Medicine Through Time (Western Front)

Question 1

What was Trench fever cause by?

Answer 1

Body Lice

Question 2

What were the symptoms of Trench fever?

Answer 2

Flu-like symptoms (high temperature, headache, aching muscles)

Question 3

What were the solutions for Trench fever?

Answer 3

Delousing stations were set up

Question 4

What is trench foot caused by?

Answer 4

Standing in cold water or mud

Question 5

What were the symptoms of Trench foot?

Answer 5

Painful swelling of the feet, eventually leading to gangrene (decomposition)

Question 6

What were the solutions for trench foot?

Answer 6

Rubbing whale oil on the feet; keeping dry and changing socks regularly; amputation (worst case)

Question 7

What was gas gangrene caused by?

Answer 7

Open wounds infected by bacteria from soil

Question 8

What were the symptoms of gas gangrene?

Answer 8

Dead tissue. The bacteria caused gas to build
up in the wound

Question 9

What were the solutions of gas gangrene?

Answer 9

Amputation of infected areas

Question 10

What was shell shock caused by?

Answer 10

Psychological damage, due to being exposed to heavy bombardment

Question 11

What were the symptoms of shell shock?

Answer 11

Tiredness, nightmares, headaches, loss of
speech, shaking, mental breakdown

Question 12

What were the solutions of shell shock?

Answer 12

In some cases,treatment back in Britain.
Generally, shellshock was misunderstood and sufferers were often accused of cowardice

Question 13

What were shrapnel injuries caused by?

Answer 13

Being hit by bullets or shrapnel from rifles/explosions

Question 14

What were the symptoms of shrapnel injuries?

Answer 14

Pieces of metal would penetrate the body,
taking with it parts of uniform, soil and dirt

Question 15

What were solutions for shrapnel injuries?

Answer 15

Steel Brodie helmets were worn to protect the head

Question 16

What were gas attack injuries caused by?

Answer 16

Chlorine, phosgene and mustard gas

Question 17

What were the symptoms of gas attack injuries?

Answer 17

• Burning skin, internal and external blisters,
  death by suffocation.
• Massive psychological impact – fear
  and panic

Question 18

What were the solutions for gas attack injuries?

Answer 18

Gas masks were developed in 1915

Question 19

What was the chain of evacuation?

Answer 19

A system to get the wounded from the front line to a safe area for treatment

Question 20

Two features of the Regimental Aid post?

Answer 20

• 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

Question 21

Give two features of the Dressing stations (ADS and MDS) (3)

Answer 21

• 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

Question 22

Give two features of the CCS?

Answer 22

• 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

Question 23

Two features of Base hospitals?

Answer 23

• 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

Question 24

What was the RAMC?

Answer 24

Royal Army Medical Corps, the branch of the army responsible for medical care, founded in 1898

Question 25

What was the FANY?

Answer 25

• 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

Question 26

State three features of the hospital in Arras

Answer 26

• 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

Question 27

What was used at first to carry the sick and wounded and what was an issue with them?

Answer 27

Horse-drawn ambulance wagons, they were so shaky so often made injuries worse

Question 28

What kind of ambulance was introduced after horse-drawn ambulance wagons?

Answer 28

motorised ambulances, however horse-drawn wagons were still used where the ground was too muddy for motor vehicles

Question 29

How were wounded men taken to Base hospitals on the coast?

Answer 29

By train or canal, with some trains even having operating theatres