Medical problems on the Western Front

Question 1

What were the symptoms of trench foot?

Answer 1

• Painful swelling of the feet caused by standing in cold mud and water
• Can turn numb, red or blue, sores and ulcers
• In the second stage, gangrene set in

Question 2

What is gangrene and what was it caused by?

Answer 2

Gangrene is the decomposition of body tissue, due to the loss of blood supply. The soil in the trenches was filled with a rich fertiliser that carried a bacteria which could cause gangrene infection.

Question 3

Prevention was key to dealing with trench foot- what were the attempted solutions?

Answer 3

• Rubbing whale oil into feet to protect them
• Keeping feet as dry as possible
• Regularly changing socks
• If gangrene developed, amputation was the only solution to stop it spreading up the leg

Question 4

Trench fever was a major problem as it affected an estimate of ____ men on the Western Front.

Answer 4

half a million

Question 5

By ___, the cause of trench fever had been identified as ___.

Answer 5

1918; contact with lice.

Question 6

What were the symptoms of trench fever?

Answer 6

Flu-like symptoms:

• Headache
• High temperature
• Aching muscles

Question 7

Once the cause of trench fever had been identified, what was set up to solve the problem?

Answer 7

Delousing stations were set up. There was then a decline in numbers of men experiencing the condition.

Question 8

It has been suggested that about ___ british troops experienced shellshock.

Answer 8

80,000

Question 9

What were the symptoms of shellshock?

Answer 9

• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Loss of speech
• Uncontrollable shaking
• Mental breakdown

Question 10

The condition was not well understood at the time. What is shellshock now known to be?

Answer 10

PTSD.

Question 11

How was shellshock dealt with?

Answer 11

• In some cases, such as Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, this involved treatment back in Britain.
• Some who suffered this were accused of cowardice; many were punished, some even shot.

Question 12

The ___ hospital in Edinburgh treated ___ men for shellshock.

Answer 12

Craiglockhart; 2000.

Question 13

Shrapnel =

Answer 13

pieces of a bomb, shell, or bullet that has exploded- hot metal flying through the air.

Question 14

Why could even a minor shrapnel wound lead to death?

Answer 14

The wound could easily become infected.

Question 15

When was the Brodie Helmet introduced?

Answer 15

1915.

Question 16

The introduction of the Brodie Helmet reduced head wounds by __%.

Answer 16

80%.

Question 17

What did soldiers have before Brodie Helmets?

Answer 17

The only protection they had was a flat cap.

Question 18

How were blood transfusions improved in 1915?

Answer 18

Richard Lewisohn discovered that adding sodium citrate to blood stopped clotting, allowing blood to be refrigerated for days.

Question 19

How were blood transfusions improved in 1916?

Answer 19

Francis Rous and James Turner discovered that adding citrate glucose to blood allowed it to be stored for months.

Question 20

In __, Richard Lewisohn discovered that adding sodium citrate to blood stopped clotting, allowing blood to be refrigerated for days.

Answer 20

1915

Question 21

In 1915, __ __ discovered that adding sodium citrate to blood stopped clotting, allowing blood to be refrigerated for days.

Answer 21

Richard Lewisohn

Question 22

In 1915, Richard Lewisohn discovered that adding __ __ to blood stopped clotting, allowing blood to be refrigerated for days.

Answer 22

sodium citrate

Question 23

In __, Francis Rous and James Turner discovered that adding citrate glucose to blood allowed it to be stored for months.

Answer 23

1916

Question 24

In 1916, __ __ and __ __ discovered that adding citrate glucose to blood allowed it to be stored for months.

Answer 24

Francis Rous, James Turner

Question 25

In 1916, Francis Rous and James Turner discovered that adding __ __ to blood allowed it to be stored for months.

Answer 25

citrate glucose

Question 26

Name 2 new medical techniques developed during WW2.

Answer 26

1) 1915: the Thomas Splint was a secure way of setting wounds that reduced deaths from broken wounds to 20%. 2) Portable X-Rays (new invention - meant scanners could be transported in ambulance trucks)