Preview

Explain The Medical Issues In Ww1

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1746 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Explain The Medical Issues In Ww1
Medical Issues of WWI During World War I, there were many issues that surrounded the health of troops. The lack of medical advancement and the knowledge of it, then the struggle of keeping ones self-healthy throughout combat were key points to survival. During World War I in less than a year, American troops suffered more than 318,000 injuries 120,000 were counted as casualties. The front line soldiers are always at the highest risk in any war. With World War I though, trench warfare was a dangerous place to be considering they were always at risk for disease or infection because they were in the poorest conditions. During World War I, the Black Plague was one of the most drastic plagues in history. The troops would try anything and everything to help the disease not run like a wild fire. Soldiers would use herbs to blow away bad smells of the sewer and clean the contaminated air. During the war, soldiers would …show more content…
Trench foot is a fungal infection caused by the feet being over exposed to damp conditions. Trench foot gets the name from World War I trench warfare, in which the soldiers were constantly in wet and damp conditions. The fungus was caused from sweating, cold, and wet feet not being treated properly and not being taken care of, like changing socks and keeping the feet dry. The symptoms would include the feet slowly going numb and the skin changing to dark or red colors while also rotting off toes and leaving holes in the feet. Amputation was the only treatment for trench foot, it was the only way to rid the body of the fungus. During 1914-1915, over 20,000 men were diagnosed with trench foot. The only way for the men to fight the fungus was to change socks multiple times a day. The soldiers would eventually carry around three pairs of socks with them, and they also were drying their feet every chance they got; the soldiers would also cover their feet in grease to help with the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    The doctors and nurses treating the wounded did not know about germs and bacteria so as they kept treating patients after patients, most likely never washing their hands, they didn’t know the deadly germs they were spreading. Bloody sponges and bandages were washed in buckets of dirty water and reused. More soldiers died from diseases then the battle fields.4 In general, for about every man who died from the battle fields, two died from disease. In their camps the soldiers were suffering to overcrowding, inadequate waste disposal, starvation and parasitic infestation. All these things could cause diseases like influenza and cholera to spread almost unchecked. Since there was no sort of antibiotic back then, even a minor wound could cause a major infection leaving the soldier dead within…

    • 1520 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Here in the trenches condition are very terrible. Things I had seen is unbearable, these trenches are overflowed with water and things I have to do to live in these conditions. About the overflow as it rains, us standing in these large puddle. Your socks will be completely wet, which is a uncomfortable feeling. In order to survive I had to find a dead man socks to use for my own. We also went several weeks not showering because during these conditions they needed a excessive amount of soldier to fight. Having twenty guys crowded on top of you, these trenches are very narrow only enough to have bit of room for the person next to you. This made diseases to easily spread such as influenza, fever, typhoid, and malaria. One of my buddies I share a spot within the trenche just died, right in front of me.…

    • 343 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    We don’t have any other pairs of clothes, so we sleep in the same pair of clothes every night. Since we have lice everywhere, we all have to cut our hair short so that it fits in our hats and we even have to scrape the lice off of our hair with the blunt edge of our knives. Our underclothes are always stuck to us from the sweat and the water inside of the trenches. Because our trenches are filled with water, there are a lot of us that have gotten trench foot. Trench foot is when your feet swell up to about two or three times the size of normal feet and they develop gangrene. I could stab my bayonet into my foot and not feel it. Sometimes, if you are lucky enough, the swelling goes down, but you feel the worst pain you have felt in your life. Men are screaming and crying in pain as their legs and feet get amputated. I got lucky, but if I was stuck in that trench for one more day, I fear I would have been too…

    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Rats in their millions infested trenches. There were two main types, the brown and the black rat. Both were despised but the brown rat was especially feared. Gorging themselves on human remains they could grow to the size of a cat. Men, exasperated and afraid of these rats (which would even scamper across their faces in the dark), would attempt to rid the trenches of them by various methods: gunfire, with the bayonet, and even by clubbing them to death. It was futile however: a single rat couple could produce up to 900 offspring in a year, spreading infection and contaminating food. The rat problem remained for the duration of the war although many veteran soldiers swore that rats sensed impending heavy enemy shellfire and consequently disappeared from view. This rat problem was so big that a lot of soldiers died due to infection and there was no way of ridding them. Rats were by no means the only source of infection and nuisance. Lice were a never-ending problem, breeding in the seams of filthy clothing and causing men to itch unceasingly. Even when clothing was periodically washed and deloused, lice eggs invariably remained hidden in the seams; within a few hours of the clothes being re-worn the body heat generated would cause the eggs to hatch. Lice caused Trench Fever, a…

    • 1918 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Diseases have long affected wars, often killing more soldiers than combat. During the War of 1812, for example, diseases like dysentery and malaria were the number one killer on the battlefield. Robert Koch’s germ theory was not introduced until 1890, so doctors had no reason to believe disease and infection was due to microscopic organisms or viruses. Treatments from the colonial era until the late 1800s show the extent of the misunderstanding of illnesses. Popular cures, such as bloodletting and a mercury compound called calomel, often left the patient weak and dehydrated, making them a prime target for further…

