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The British Sector of the Western Front, 1914–18: Injuries, Treatment and the Trenches

Conditions requiring medical treatment on the Western Front

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 1

Overview

Trench foot and its prevention, trench fever, shell shock, shrapnel and bullet wounds, why wounds became infected, gas gangrene and tetanus, head wounds and steel helmets, and the chlorine, phosgene and mustard gas attacks.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Numbers

Why did head wounds become more common, and what brought them down?

Key term

What is shrapnel, and why did it cause such terrible wounds?

Key term

How did a rifle bullet wound differ from a shrapnel wound?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What caused trench foot, and what happened if it was left untreated?

    Model answer

    Standing for days in cold, waterlogged trenches made the feet swell and go numb; untreated it turned gangrenous and the foot had to be amputated.

  2. 2

    How did soldiers try to prevent trench foot?

    Model answer

    They kept their feet as dry as they could, changed their socks regularly and rubbed whale oil into their skin.

  3. 3

    What caused trench fever, and what were its symptoms?

    Model answer

    It was passed on by body lice, and it brought a high temperature, severe headache and aching muscles; delousing stations cut cases once lice were identified as the cause.

  4. 4

    What was shell shock, and how was it regarded at the time?

    Model answer

    A reaction to the strain of bombardment and combat, causing shaking, nightmares, exhaustion and sometimes loss of speech; it was poorly understood and some sufferers were treated as cowards.

  5. 5

    What is shrapnel, and why did it cause such terrible wounds?

    Model answer

    Metal balls and jagged fragments flung out by an exploding shell, which tore through flesh and bone and carried filthy cloth and soil into the body.

  6. 6

    How did a rifle bullet wound differ from a shrapnel wound?

    Model answer

    A bullet was more likely to pass straight through, making a small entry hole but damaging organs on its path, while shrapnel tore ragged, dirty wounds.

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