Essay On Medical Advances During World War 2

Angels on the Battlefield In the Battle of Gettysburg that took place on July 1, 1863, and ended on July 3, many casualties and injuries resulted from the fighting between those few days, leading to the victory of the Union Army. It is roughly estimated that 620,000 men lost their lives fighting, many for liberty and freedom, others for new opportunities. The Civil War was considered the deadliest and bloodiest battle. Medicine has come a long way now, in comparison to the 19th century, although many lives were lost on the way.

Beating the enemy and saving lives are top foci of combat, both accomplished through innovations to make armies more effective and efficient as seen in the American Civil War. The Minie Ball, a cylindrical round, was innovated by Claude-Etienne Minie in 1848 within France to load rifles more rapidly than the sphere style ammunition it replaced (A, B). The closure of a sucking chest wound was innovated by Benjamin Howard in the United States during 1863 as a procedure to save lives by applying an air tight seal to a wound that was proven as “certain death” in previous battles (D). The Minie Ball and the closure of a sucking chest wound were both great innovations used during the American Civil War, but the Minie Ball had a much greater impact before the year 1900 as it allowed armies to eliminate more enemy soldiers than the closure of the sucking chest wound saved. On a global platform, each innovation made huge influences in the way the world’s armies progressed

Unfortunately, many soldiers who fought in World War II died in combat. Those who were lucky enough to make it with just injuries have the medics to thank for the excellent care they were given in order to survive. Robert J. Franklin’s memoir, Medic! How I Fought World War II with Morphine, Sulfa, and Iodine Swabs, specifically details the work of these combat medics. The book was published by the University of Nebraska Press in Lincoln, Nebraska in 2006.

Civil War Battlefield Medicine In what a few may consider the first modern war, the Civil War was home to thousands of injuries and deaths. The Civil War was a devastating war where the Confederates, the South, fought for the idea that slavery should stay and should not be abolished and the Union, the North, fought for the abolishment of slavery. The typical soldier that fought during the Civil War were untrained farmers who either volunteered or were forced into battle. The Confederates started the war with approximately 750,000 troops and the Union with nearly 2 million.

A soldier dreaded being on the battlefield more than being in the field hospital, right…? Field hospitals were usually very, very crowded. There were never enough beds for everybody and people that couldn’t get a bed were laid outside of the hospital on the ground. Doctors were always overworked and went to the soldiers who needed the most help first. So, if you had a broken bone, chances are you would be stuck waiting for hours and maybe even days.

How the Civil War Promoted Changes in the Medical Field The Civil War was one of the deadliest war there has ever been. The North and South fought tirelessly against each other, without much room for error people started to be quick on their feet, people starting fundraisers and volunteering to help injured soldiers. There was room for improvement in the medical field during this time. The several medical challenges faced during the Civil War led to innovations that would lead into a new era of medicine, including improvement in sanitary conditions, advances in surgery, changes to the structure of hospitals and staff, and an increase in knowledge and experience for future medical professionals.

Should I Stay or Should I Go It was freezing, feet and hands numb, stomach growling at me like a bear. I needed to leave. It was 1777, George Washington and his troops arrived at Valley Forge. It was “1 mile away from Pennsylvania” (Background Essay) and nowhere to really go, and no one really wanted to go.

Medical Experiments during the Holocaust The holocaust, lasting from 1933 to 1945, became known as one of the most disturbing affairs in history. During this time period not only were six million Jew’s murdered, but many people from different minority groups were killed as well. They were brought to German concentration camps, where they were prisoners in very harsh conditions.

The Civil War was filled with many diseases and deaths. Over 620,000 men lost their lives during this war; roughly two thirds of the casualties were caused by the lack of medical knowledge of many diseases. The remaining one third of the casualties was from the actual battle itself. The war became a turning point for many women interested in the medical field. The knowledge of medicine was the beginning of a new age during the Civil War, and the lack of it led to many gruesome deaths.

The Civil War and Modern Medicine The Civil War greatly contributed to modern medicine techniques by making astounding discoveries and changing medical practices to what we know today. Doctors, Surgeons, and Soldiers all had to face the hardships of the battle field and the consequences they encountered while being in the war zones. The most challenging oppression faced was the amount of contagious diseases that spread during that time. Though these illnesses were incredibly difficult to treat, they helped doctors learn how to treat them and how to avoid them.

As a result, many medical breakthroughs that have happened during the last centuries would not have happened if it were not for World War II or the conflict in Vietnam. Medical breakthroughs that have been used during times of peace as

March 9, 2017 Aspen Wayment History of Physician Assistants There were many events leading up to the origination of the physician assistant. The military necessity in times of war was one of these events that induced the use of “non-physicians” and helped pave a pathway for physician assistants. In 1940 a highly respected physician trained his own “doctor’s assistant” to tend his patients while he was away receiving further medical education. This event was a major success and a brief example of what was to come a mere fifteen years later.

They showed us how we can decrease the chance of getting a disease. Also, medication has taken a new turn and has solved many problems that used to kill people and even animals. They have solved diseases like: tetanus, rabies, polio and even Rinderpest which was a cattle equivalent measles

Ernst’s Junger’s memoir gave great details about his experience as a German soldier in World War I. The fact that he kept a detailed journal, it gave us a description of the horrors and what it takes to survive as a soldier fighting during war. Storm of Steel provides a gruesome insight of the experiences of a young soldier in World War I. Ernst Junger’s memoir showed us the consequences of being pro-war during World War I. First of all, the beginning of the chapter discussed the commitment of a soldier getting ready for combat.

(Lofgren,2)Hospitals in the cities were able to treat patients quicker and reduce medical costs. (Lofgren,3) This shows that people were healthier, hospitals had more money to spend on other things and that people could be treated of their illnesses easily. Due to the outstanding research on penicillin, a major breakthrough in penicillin took place.