Conditions requiring medical treatment Flashcards

All 9 cards in this deck

What was trench foot and what caused it?

A painful swelling/rotting of the feet, caused by standing in wet and muddy trenches.

What was trench fever and how did soldiers catch it?

A flu-like illness with high fever and headache, spread by lice, which infested men because clothes could not be kept clean.

Why did wounds on the Western Front so often become infected?

The soil of Flanders and northern France was full of bacteria, which got into wounds and caused infection and gangrene.

What was shrapnel and why was it so dangerous?

Metal fragments from exploding shells; it tore deep, dirty wounds and carried fabric and soil into the body, causing infection.

Why did head injuries increase on the Western Front, and what reduced them?

Increased use of high explosives made head wounds common; the Brodie steel helmet, introduced in late 1915 and widely issued in 1916, reduced them.

When and where was gas first used on the Western Front, and which gas was it?

Chlorine gas, used by the Germans at the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915.

What were the effects of chlorine and phosgene gas?

They attacked the lungs, leading to death by suffocation.

What were the effects of mustard gas, and when was it first used?

It caused internal and external blisters and could blind soldiers; first used in 1917.

What caused most deaths and wounds on the Western Front?

Artillery: high-explosive shells and shrapnel, rather than rifle or machine-gun bullets.