Impact of War on Surgery

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  • Created by: tobyf
  • Created on: 29-01-18 18:24
What were casualty clearing stations?
Military medical facilities behind the front lines used to treat wounded soldiers. They were usually located just outside the range of enemy artillery, often near transportation facilities.
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What were the advantages of x-rays?
Medics were now able to identify the soldiers injuries so they could perform appropriate action, thus improving the success rate of removing deeply lodged bullets and shrapnel, which otherwise would otherwise have caused fatal infections.
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Who discovered x-rays and when?
X-rays were discovered by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen in 1895. They were popularised in WWI, becoming widely used afterwards.
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Why did blood transfusions often fail before 1901?
Because blood groups weren't discovered until 1901. Blood transfusions would only work if the donator and patient's blood type matched.
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Why were blood transfusions difficult in WWI?
There was no way of storing blood, so on the spot donors were required, which is difficult in the battlefield. Many soldiers bled to death without receiving blood.
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What made blood transfusions easier in WWII?
The invention of the first blood container, a vacuum bottle, in 1940 by John Elliot.
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How was shell shock treated in WWI?
Extreme treatments such as solitary confinement, electric shocks and shaming soldiers were used, as well as hypnosis, massage, rest and special diets. Many lunatic asylums, mental institutions and disused spas were used as designated hospitals.
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How many cases of shell shock were there in WWI?
By 1916, 40% of casualties in fighting zones were victims of shell shock. By the end of the war, 80,000 cases of shell shock in the British Army had been reported.
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What was shell shock believed to be in the early stages of WWI and what do we know it is now?
It was believed to be a physical injury to the nerves and being exposed to heavy bombardment, hence the name shell shock. Now, we understand it to be PTSD.
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What was the tube pedicle, who invented it and how many men were treated with it in WWI?
Harold Gillies discovered using rib or skin from other parts of the body to reconstruct faces. 5,000 men were treated with his waltzing tube pedicle in WWI
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Archibald McIndoe discovered facial reconstruction on what type of patients?
In the 1940s, Archibald McIndoe discovered how to rebuild surgically the faced of airmen burned in the war. This was very early plastic surgery.
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What were the airmen burned in WWII called and why?
They were called 'guinea pigs' because they were some of the first people ever to undergo such complex facial reconstruction.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What were the advantages of x-rays?

Back

Medics were now able to identify the soldiers injuries so they could perform appropriate action, thus improving the success rate of removing deeply lodged bullets and shrapnel, which otherwise would otherwise have caused fatal infections.

Card 3

Front

Who discovered x-rays and when?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

Why did blood transfusions often fail before 1901?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

Why were blood transfusions difficult in WWI?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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