    • 100 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I was too inexperienced for the First War. I’m in the trenches between the borders of France and Germany. There were many soldiers lying dead on there. It was so wet, moist, and muddy that I saw many of them with necrosis and gangrene on their feet, due to keeping their foot on the trench’s filthy water. They said that this condition was so painful and agonizing that they were forced to amputate them to end the pain. Luckily, I wasn’t many of the soldiers with this infection. I hope you guys are okay, I might come back home alive til the war ends. Love you mom and…

    • 109 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    As a result of the wet and dirty conditions, many soldiers got ‘trench foot'. "Their feet swelled up to two or three times their normal size and went numb…but when the swelling went down, the pain was agonizing. If gangrene set in, the soldiers' feet and legs were amputated" (Newman 141). Soldiers were expected to patrol in sometimes knee-deep trenches with only the large, clumsy boots provided. Their feet were always cold and wet, basically meaning they were in constant discomfort. Many Canadians were committed to battles in which they had no chance of surviving and those who survived, watched others die. "Of 801 men who went into battle only sixty-eight unwounded men answered roll call the next day." (Giesler 2). Many of these battles were just ‘meat grinders' in which the soldiers were the meat. These horrendous conditions and experiences provide further evidence to Canadians' misconception of the war.<br><br>The lack of effective leadership that did not support Canadian troops also resulted in some of the misery that they endured. The Ross rifle was not ideal for the trench fighting soldier because in some cases soldiers literally had to kick the firing mechanism to get it…

    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Poor hygiene in camps causes the disease to spread from soldier to soldier by contaminated food, water, and mosquitos. Fields hospitals treated large amount wounded soldiers which all kept together in unsanitary, poorly ventilated conditions which also contributed to spread of infections. Civil War surgeons did not understand germs, they had to work without knowledge about infections how they were carried and spread, and without drugs to treat it (Oshinsky 97). They performed surgeries without wearing gloves, sterilizing their tools, used bare fingers to inspect wounds, and simply wiped instruments clean using their aprons. The risk from surgery was great, resulting in high death rates from infections.…

    • 1028 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Nurses played an important role in World War I, helping heal those injured on the battlefield. Over 3000 canadians served as nurses in the Canadian Army Medical Corps during the first world war including Laura Gamble, Ruby Peterkin, and Anne E. Ross.…

    • 428 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Medicine In The Civil War

    • 1506 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Civil War brought change to American medical care due to troubles soldiers faced on the battlefield. The camps and battlefields were ridden with, poor sanitation, tight quarters, and many contagious and infectious diseases for which there was no immunization. 200,000 soldiers died of battle injuries, however, diseases such as dysentery, typhoid fever, small pox, and malaria, made up ⅔ of the casualties in the war. (Dixon). In addition, there was no way to transport the sick and the wounded, and with poor surgical techniques many lost their lives. “The organization of medical care when the war began was centered on the role of individual physicians rather than systems of care designed to…

    • 1506 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The American Civil War proved to be the United States deadliest war, with more casualties than World War I and World War II combined.1 The greatest fear of the Union soldier, however, may not have been a quick death by the gun, but rather a slow one caused by the presence of disease. While terrifying for the soldiers, the physicians found themselves with seemingly endless opportunities to study disease, leading to an evolution in the treatment of multiple diseases. The American Civil War’s production of multiple corpses, unsanitary camps, and unsanitary medical equipment lead to this medical revolution. The battle environment allowed physicians the opportunity to study the etiology of disease, its effects on the human body, and prevention strategies,…

    • 1166 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Speaking on trench foot, my close friend Mark was sent home with a severe case and is requiring amputation. Michael I want you to sit there read this and picture what I tell you, imagine men shouting as fighting breaks out, the rain is flooding the trenches and you're knee deep in it. Your whole body is shaking and you aren't sure if it's from the freezing cold or the fear of the enemy. The trench floors are made up of clay and sand on top, when it…

    • 940 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Unfortunately, trench foot and frostbite provided ‘malingering’ men with a perfect means for escaping the front line. Private Bert Sprason of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment recalled one man ‘dipped his feet in water… his feet swelled up. Trench foot. Just to get…

    • 213 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Nursing Role In Ww1

    • 239 Words
    • 1 Page

    During World War 1, Nursing Sisters played a significant role in the war effort. They drove ambulances, and more importantly, took care of dying and wounded soldiers. They were nicknamed “bluebirds” because of their blue dresses and white veils, and received admiration from soldiers because of their courage and compassion. Working only a few kilometers from the front lines meant danger was always near. Being accepted into the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corporation wasn’t easy, as it required the fulfillment of many qualifications. Nurses were required to have a British citizenship, and to have graduated from a recognized nursing program. They had to possess a high moral character in society, as well as have mature behaviour and be well mannered.…

    • 239 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    There was nothing glamorous about trench life. World War 1 trenches were dirty, smelly and riddled with disease. For soldier’s, life in the trenches meant living in fear. In fear of diseases (like cholera and trench foot) and of course, the constant fear of enemy attack. Trench warfare WW1 style is something all participating countries vowed never to repeat and the facts make it easy to see why.…

    • 1464 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays