Medicine in the early twentieth century Flashcards

All 8 cards in this deck

Who discovered blood groups, and in what year?

Karl Landsteiner, in 1901.

How were the earliest blood transfusions on the Western Front carried out?

With a syringe and tube, donor-to-patient with the donor present, to stop the patient going into shock from blood loss.

Which researchers found ways of storing blood during the First World War?

Lewisohn (sodium citrate stopped blood clotting, 1915), Weil (refrigerated citrated blood, 1915), and Rous and Turner (a citrate-glucose solution that kept blood for weeks, 1916).

Why was storing blood a problem before the First World War?

Blood clotted very quickly once outside the body, so it could not be kept.

What is aseptic surgery?

Keeping germs out of the operating area altogether, by sterilising instruments, clothing and the theatre.

Who discovered x-rays, and when?

Wilhelm Roentgen, in 1895.

True or false? Aseptic surgery could be fully maintained in the conditions of the Western Front.

False. Mud, temporary tents and huge numbers of casualties made it very hard to keep conditions hygienic.

Give one problem with early x-ray machines.

Any one: the machines were bulky and hard to move; patients could suffer radiation burns or hair loss; exposures took a long time, so patients had to keep very still.