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Western Front: Illnesses and Wounds (Trench foot (lead to gangrene (dead…
Western Front:
Illnesses and Wounds
Infection
bacteria in soil
wounds hugely swollen with gas
turned white, then green, then bubbling sound
antiseptic dressings on wounds
more powerful shell fragments deep in body
fragments of muddy clothing + dirt caused infection
Trench foot
lead to gangrene
dead flesh and body tissue
insufficient blood flow which lead to amputation
British army lost 120000 men to trench foot
feet were numb, swollen, blistered and turned blue
mechanical pumps
stopped waterlogging
tight boots restricted blood flow
drainage system
waterlogged trenches
men provided with 3 pairs of socks & whale oil
men split into pairs to look after each other's feet
Trench Fever
severe headaches, shivering, bone pains, joint pains
relapsing fever
PUO - Pyrexia of Unknown Origin
caused by lice 'greybacks' everywhere on clothing etc
wet + cramped trenches
prevent
bathhouses
louse repellent gel
underclothes in paraffin
Gas
phosphene & mustard gas later used
hard to get
easy to defend against
1915 effective gas could kill enemy
Germany used chlorine gas
chlorine gas suffocates soldiers
urinating on handkerchiefs and holding against face prevents
hard to treat
caused blindness, loss of taste, smell & coughing
doctors gave victims oxygen, washed skin
NYD.N
(aka shell shock)
N
ot
Y
et
D
iagnosed
confusion/puzzle
often shell shock
medical officers examine individuals
plastic surgery - skin grafts, jaw splints and wiring metal plates
invented by Harold Gillies
replaced destroyed parts of the body
families were not as disturbed
The Thomas Splint
invented by Hugh Owen Thomas
doctors only had very basic splints to fix a wounded leg. The splint pulled the leg length ways, stopping the bones grinding on each other & reducing blood loss
x-rays machines and mobile x-ray machines
invented by Rontgen
x-rays meant they could identify where bullets were in the body before surgery
portable and easy to see bullets
brain surgery - saline solutions and surgical magnets
developed/invented by scientists
dealt with serious head injuries
reduced internal bleeding
storage of blood
Invented by Geoffrey Keynes
dealt with the problem of needing to store blood near the front line (dealt with blood loss)
portable machine used for storing the blood near the front line
meant spare blood was near in case of a soldier needing a blood transfusion
citrate glucose needed to store blood
blood transfusions
rarely worked during 1800s
1901 Karl Landsteiner discovered blood group
made transfusions possible as they could identify blood groups
blood clotted when doctors tried to store it
sodium citrate added to stop blood clotting