WW1 Medicine Flashcards
When was the 1st Battle of Ypres?
1914
What happened during the 1st Battle of Ypres?
First time using mines under German positions
When was the 2nd Battle of Ypres?
1915
What happened during the 2nd Battle of Ypres
First use of chlorine gas by Germans
When was the Battle of the Somme?
1916
What happened during the Battle of the Somme?
Bloodiest battle
400000 casualties
Used first tanks
When was the Battle of Arras?
1917
What happened during the Battle of Arras?
British built tunnels for bases and an underground hospital with 700 beds
When was the Battle of Cambrai?
1918
What happened during the Battle of Cambrai?
First tank battle (450 tanks used)
What was used to transport the wounded?
Stretcher bearers
Horse ambulance
Ambulance cars
Trains
What was the problem with horse ambulances?
Often made patients worse beacuse of the shaky, unstable journey
What was the problem with ambulance cars?
Shortage at the start of war
Hard to drive on destroyed roads
What were the names of the trenches (in order from closest to No Man’s Land)?
Frontline
Support
Reserve
All linked via the communication trenches
What structure was used to prevent trench foot in the trenches?
Duckboard
What was a dugout?
Hole in trench used for cover
What caused trench foot?
Standing in waterlogged trenches with no change of boots or socks
How did they try to prevent trench foot?
Soldiers carried 3 pairs of socks and changed them twice in a day
Whale oil rubbed onto feet
Tried pumping water out of trenches
What were the different types of gases used?
Chlorine, phosgene, mustard
When was chlorine gas first used?
1915
When was phosgene gas first used?
1915
When was mustard gas first used?
1917
What did mustard gas do?
Caused internal + external blisters even through clothes
What were the symptoms of shellshock?
Tiredness
Nightmares
Loss of speech
Uncontrollable shaking
Complete mental breakdown
What was trench fever?
Flu-like illness caused by lice, affected 500000 soldiers
Prevented using delousing stations
What percentage of injuries were caused by shrapnel/artillery shells?
58%
Who were the RAMC?
Royal Army Medical Corps
Responsible for medical care and organised treatments
Who were the FANY?
First Aid Nursing Yeomanry
Drove ambulances, delivered supplies to the battlefield and set up mobile baths
What were the steps of the chain of evacuation?
Regimental Aid Post ->
Advanced Dressing Station ->
Casualty Clearing Station ->
Base Hospital
What did Regimental Aid Posts do?
Close to front line, gave immediate first aid
What did Advanced Dressing Stations do?
Dealt with more serious issues
Had medical officers but no surgery
What did Casualty Clearing Stations do?
Had doctors, x-ray machines and operating theatres
Treated critical injuries
What did Base Hospitals do?
Treated the worst of the worst
Had the most equipment and technology
Even some specialist hospitals for things like head wounds or plastic surgery existed
When were x-rays discovered?
1901
Who discovered x-rays?
Wilhelm Roentgen
What were the issues with early x-ray machines?
Slow and impossible to move around
What were the issues with mobile x-ray units?
Took ages
Poor quality images
Overheated very quickly (could only be used 3 times an hour)
When and how could blood start being stored?
1915
Sodium Citrate stopped blood clotting
When was the Thomas Splint invented?
1915
How did the Thomas Splint work?
Kept leg straight to bone would heal in correct position
Survival rates increased form 20% to 80%
How was brain surgery improved?
Development of magnets to withdraw metal objects from skull
Local anaesthetics used to stop brain swelling
Chain of evacuation meant that people with head injuries were taken to hospitals faster
Specialist base hospitals built just for head injuries
Who pioneered plastic surgery?
Harold Giles
How was plastic surgery done?
Using skin grafts (taking skin from one area of the body and putting it on another)
Using jaw splints, wiring and replacement cheeks
How many specialist hospitals for plastic surgery were in France by 1915?
7, totalling to 12000 operations done
How was gas gangrene treated?
Amputation
Wound excision - cutting away dead tissue around a wound to reduce infection
The Carrel-Dakin method - sterilised salt solution pumped in wound through tube
What were the issues with the Carrel-Dakin method?
Only lasted for 6 hours
There wasn’t enough of it
Had to be ready made beforehand
