Ww1 Medical History

World War I was a war of innovation with new artillery and tactics, but also a deadly war in which approximately ten million soldiers died in or injuries sustained from battle. As injuries increased throughout the war, the need for medical assistance was constantly growing. Surgery is considered an art and like art, it evolved and new techniques were developed, making an injury that could kill someone survivable. For instance, in the Civil War most surgeons would immediately amputate and in World War I surgeons began trying much harder to save limbs. Blood transfusion allowed surgeons to reduce patient death from blood loss because of the ample supply of blood from fellow soldiers. Sanitation improvements led to fewer deaths from infection

Soldiers did not die only from warfare casualties,especially the war atmosphere in the trenches brought health issues and diseases which caused most of the death during WW1.Some of this diseases were caused because of weather change , lack of hygiene and the filthy environment.Many of this diseases were insignificant colds but others were deadly as Shell Shock or Trench Foot.

George Wunderlich once stated, “The American Civil War often gets credit for ending slavery and reshaping the federal government in this country. But the war between the states has another, often overlooked legacy: It may have started a new era in modern medicine” (“Civil War Medicine Quotes”). Contamination of medical equipment, poor sanitation methods, and lack of efficient medical procedures all led to the spread of disease, which resulted in death. However, modern medicine has significantly improved from the Civil War, due to its horrendous medical practices. The Civil War had countless impacts on the nation, but its most significant impacts were the advances in medical equipment, procedures and sanitation.

During any war, medical advancements are commonly made in response to the atrocities that take place during these bloody and gruesome times. World War II is no exception. During World War II, medical advances simply had to be made to keep soldiers alive. With all the victims of bullet wounds and diseases spreading around, treatments had to be invented or advanced. I chose this topic because science and medicine is very fascinating to me and I want to become a doctor when I grow up. During the war, penicillin, sulfanilamide, atabrine, plasma, and morphine were used in abundance and saved a countless number of lives.

This allows the soldiers to apply pressure without having someone else to assist them. The tourniquets could only be used on wounds that occur on the arms or legs. Fibrin bandages are now used to decrease the loss of blood and the number of deaths. The treatment for a damaged limb at times, for some soldiers, was to amputate at an earlier time because it could later result in a good outcome. Anesthesia was created to prevent a lot of people from suffering pain during the operation. Military and civilian anesthesiology has connections in the treatment of trauma for critical care medicine. A vaccine was created to prevent Smallpox, it helps your body develop an immunity towards

Many ailments plagued the camps and made the soldiers too sick to fight. Vaccinations were not introduced in the 1800s. Diseases like mumps, measles, and smallpox were present in the camps. An abundant amount of soldiers died of the diseases and only a handful were lucky to survive. The camps lacked a hygienic environment. Soldiers were provided little clothing. In addition, they were also feeding on unhealthy foods and drank unsanitary water. As a result, soldiers died from dysentery, cholera, and typhoid fever. In the camps, nurses and doctors participated in aiding the sick soldiers. However, they lacked the education of bacteria. They often treated sick soldiers that were shot. The bullet called the minie ball spreaded bacteria inside the soldiers. Bloodletting, purging and blistering were recommended as a remedy from the doctors without prior knowledge of infection. The doctor’s last resort was to amputate the soldier’s arms or legs to prevent the spreading. The instruments that were used on the soldiers were no clean. The soldiers would use the dirty instruments on the men which would spread more bacteria. They would not even wash their hands. By 1861, president Lincoln addressed the issue and created the sanitary commission. The sanitary commissioners provided nurses and ambulance drivers. In addition, they also provided the education for disease and hygiene. Doctors and nurses were trained in the

The Civil War was a very eventful, horrific, terrifying, and brutal war in American History. It’s circumstances caused the lives of SO many courageous soldiers. With the help of the medical treatments or procedures that came about, several keys of life, whether daily life or life amidst war, improved. The innovation of medicine in the civil war is very important because of it’s effects on the war, modern medicine, and changes in treatment on the battlefield.

