Other Injuries (Broken Bones Etc) Flashcards
What is neurosurgery
Surgery on the nervous system, especially on the brain or spine
What % of wounds were head, neck or face injuries, why were they common
20%
Uneven terrain, new weaponry eg shrapnel, infections reaching the brain, poor helmets; head exposed above trench walls, hard to move people who were confused or unconscious (slow down evacuation), injuries were misunderstood and treated by inexperienced doctors
What problems did surgeons/doctors face on the western front
Only candlelight allowed
Not enough people to help
Infection is a constant risk
Who was Harvey Cushing
American neurosurgeon who developed new brain surgery techniques on the western front eg removing foreign metallic objects using magnets as a less invasive method
Why was the war a catalyst for medical and surgical advancement
More casualties/injuries/blood loss, had to be more efficient
Surgical practice
Different weaponry and injuries
More disease being spread
Pressure to treat soldiers to return them to battle
What was the Thomas splint (1916)
a splint that stopped joints from moving in the leg, prevent further bone damage or bleeding
Used during patient transfer
20-82% survival rate from these types of injuries
What were mobile x ray machines
Identified shell fragments, bullets, broken bones
Accurately identify location and remove before infection
Couldn’t detect everything eg clothing fragments , had to stay still for several minutes, machines overheated quickly and couldn’t keep up with demand
Symptoms, cause, and treatment/prevention of trench fever
How many men were affected?
Flu-like
High temp
Headache
Aching muscles
Identified as contact with lice by 1918
Delousing stations, cases declined
Half a million men affected
Where was shellshock treated
(And how many men)
Craiglockheart hospital, around 2000 men
What were the treatments for shellshock
Solitary confinement
Electric shock treatment
Symptoms of shellshock
Uncontrollable shaking
Complete mental breakdown
Tiredness
Headaches
Nightmares
Loss of speech
How many men experiences shellshock, what was the cause
80,000 British troops
Stress of warfare
Shellshock was a very misunderstood condition, what was the real treatment needed?
People repressed their experiences and needed to talk about them
Why was shellshock so misunderstood
Thought of as cowardice
Symptoms of trench foot
Painful swelling of the feet
Gangrene
Cause of trench foot
Standing in cold mud + water
Prevention was key, what could they do
Rub whale oil into feet
Keep feet dry
Regularly change socks
What happened if trench foot developed gangrene
Amputation to stop the spread
What is gangrene
The decomposition of body tissue due to lack of blood supply
Symptoms and treatments from gas attacks
Blindness
Coughing
Loss of taste/smell for a few weeks
Psychological effects
Burning skin
Blisters
Suffocation
Skin cleansed, given oxygen
What % of British deaths were from gas attacks
<5%
What was the problem with gas attacks
Hard to target specific areas
The three types of gas used in warfare
Chlorine: used in 1915 by the Germans in the 2nd battle of Ypres
Phosgene: used at the end of 1915 near Ypres
Mustard: used in 1917 by the Germans
Why were soldiers with wounds likely to get bacterial infections?
Fertiliser in the soil, causing gas gangrene or tetanus,
Is there a cure for gas gangrene
No, could spread within a day and kill the person
When was the anti-tetanus injection, how effective was it
1914
Greatly reduced impact
What helmet was introduced in 1915, how effective was it compared to the previously used soft caps
The Brodie helmet
(Steel helmet with strap)
Reduced fatal head wounds by 80%
Why were rifles so effective
Automatic rapid fire
Pointed bullets
Bayonet (fight at short + long distance)
Reliable
Powerful
Long barrels made them accurate up to 500m
Why were machine guns so effective
500 rounds per minute
Can pierce organs/fracture bones
Can devastate attacking forces over no man’s land
Why was artillery so effective
Bigger and more powerful cannons
900kg shells
Continuous bombardments for weeks/months
Caused half of all casualties
Why was shrapnel so effective
Target more than one person
Caused 58% of all wounds
Exploded shell or shrapnel could kill or injure a soldier immediately
What did Marie Curie do in WW1
Built mobile x ray units to be used to detect shrapnel on the frontline
Benefits of early x rays
See broken bones, shrapnel
Non-invasive
Reduces risk of infection
Helps to make a diagnosis
Problems with early x rays
Radiation poisoning, limit exposure
Fragile, broke easily
Long process (around 90mins)
Difficult to move large machines
Expensive
High demand
