5.1.1
War
War
War
War was a key driver of changes in medicine and health during this period.
Battlefield medicine
Battlefield medicine
- The Crimean War (1853-1856) forced surgeons to develop new procedures for treating injured soldiers.
- From WW1, blood transfusions and mobile x-rays became part of battlefield treatment.
- Conclusion: Doctors were able to use their experience to good effect on the battlefield in future wars.
Advances in ideas
Advances in ideas
- As early as the Crusades, war led to new ideas in medicine. Western Europeans met Muslim doctors and shared ideas.
- Florence Nightingale was able to raise the status of nursing because of her heroism in the Crimean War (1853-56).
- Penicillin was invented during WW2. Alexander Fleming had been motivated by deaths he saw during WW1.
- Conclusion: Doctors', nurses' and scientists' experiences of war helped to spark new ideas across medicine.
Advances in surgery and technology
Advances in surgery and technology
- War in the 20th century led to particular advances in surgery and technology.
- WW1 led to better x-rays, transfusions and plastic surgery for soldiers with facial wounds. Prosthetic limbs also developed.
- Conclusion: The brutal injuries experienced by soldiers in war led to new and innovative techniques in surgery.
Wartime incentives
Wartime incentives
- Personal rivalry due to war led to innovation too. National rivalry and competition between Pasteur and Koch during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71) fueled change.
- War also created the incentive to fund mass production of new medicine. In 1943, the US government funded penicillin.
- Conclusion: War indirectly influenced medical developments too.
Diet and hygiene
Diet and hygiene
- During the Crimean War, Florence Nightingale improved the hygiene of wards. She realised that dirt caused certain diseases.
- The Boer War (1899-1902) made Parliament realise that a malnourished population was not in the country's interests.
- 1/3 of volunteers to fight were unfit for service.
- Conclusion: War drove positive changes in hygiene in hospitals at home as well as in people's diet.
Social reform
Social reform
- The Ministry of Health was set up just after WW1 in 1919. Housing was also built for returning soldiers and poor families.
- During WW2, the evacuation of children to the countryside made people realise the differences in health between people in different areas.
- Conclusion: War highlighted inequality and the need for better social care.
1Medicine Stands Still
1.1Ancient Egyptian Approaches to Medicine
1.2Ancient Greek Medicine
1.3Medieval Medicine
1.4Religion & Medicine
1.5Public Health in the Middle Ages
2The Beginnings of Change
2.1The Impact of the Renaissance on Britain
2.2Treating Illnesses in the Renaissance
3A Revolution in Medicine
3.1The Development of Germ Theory & its Impact
3.2A Revolution in Surgery
4Modern Medicine
4.1Modern Treatment of Disease
4.2New Diseases & Treatments in the 20th Century
5Themes in Public Health
Jump to other topics
1Medicine Stands Still
1.1Ancient Egyptian Approaches to Medicine
1.2Ancient Greek Medicine
1.3Medieval Medicine
1.4Religion & Medicine
1.5Public Health in the Middle Ages
2The Beginnings of Change
2.1The Impact of the Renaissance on Britain
2.2Treating Illnesses in the Renaissance
3A Revolution in Medicine
3.1The Development of Germ Theory & its Impact
3.2A Revolution in Surgery
4Modern Medicine
4.1Modern Treatment of Disease
4.2New Diseases & Treatments in the 20th Century
5Themes in Public Health
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