Impact of ww1 medicine

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Impact of WW1: Blood transfusions.

  • Tried in 1800s but never seem to work.
  • 1901 found out their are different blood groups but still had the problem of storing the blood to be able to be used.
  • During the war they really needed blood but discovered that if they sperate plasma from the tiny particals of blood it can be bottled and be placed into ice. All they had to do was dulite it with warm saline solution to create usable blood.
  • By 1917 blood was being stockpiled and stored for up to 28 days.
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Impact of WW1: X-rays.

  • X-rays were discovered in 1895 by a german scientist and within 6 monuths hosbitals were alredy having them.
  • WW1 meant that more needed to be made in order to keep up with demand along with some going to the western front.
  • Mobile X-ray units allowed better identifiedcation of items inside the body of an injured solider.
  • Improved success rate of surgeons.
  • Radiotherapy and CT scans were also being improved in between wars.
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Impact of WW1: Shell shock Treatment.

  • Between 1914-1918 British Army idenitfied 80,000 men with shell shock.
  • Was called cowardice and 306 soliders were executed by firing squad as a result.
  • Later in war it was more excepted and suffers were treated at hosbitals like for example Craiglockhart which is near Edinburgh.
  • William rivers developed the "talking cure" which helped many come to terms with their experiences. it was also combined with sport and craft activites.
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Impact of WW1: Skin grafts

  • Many soliders suffered facial injuries.
  • Harold Gillies developed ground breaking technique.
  • 1917 he persuaded army to set up special hosbital for facial repairs. over 5,000 servicemen were treated by gillies and his collegues.
  • Several operations were often reqired to graft existing skin on to injuries.
  • His techniques meant he was able to reconstruct damaged faces. 
  • Regarded as the pioneer of plastic surgery and was kinghted after the war.
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Impact of WW1: Fighting Infection.

  • Surgey was practiced in all hosbitals but was very differcult to do this on the battlefiled.
  • When soliders get wounded pices of clothing would get inside and so would cause infection.
  • Eventually after trial and error they found that if they cut away infected tissue and soaked the wound with saline soloution it would stop infection.
  • Many surgeons who learned theri skills in batllefiled hosbitals set up as specialsts nack at home after the war.
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Impact of WWII: Developments in Blood Transfusions

  • British Red Cross set up first voluntary blood donor scheme (1921) between wars.
  • WWII 700,000 blood donors supplied the British Army. This voluntary system of donating blood still applies today.
  • 1940 it was discovered how to make blood plasam which made blood eaiser to store and transport.
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Impact of WWII: Burn Surgery.

  • Famous sugeons of the secod world war was Sir Archibald Mclndoe. His work on burns icluded treating piolts shot down during the Battle of Britain.
  • Piolts were nicknamed 'Guinea Pigs' because the being done on them was so new.
  • Mclndoe worked on deep butns and knew that early skin grafts were vital to prevent the patient suffereing loss of function.
  • Used salt water solution to treat burns after finding out that piolts who were badly burnt and landed in the sea were in better shape than thoes who ended up on land.
  • Mclndow also spent lots of time helping his patients reintergrate into society despite their disfigurments.
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Impact of WWII: Advance Surgey.

  • Sir Harold Ridley, treating Allied airmen, found that Perspex splinters were not always rejected by the eye. This led to the develoment of cararact surgery.
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