WW1 Medicine Flashcards
When was WW1?
1914 -1918
When was gas used for the first time?
Second Battle of Ypres
What were conditions like in the Third Battle of Ypres?
Very muddy - some even drowned in the mud
How many died on the first day of the Battle of the Somme?
20,000 killed and 57,000 casualties
When were tanks first used?
First used at Somme but lots of technical problems, first successful large scale use was Cambrai
What was the ground like at Arras?
Chalky which allowed them to tunnel 2.5 miles in 5 months
How many beds were there in the underground hospital at Arras (Thompson’s Cave)?
700
Name the symptoms of Trench Foot
Swelled and painful feet, likely to develop into gangrene
Name three preventions of trench foot
Whale Oil, Changing socks twice a day, mechanical pumps to reduce flooding?
Name the symptoms of trench fever
Headaches, fever, rashes
What causes trench fever?
Lice
How was trench fever prevented?
clothing and bedding were disinfected
bathhouses were built
louse-repellent gel was given to some soldiers to put on their clothes and bodies
soldiers picked lice out of their clothing by hand or ran a lit match down their seams
What is shellschock?
Mental disorder (PTSD) caused by prolonged exposure to stressful situations
Give three ways gas gangrene was treated
Carrell-Dakin Method
Wound Excision
Amputation
What is dysentery?
Disease from dirty water that causes diarrhea
Name three different types of gas used in attacks
Chlorine, Mustard, Phosgene
What were the symptoms of gas attacks?
Caused suffocation, which led soldiers to have difficulty breathing and sometimes caused death
Burned the skin, causing internal and external blisters
What is the order of the chain of evacuation?
Regimental Aid Post (RAP) - Dressing Station (ADS/MDS) - Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) - Base Hospital
What treatment was given at the RAP?
Emergency First Aid
How many stretcher bearers were their per battalion?
16
What system was used at the casualty clearing station to categories the wounded?
Triage System
Where were base hospitals usually located?
Close to the coast
Who were the RAMC?
All ranks of men who looked after the wounded e.g. doctors and stretcher bearers?
How many men were in the RAMC in 1914 and 1918?
9,000 - 131,000
What does FANY stand for?
First Aid Nursing Yeomanry
Who invented the Thomas Splint?
Hugh Owen Thomas
Name two problems with the mobile x-ray units
Fragile tubes overheated, took a long time to set up, could not detect all items in the body e.g. clothing
What chemical can be added to blood to prevent clotting?
Sodium Citrate
Who discovered that sodium citrate prevented blood from clotting in 1915?
Richard Lewisohn
When was the first blood bank used?
Battle of Cambrai
Who was a famous brain surgeon in WW1?
Harvey Cushing
What new techniques to Cushing use in brain surgery?
Using a magnet to remove fragments, using local anesthetics which reduced swelling of the brain
Name a famous plastic surgeon in WW1
Harold Gilles
