WW1

• Illnesses/wounds expected


  • Pneumonia
  • Trench foot
  • Spread of lice
  • Colds
  • Infections
  • Shrapnel wounds
  • Bullet wounds
• Rifles


  • Became more efficient during WW1
  • No longer needed to be loaded a bullet at a time, now had cartridges which created an automatic, rapid fire
  • Bullets designed with a pointed shape to drive them deeper into the body from a further distance
• Machine Guns


  • Could fire 500 rounds per minute, equivalent firepower of 100 rifles
  • Major part of trench defences and devastating against attacking forces
• Shrapnel


  A hollow shell packed with steel balls or lead, gunpowder, and a timer fuse. Designed to explode mid-air above the enemy and cause maximum casualties. Most effective against troops advancing across open land.
• Artillery


  • Cannon grew bigger throughout the war- the British developed a howitzer which could send 900kg shells over 12 miles
  • Bursts of shell fire were no longer short-lived lasting only a few hours, now continuous bombardments could last weeks or months
  • Artillery fire was the greatest killer of all, causing half of all casualties
• Trench Fever (Pyrexia)


  • Symptoms: Severe headaches, Shivering, Pain the bones and joints, Relapsing fever- keeps coming back
  • Treatments: Spell in hospital- usually a month or more
  • Causes and spread: Lice- not scientifically proven until 1918 but suspected by 1915
  • Prevention: Disinfect clothing, Bathhouses, Louse repellent, Some washed clothes in paraffin, Steam used to disinfect
  • Impact: Reduced the number of men available to fight
• Trench Foot


  • Symptoms: Numb feet, Swollen feet/toes, Blistered skin, Feet turning blue, In extreme cases- led to gangrene
  • Treatments: Spell in hospital- dry out feet and treat infections, Amputation if gangrenous
  • Causes and spread: Standing in waterlogged trenches, Tight boots restricting blood flow
  • Prevention: 3 pairs of socks changed twice a day, Rub whale oil into feet, High rubber waders issued
  • Impact: 1/6 of 12000 men in 27th Division lost to trench foot by Jan 1915
• NYD.N (Not Yet Diagnosed. Nervous)- Shell Shock

  • Symptoms: Psychological problems, 'Nervousness'
  • Treatments: Rest, food, talks to calm soldiers down, Sent to hospital if a result of an explosion
  • Causes and spread: Psychological reactions to danger or explosions
  • Prevention: Words 'shell shock' not be used by doctors or officers
  • Impact: 80000 recorded cases (1.28% of total causalities), many more unrecorded
• Evacuation Route


  • Regimental Aid Post
  • Casualty Clearing Station
  • Stretcher Bearers
  • Field Ambulance and Dressing Station
  • Base Hospital
  • Front Line
• Stretcher Bearers


  Carried the wounded from No Man's Land to the RAP, often over uneven and muddy ground, often at night to avoid being shot
• Regimental Aid Post


  Close to front line, in a dug out, would assess who could be patched up and sent back and who needed further treatment
• Field Ambulance and Dressing Station

  Large mobile medical unit with some nurses, would sort into more and less serious cases, between ¼ mile and a mile behind front line
• Casualty Clearing Station


  First large, well equipped medical facility available, usually 7-12 miles behind front line, could deal with 1000 causalities at a time
• Base Hospital


  Large hospitals or converted buildings, could treat up to 2500 patients, usually near railways for patient transport, had op theatres, x-rays, labs
• Why did soldier survive late in the war?
• Reasons soldiers survived late in the war

  • Effectiveness of Evac route
  • RAMC- Royal Army Medical Corps
  • Nurses- Queen Alexandra and VAD
  • FANY- First Aid Nursing Yeomanry
• Carrel Dakin method


  A system of tubes to keep the chemical solutions flowing through the wound to fight off infection, or stop it developing. Effective as a continuous attack on the bacteria.
• Extensive surgery


  Removed the damaged or destroyed tissue around the wound site, not just the bullet or shrapnel. Kept wounds open so antiseptic chemicals could kill off any lingering bacteria.
• Thomas Splint


  Pulled the leg lengthways, stopping the bones grinding together, and reduced blood loss. Used as near to front line as possible.
• 1. Ray machines


  Needed to locate tiny fragments of bullets or shrapnel within the body in order to remove them quickly. Government ordered more to be sent to the front lines.
• Blood transfusion


  • Sodium citrate could be added to blood to prevent clotting, allowing it to be stored and increasing the number of transfusions that could be carried out.
  • Portable machine for storing blood which could be used to take blood closer to the Front Line.
• Plastic Surgery


  • Surgeons developed new techniques using skin grafts, jaw splints, wiring and metal plates to repair facial injuries.
  • Surgeon Harvey Cushing invented a surgical magnet to extract bullets from head wounds.
• Brain Surgery


  Surgeons had to try new ideas due to the number of head injuries. Use of X-Rays meant that surgeons were able to locate, identify and remove bullet and shell fragments.