Medical Advancements

To what extent did medical advancements during world war two impact the lives of soldiers? One may argue that one of the most helpful drugs during word war two, penicillin, was discovered in 1960, prior to world war two. Although penicillin wasn’t discovered during world war two, it was improved on many levels during the time such as production on an industrial scale, it became much more readily available, and by 1945 it was 20 times stronger than the 1939 version of penicillin. Therefore, even though penicillin was developed pre world war two, it made extreme improvements since 1939. It was 20 times stronger than the 1939 version.
In battle medical technologies impacted the lives of soldiers greatly. One advancement during world war two
A big breakthrough during world war two was the use of blood transfusions and plasma. “the machine went from a primitive invention to a well oiled machine storing and distributing blood where needed” (Trueman 1). This quote shows how much plasma changed the game of blood transfusion. Before the introduction of plasma into the blood transfusion system, it was extremely ineffective. “Transporting plasma was easier than transporting blood which degraded quickly and couldn’t be stored for more than a few days” (Nursing History: The History of WWII Medicine for Schools). This quote shows that blood could not be stored for more than a few days before it went bad, and shipping it was a nightmare. Plasma however, was easier to transport and lasted much longer. Plasma was first discovered by Dr. Charles Drew, and blood/plasma banks were set up by the American Red Cross. Originally, blood was just used during blood transfusions. The Allies had to store and transport blood from place to place, and distribute it as needed. This proved extremely ineffective. Due to blood not being able to be stored for more than a couple of days, blood would have to be refreshed constantly with new blood coming in every couple of days. Plasma was used during surgery, injury, or disease to help keep the patient alive with an effective replacement for blood. Another medical advancement during world war two was aeromedical practices. Aeromedical flight was used to evacuate sick or wounded soldiers using a P-51 Mustang aircraft. Originally, aeromedical flights were thought to be dangerous, but advancements that were made increased the level of safety and turned it into a safe mode of transportation. “Aviation medicine led to studies of night vision, supplemental oxygen, and even crash helmets” (Mindell 1). This quote shows that not only did aeromedical practices make a safe way of