Types of illnesses/wounds

• Infection


  Caused by:

  • Fertiliser
  • Manure

  Symptoms/Problems:

  • Tetanus
  • Gangrene

  Treatments/Prevention:

  • 1914 - Anti-tetanus injections
• Trench fever


  Caused by:

  • Lice on the body

  Symptoms/Problems:

  • Flu-like symptoms
  • High temperature
  • Headaches
  • Aching muscles

  Treatment/Prevention:

  • Delousing stations
• Trench foot


  Caused by:

  • Standing in cold, muddy conditions for long periods of time

  Symptoms/Problems:

  • Painful swelling of the feet
  • Caused gangrene in the second stage

  Treatment/Prevention:

  • Rubbing whale oil into the feet
  • Keeping the feet dry and regularly changing socks
  • Amputation if the gangrene developed
• Shellshock 


  Caused by:

  • Causes were not known at the time

  Symptoms/Problems:

  • Tiredness
  • Headaches
  • Nightmares
  • Loss of speech
  • Uncontrollable shaking
  • Complete mental breakdown

  Treatment/Prevention:

  • Men were punished by being disgraced or court martialled
  • Some were shot as they were accused of cowardice
• Wounds


  Caused by:

  • Rifles
  • Shrapnel shells
  • Artillery
  • Machine guns

  Symptoms/Problems:

  • Gunshot wounds
  • Internal damage to the body and head
  • Blood loss
  • Broken bones
  • Loss of sight
  • Loss of hearing
  • Infection
  • Gangrene
  • Gas gangrene

  Treatment/Prevention:

  • 1915 - Brodie helmets introduced
• Gas 


  Caused by:

  • Gas attacks

  Symptoms/Problems:

  • Chlorine gas, first used in 1915, caused suffocation which caused difficulty breathing & sometimes death
  • Phosgene gas, first used in 1915, caused death by suffocation very quickly
  • Mustard gas, first used in 1917, caused burned the skin causing internal and external blisters

  Treatment/Prevention:

  • 1915 - Gas masks introduced