med on the western front

• july 1916 -> The battle of the somme
• during the third battle of Ypres there were over 200,000 casualties
• 3rd battle of Ypres there were 379 medical officers
• Barbed wire was in front of the trench to make it harder for enemy infantry to attack head on
• The support trench protected front trench from shell bombardments. It was connected to the front line by communication trenches
• shelling and entrenchment damaged roads and terrain on the western front
• The FANY provided transport services to the allied armies.
• Paraffin paste called Bipp was given to injured soldiers to cover wounds to prevent infection
• Dr Harold Gillies, a British surgeon treated serious facial injuries. He developed a plastic surgery technique called the tube pedicle which made skin grafting and facial reconstruction more effective.
• 1915 -> metal 'Brodie' helmets
• At the start of the war 80% of men who suffered a fractured femur died, after creation of the Thomas splint only 20% of men with this kind of injury died