The American Civil War was a horrible time of pain and suffering, especially to those who fought in the war. The Civil War caused hundreds and thousands of deaths, yet many of these were not the result of battle wounds. About two thirds of deaths from the Civil War were attributed to disease. Of course, even though the majority of soldiers that did not die during the war left without limbs, and left with trauma and disabilities, the results could have been much worse without the medical advancements we gained during the war. Technical advances in hygiene, surgery, and medical efficiency all became substantial outcomes that furthered medical practices and helped shape medicine in the modern age.

Imagine going through all the pain in surgery and infections. Medicine during the Civil War can be compared to today’s medicine. For instance the surgical instruments, infections, where surgeries took place and where they take place now, sanitized and unsanitized tools and equipment. Today’s infections have changed greatly over time due to the change in sanitary conditions and the equipments surgeons use today.

While most people generally categorize war as a deathly arena consisting of gunfire, the stench of rotten corpses, and the cries of trauma of soldiers; war can be seen as a time for prosperity and growth in the medical profession. The lack of resources in battlefield hospitals, cause people to believe that treatment options are limited. However, history has shown that these limited resources provide an outlet for creativity and exploration, the seeds to advances in the medical profession. During the American Revolution, more casualties were due to illness as opposed to gunshot wounds, opening up the eyes of medical professionals that new ways for disease prevention were needed. Additionally, before World War II biomedical research was limited

They were moved by a combination of people , which were later collected by stretcher bearers and were brought far enough beyond the lines of battle. They were then transported by horse or cart, and sometimes by motorized ambulance, when available.[2] These men would be moved until they reached a location where they could receive treatment for their injury. Just like today, there were hospitals available, but back then, they were mostly set up in abandoned buildings or any available unoccupied buildings. However, for more serious injuries requiring emergency care, Casualty Clearing Stations were set up in tents. Here surgeries were often performed. In the early 20th century, medical utensils were limited, resulting in the use of guilotines for the amputation of limbs.[3] Today not every injury is an emergency, thus the emergency room. But back then almost every case was an emergency. While now we have a very structured emergency procedure, requiring triages, during the early 20th century, triages were

Surgery done in World War II strongly influenced post World War II surgical procedures. It is important because many major surgeries done today such as heart surgery and organ transplantation were discovered during World War II. Sources for this study will be found from the Klein Oak Library and Gale online sources also professional journals will be found from ABC Clio and JSTOR. A source that talks about how surgical procedures like organ transplantation were affected by World War II is, “How World War II led to organ transplants, and other life-saving inventions.” Another source that underlines the importance of World War II and how it transforms surgical procedures is, “Rehabilitation and Reconstructive Surgery.”

World War Two, a harsh period of time in the 1930s-1940s, filled with controversial arguments, political battles, fights to the death, but most importantly, medical advancements. Did you know that without the research and discoveries made during World War Two, our medical programs would probably be lacking the information we have today? It’s very true, and in my opinion, the war strengthened our medical abilities, and it really put our world to the test. New medicine had been discovered, while old medicine had been improved; horrible medical experiments performed by the Nazis occurred during this time; but most importantly, World War Two has affected our medical programs that we have presently. These

World War I was made even worse by the work of industrial chemists. Soldiers from Ypres, Belgium would claim that a shimmering cloud appeared around their feet and a strange peppery smell in the air in 1917. This gave it its well-known name. Within a day, they have shown signs of severe itching that were caused by dreadful blisters and other wounds. Some stated to be coughing up body fluid. Near the end of the war, it instilled terror across the battlefield. Leaving up to 10,000 people dead and more injured. Mustard gas was created in 1822, but it wasn’t well-known as harmful till 1860.

During the late 1800s and the early 1900s the World War begun. The war left behind many injured soldiers with shattered jaws, blown-off noses and lips and skull wounds caused by the weapons