WW1 Injuries

Question 1

What were some key features of Shellshock (PTSD)?

Answer 1

• It was caused by a psychological reaction to war
  experiences
• In 1916, there were 16,000 cases in 6 months
  -There were a total of 80,000 recorded cases
• Rest, food and “talks” were used as treatments

Question 2

How many recorded cases of Shellshock were there during the war?

Answer 2

80,000

Question 3

What were some key features of Trench Fever?

Answer 3

• It was spread by lice that lived in seams of clothing
• It caused severe headaches, shivering and pain in
  bones/joints
• From July 1917-18, 15% of men were unfit due to trench
  fever
• To combat this, soldiers were given louse repellent,
  had bath houses set up, and had their clothes sprayed
  with disinfectant

(Rats in trenches also spread typhoid)

Question 4

What percentage of men were deemed unfit to fight as a result of trench fever from July 1917 to 1918?

Answer 4

15%

Question 5

What were some key features of Trenchfoot?

Answer 5

• Developed as a result of waterlogged trenches which
  caused the deterioration of capillaries and therefore
  insufficient blood flow to the feet - flesh would
  eventually die
• Feet became numb, swollen and blistered
• Amputation was often the only treatment
• Duckboards were used as a prevention method, and
  soldiers were given whale oil to rub on their feet.

Question 6

What were some key features of Firearm wounds?

Answer 6

• Shrapnel and bullets could destroy tissue + pull
  clothes into wounds causing infection
• Artillery and machine guns often lead to amputations
• 41,000 men had to have their limbs amputated during
  the war
• The first helmet (Brodie Helmet) was invented in 1915

Question 7

Describe the features of different poison gases

Answer 7

Chlorine (22nd April 1915) - An asphyxiating gas, which deprived a soldier of oxygen, and they died from suffocation

Mustard (July 1917) - Caused blisters and could result in blindness, could take days for sufferer to die

(Both developed by Fritz Haber)

Phosgene (December 1915) - Caused suffocation, and was colourless and hard to detect. Symptoms took 24 hours to set in

Tear (Lachrymatory) gas (April 1915) , inflamed the lungs and throats of soldiers, it was used to disable soldiers rather than kill them

Question 8

Describe the work of Dr Harvey Cushing

Answer 8

He was an American surgeon who treated head injuries during the war. He halved the number of deaths by brain surgery during the war, and used X-rays to find shrapnel in the brain and drew it out using magnets. However his efforts were limited by slow evacuation and lack of brain imagine techniques

Question 9

Describe the work of Geoffrey Keynes

Answer 9

He created a portable machine for blood storage that could take blood nearer to the front lines

Question 10

Describe the development of plastic surgery w relation to WW1

Answer 10

Plastic surgery was motivated by WW1 - A British doctor HAROLD GILLIES set up a unit to transplant skin for soldiers with facial wounds. Gillies developed a plastic surgery technique called the TUBE PEDICLE which made skin grafting and facial reconstruction more effective

In 1917, QUEEN’S HOSPITAL was set up in Kent to treat soldiers with facial wounds

Question 11

How many people died from gas use in WW1?

And when were gas attacks outlawed?

Answer 11

90,000, most of which were Russian as the Russians weren’t given face masks

Gas attacks were outlawed by the Geneva Protocol in 1925

Question 12

Describe the reasons why brain surgery improved during WW1

Answer 12

The number of serious head injuries was high early on in the war. One reason was due to soldiers standing in the trenches (which were usually 6/7ft), and this made their heads the most vulnerable part of the body. However little surgery was carried out on the brain, as time could be spent operating on men with simpler wounds. Initially, head wounds were simply bandaged to reduce blood loss, and there was little surgery - which pushed surgeons to try new ideas e.g. HARVEY CUSHING + BRODIE HELMET INVENTED IN 1915

Question 13

How did army medics tackle infection?

Answer 13

Wounds were washed with the antiseptic CARBOLIC LOTION, closed up and then wrapped with bandages soaked in carbolic acid

Amputations were also carried out to prevent life threatening infections

An anti tetanus serum was given to injured soldiers on the front lines

A paraffin paste called BIPP was used to cover wounds to prevent infection

Question 14

Describe features of gas gangrene

Answer 14

• An infection of tissue, symptoms included

fever.
air under the skin.
pain in the area around a wound.
swelling in the area around a wound.
pale skin that quickly turns gray, dark red, purple, or black.
blisters with foul-smelling discharge.

Question 15

Why was wound infection a large problem?

Answer 15

• Many trenches were dug in farmland, which was covered in bacteria from fertilisers
• In Flanders, drainage ditches had been destroyed by shelling, so trenches were often waterlogged and bacteria thrived
• Wounded men often had to lie in contaminated mud in trenches or no man’s land for days, increasing the risk of becoming infected

(A large risk for the army and medical corps, as it meant those with very minor injuries were still at risk of developing fatal infections)

Question 16

Describe delayed primary closure

Answer 16

A method of treatment in which a wound was thoroughly explored, and bits of clothing or shrapnel were removed beforehand, then removing all damaged tissue and washing the wound with antiseptic, which decreased the chance of infection

Then, the wound was left open to air for up to 2 days. The wound would be checked again under a microscope, and if there were no signs of infection, the wound was closed up.

(Developed by ANTOINE DEPAGE)

Question 17

Describe the method that inspired Depage’s delayed primary closure

Answer 17

IRRIGATION - Developed by HENRY DAKIN and ALEXIS CARREL, who created an antiseptic solution that could be flushed into a wound using rubber tubes before closure