological impact – fear
and panic
What were the solutions for gas attack injuries?
Gas masks were developed in 1915
What was the chain of evacuation?
A system to get the wounded from the front line to a safe area for treatment
Two features of the Regimental Aid post?
- Set up a few metres behind the front line, so aimed to get as many men as possible back to fighting
- It gave immediate first aid but could not deal with serious injuries
Give two features of the Dressing stations (ADS and MDS) (3)
- Dealt with more serious injuries
- Located in abandoned buildings, bunkers or tents
- They collected injured men from the RAP using horse-drawn ambulances and stretcher bearers
Give two features of the CCS?
- often dealt with critical injuries
- There were a triage system, where men were divided into three groups: the walking wounded, those needing hospital treatment, those who had no chance of survival
Two features of Base hospitals?
- Located near the coast so wounded men could be shipped back to Britain
- Divided patients into different wards according to their wounds, allowing doctors to specialise and experiment in specific injuries
What was the RAMC?
Royal Army Medical Corps, the branch of the army responsible for medical care, founded in 1898
What was the FANY?
- First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, founded in 1907
- A women’s organization which sent volunteers to the Western Front
- Supported medical services on the front line, by driving ambulances and giving emergency first aid
State three features of the hospital in Arras
- It was underground as it was built in the tunnels created by the British
- It had electricity and piped water
- Waiting rooms for the wounded and 700 spaces where stretchers could be placed as beds
What was used at first to carry the sick and wounded and what was an issue with them?
Horse-drawn ambulance wagons, they were so shaky so often made injuries worse
What kind of ambulance was introduced after horse-drawn ambulance wagons?
motorised ambulances, however horse-drawn wagons were still used where the ground was too muddy for motor vehicles
How were wounded men taken to Base hospitals on the coast?
By train or canal, with some trains even having operating theatres
