MEDICINE IN WWI
POOR HEALTH & DEATH FROM DISEASE
The United States entered World War I in April of 1917. The President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, appointed a Council of National Defense under Dr. Franklin Martin of Chicago. He organized the medical profession for the war effort. When the medics started doing physical examinations for the war recruits, they found that the amount of men in poor health was extremely high. Most of the sicknesses that developed could have been avoided easily with the proper medical attention. Even for the small amount of men who were healthy, they quickly developed diseases that were more dangerous than battle wounds or injuries. These camps that the men lived in were dangerous because everyone was always close to each other all of the time, so diseases were spread more easily. To make matters worse, men from out West were not exposed to the diseases of those of city men, making the other men develop more serious illnesses quickly. The doctors were not prepared for the men’s ability to contract unexpected diseases at a fast pace. Although the diseases were serious and the recruit’s health conditions were unusually low, medical professionals were very prepared at the time. Sexually transmitted diseases were the most serious diseases among the troops in the camp, but the doctors were able to use arsphenamine to help make the long-term affects less dangerous. Doctors had a hard time dealing other common diseases, such as measles. It was difficult to deal with because the illness hurts the body’s immune system, which gives resistance to other bacterial infections. Also, complications from measles led to other diseases like laryngitis, tracheitits, and bronchopneumonia. Bronchopneumonia was the most common complication of measles that caused death. Thousands of troops were diagnosed with measles, varying from 100-500 cases per day. “Of every 1,000 men with measles, 44 developed pneumonia and 14 died.” Pneumonia was the main cause of death, resulting from complications of measles. An epidemic of influenza came through the camps in the fall of 1918, which resulted in 61, 199 cases of pneumonia and 21,053 deaths.
POOR HEALTH & DEATH FROM DISEASE
The United States entered World War I in April of 1917. The President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, appointed a Council of National Defense under Dr. Franklin Martin of Chicago. He organized the medical profession for the war effort. When the medics started doing physical examinations for the war recruits, they found that the amount of men in poor health was extremely high. Most of the sicknesses that developed could have been avoided easily with the proper medical attention. Even for the small amount of men who were healthy, they quickly developed diseases that were more dangerous than battle wounds or injuries. These camps that the men lived in were dangerous because everyone was always close to each other all of the time, so diseases were spread more easily. To make matters worse, men from out West were not exposed to the diseases of those of city men, making the other men develop more serious illnesses quickly. The doctors were not prepared for the men’s ability to contract unexpected diseases at a fast pace. Although the diseases were serious and the recruit’s health conditions were unusually low, medical professionals were very prepared at the time. Sexually transmitted diseases were the most serious diseases among the troops in the camp, but the doctors were able to use arsphenamine to help make the long-term affects less dangerous. Doctors had a hard time dealing other common diseases, such as measles. It was difficult to deal with because the illness hurts the body’s immune system, which gives resistance to other bacterial infections. Also, complications from measles led to other diseases like laryngitis, tracheitits, and bronchopneumonia. Bronchopneumonia was the most common complication of measles that caused death. Thousands of troops were diagnosed with measles, varying from 100-500 cases per day. “Of every 1,000 men with measles, 44 developed pneumonia and 14 died.” Pneumonia was the main cause of death, resulting from complications of measles. An epidemic of influenza came through the camps in the fall of 1918, which resulted in 61, 199 cases of pneumonia and 21,053 deaths.
COMBAT WOUNDS
Of the 1.4 million United States men who fought in the war, 53,400, were killed or died from wartime injuries, whereas 204,000 soldiers survived from their injuries in the war. As the war went on, medical improvements were made to fight war wounds. These improvements included better surgical methods, antisepsis, motorized ambulances, blood transfusions, tetanus antitoxin, and the introduction of X-rays.
POSIONOUS GAS
World War I saw the first attacks of poisonous gas in history. The most powerful attacks of poisonous gas came from Belgium on April 22, 1915. In both the British and French trenches, soldiers noticed the blue-white mist in the air rising from the walls of the German trenches. The guards were the first victims of the gas who began to choke and cough constantly. The gas drifted into the Allies’ trenches, resulting in the soldiers gasping for breath, vomiting, and tearing at the collars. The Germans were also known to use poisonous gases on the Allies. Mustard gas, marked with a yellow cross, and phosgene, marked with a green cross, were the most common gases used in World War I. The one prevention against gas attacks was gas masks, but artificial respiration devices were also used to treat victims.
WORKS CITED
"African Americans and World War I." American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, Victor Bondi, Richard Layman, Tandy McConnell, and Vincent Tompkins. Vol. 2: 1910-1919. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. Gwynedd Mercy Academy Library. 8 Dec. 2008.
"Medicine in World War I." American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, Victor Bondi, Richard Layman, Tandy McConnell, and Vincent Tompkins. Vol. 2: 1910-1919. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. Gwynedd Mercy Academy Library. 8 Dec. 2008 .
"After the Great War: Isolationism and the Treaty of Versailles." American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, Victor Bondi, Richard Layman, Tandy McConnell, and Vincent Tompkins. Vol. 3: 1920-1929. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. Gwynedd Mercy Academy Library. 8 Dec. 2008.
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