History WF

• The battle of arras


  Underground hospitals and tunnels.
• The battle of the Somme

  Tanks were used for the first time,- 400,000 British casualties
• 1st and 2nd battle of Ypres

  1st battle to use poisonous gas- Chlorine ,Hill 60
• The battle of Cambrai


  first large-scale use of tanks; both sides surprised by success
• Barbed wire


  Make it harder for the enemy to get into the trench
• trench foot


  By standing in water logged trenches, cold mud and water for hours at a time.
• Trench foot outcomes and treatments

  Lead to gangrene which could be treated by amputations.
• Shell shock


  Where soldiers were traumatised by what they witnessed during the war- symptoms tiredness, nightmares, loss of speech, soldiers complete mental breakdown - 80,000 British soldiers experienced
• How did the army attempt to tackle the problem of shell shock?

  They kept them near the frontline but with food and provided talking therapy - Although accused of cowardice-some were shot
• Trench fever


  Spread through lice
• symptoms of trench fever


  shivering and pains in the bone and joint-aching muscles, high temperature, headaches
• Gas attacks


  Not a major cause of death but caused temporary blindness and coughing.- 6,000 British soldiers died
• Head injuries


  Common, mostly caused by shrapnel as it exploded in the air above the enemy, causing maximum deaths- symptoms often 2 weeks - blind loss of taste and smell, suffocation - chlorine gas

  mustard. - internal/ external blisters
• prevention of head injuries

  Brodie helmets -reduced fatal head wounds by 80%
• Infection problems


  As a result of bullets and shell fragments getting into the body this lead to soil and clothing being inside the body which lead to infection. bacterial in the soil-Tetanus and gas gangrene
• Stretcher bearers


  Would take the wounded from the battle fields on stretcher beds to the regimental aid post. Usually 16 men per battalion -took 4 men to carry a soldier
• Regimental Aid Post


  Close to the front line - 200m- often in communication trenches

  could not deal with serious diseases
• Dressing station


  400m and a half away from the front line-in abandoned buildings. Could deal with 150 wounded men, Staffed by 10 medical officers, medical orderlies and stretcher bearers. Patients could stay for 1 week
• Casualty clearing station


  Located 10 miles

  Large well equipped medical- preform operations with operating theatres, mobile x-rays, wards with beds- operated critical injuries. had a triage system to prioritise treatment. Increasingly did more operations
• Base hospitals


  Hospitals near railway stations so patients could easily be moved. Final stage of the evacuation route so soldiers were either sent to England or returned back to the fighting grounds- specialised centres and wards
• 4 modes of transport

  Horse drawn ambulances, trains, stretcher bearers and motor ambulances.
• The Thomas splint


  Kept the leg rigid and stopped the joints from moving. Reduced blood loss and survival rate from this type of wound from 20% to 82%.
• The Thomas splint- What impact did it have

  Reduced blood loss and survival rate from this type of wound from 20% to 82%.
• blood transfusion


  transfer of blood from donor to donor- Keynes designed a portable blood transfusion kit
• Blood transfusions - What impact did it have


  stopped patients from going into shock. Portable kit- soldiers receive blood sooner
• The Blood bank at Cambrai

  Adding Sodium Citrate stopped it clotting and Citrate glucose solution could store blood for up to 4 weeks, Robinson-stored 22 units of blood in glass bottle.
• The Blood bank at Cambrai - What impact did it have

  First time store blood-treat soldiers-Portable blood kit meant that soldiers receive blood sooner and potential change lives
• The use of mobile x-ray units

  6 mobile units on British Western Front. Tent attached to the back of a van with a table and stretchers- x-rays connected to the engine
• The use of mobile x-ray units- What impact did it have

  Identify shrapnel and bullets early preventing infections for many soldiers
• Brain Surgery


  Cushing used local anaesthetics as the brain swelled under a general anaesthetic, increasing the risk. Used magnets to remove metal fragments.
• Brain Surgery- What impact did it have

  Cushing operated 45 patients in 1917 with an operation survival rate of 71% compared to the general survival rate of 50% for brain surgery.
• Plastic Surgery


  Gillies used skin grafts and jaw splint, wiring and metal replacement cheeks for facial reconstruction.
• Plastic Surgery - What impact did it have


  Treated severe disfigurement. Key hospital was the Queens Hospital in Kent. Nearly 12,000 operations had been carried out by the end of the war.
• The battle of arras


  Underground hospitals and tunnels.
• The battle of the Somme

  Tanks were used for the first time,- 400,000 British casualties
• 1st and 2nd battle of Ypres

  1st battle to use poisonous gas- Chlorine ,Hill 60
• The battle of Cambrai


  first large-scale use of tanks; both sides surprised by success
• Barbed wire


  Make it harder for the enemy to get into the trench
• trench foot


  By standing in water logged trenches, cold mud and water for hours at a time.
• Trench foot outcomes and treatments

  Lead to gangrene which could be treated by amputations.