western front Flashcards
when was ww1
1914-1918
what time period was ww1 during
modern
what was aseptic surgery
where microbes are removed from the operating theatre before instead of killed after
what did they do before aseptic surgery
all staff wash faces, arms, hands before
rubbery gloves and gown
steam to sterilise
air sterilised
who discovered the xray
wilhelm roentgen
what were the early limitations of xrays
1500x higher radiation that todays
glass tube broke easily
took 90 minutes on hand
large machines difficult to move
what were later developments of xrays
put on back of ambulances
photo speed improved
glass tubes stronger
who and when were blood groups discovered
1901 karl landsteiner
how were blood transfusions developed
added citrate glucose to store for 4 weeks
what was the impact of blood groups
meant wounded could have transfusions closer to the front line to stop shock or blood loss/ lives saved drastically increased
why was terrain a transport problem
evacuation difficulties
previously farmlands so no road
bacteria caused infection
what were stretcher bearers
four men per stretcher
collected wounded from no mans land
what were the problems of a horse drawn carriage
too slow
shook making injuries worse
couldnt take lots of
what were motor ambulances
512 donated by british public
donated by volunteer nurses
what were train ambulances
by nov 1914 ambulances had stretchers and some operating theatres
what were barge ambulances
canal barges
go straight to ships through canals
what were bad conditions in trenches
exposed sewage
dead bodies
flooding
frostbite
rat and lice infestations
rapid spread of disease
what were trench foot symptoms
painful swelling from standing in mud and water
led to gangrene
what were solutions to gangrene
prevention
whale oil
keep feet dry and change socks
gangrene-amputation
what were symptoms of trench fever
flu like symptoms
half a million men affected
what were solutions of trench fever
indentified as contact lice
set up delousing stations
what were shellshock symptoms
tiredness, headaches, nightmares, loss of speech, uncontrollable shaking and mental breakdown
what were shellshock solutions
some treated in britain
called cowards and punished
what was responsible for 58% of wounds
shrapnel and explosives
what was gas gangrene
wounds exposed to chemical gas
killed within 24 hours
what was chlorine gas 1915
suffocation
first used by germans
issued gas masks
what was phosgene gas 1915
first used at the end of 1915
similar but faster than chlorine
what was mustard gas 1917
first used by germans
odourless
passed through clothes and cause internal and external blisters
what was the RAMC
royal army medical corps that dealt with anything medical
what was FANY
first aid nursing yeomanry
group of volunteer nurses first refused by british so they worked for the french and belgium until british realised their worth
what was the chain of evacuation in order
reginmental aid post
advanced dressing station
main dressing station
casualty clearing station
base hospitals
regimental aid post
within trenches
patch up soldiers
advanced dressing station
400 meters off front line
tent or bunker
main dressing station
half a mile back
abandoned building
RAMC worked and kept field ambulances
kept wounded for a week
casualty clearing station
far back
walk wounded- patched and returned
hospital treatment- life threatening injuries sent to base hospitals
severely wounded- confortable before death
base hospitals
near coast
continued casualty clearing station operations depending on doctors field
what was the arras underground hospital
nov 1916
fully working hospital with water electric wards and operating theatre
800 meters of tunnels and medical staff
abandoned in 1917 due to germans destroying water supply
what was the thomas splint
pulled the leg back to avoid the bone sticking out the leg and prevent severe blood loss
how did the thomas splint change the survival rate of shrapnel
20% to 82%
what were solutions to infection
removing dead damaged ir infected tissue
amputating limbs to prevent spreading
what were the problems of head and brain injuries
hard to move through the chain of evacuation
few doctors with medical experience
what was the impact of head injuries
men operated in quickly
not moved for three weeks after
magnets removed shrapnel
thoroughly checked for gangrene
why was plastic surgery used
helping wounded who were badly scarred and disfigured from their wounds
