11 mark
What was Joseph Lister known for in the field of surgery?
Inventing the X-ray machine.
Developing anti-septic surgery.
Discovering blood types.
Creating the Thomas Splint.
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Improvements in Medicine & Surgery on the Western Front (Edexcel GCSE History)
Exam Questions
13 mins13 questions21 mark
What significant medical advancement occurred during the Battle of Cambrai in 1917?
Use of stored blood.
First use of live blood transfusions.
Introduction of X-rays.
Development of plastic surgery.
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31 mark
What problem did the Carrel-Dakin method address?
Compound fractures.
Blood clotting during transfusions.
Treating infections.
Detecting shrapnel and bullets in wounds.
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41 mark
Who developed a portable blood transfusion kit for use at the frontlines?
Oswald Hope Robertson.
Harvey Cushing.
Geoffrey Keynes.
Richard Weil.
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51 mark
What was the main challenge with using mobile X-ray units?
They overheated quickly.
They couldn't detect any metal.
They were too expensive to use.
They only worked when the weather was dry.
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61 mark
Why were brain injuries particularly difficult to treat during the First World War?
There were no X-ray machines available.
Doctors lacked neurosurgery knowledge.
Brain injuries were less common.
Infections were unlikely to affect the brain, so surgeons did not often operate on them.
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71 mark
Which of the following was not a method used to treat infections during the First World War?
Wound excision.
Carrel-Dakin method.
Penicillin.
Amputation.
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81 mark
What is the name of the person who focused on facial reconstruction surgery during the First World War?
Harold Gillies.
Harvey Cushing.
Oswald Hope Robertson.
Marie Curie.
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91 mark
Study Source A. What is the nature of Source A?
Source A: From an account written after the First World War by Charlie Shepherd. Charlie Shepherd was a soldier who fought in the war. Here he is describing his experiences in a hospital on the Western Front in 1915.
'I was in the hospital. They wanted a volunteer to give blood for a transfusion. I volunteered and they checked that I was the same blood group as the soldier who needed blood. He'd lost a leg. Gangrene had set in and they'd had to amputate it. Oh, he looked like death! As white as a sheet! I've still got the scar where they opened me up to get the tube into my vein. The blood followed up the tube to a bottle and from there it went into the soldier's arm. I was watching him. Believe me, you could see the colour coming back into his face.' |
Charlie Shepherd, 1915.
A written account.
Charlie Shepherd was a soldier who fought in the war on the Western Front in 1915.
To document and share his experiences in a hospital on the Western Front during the First World War.
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11 mark
Study Source B. If a historian had used Source B to investigate the advancements in plastic surgery during the First World War, what other source would be the best to use to help in their enquiry?
Source B: A series of photographs of Walter Yeo, the first person to receive plastic surgery performed by Sir Harold Gillies in 1917. The picture on the right shows Yeo’s injuries, he lost both his upper and lower eyelids. The picture on the left shows the use of a skin flap from an unaffected area of the body to recreate Yeo’s face.
The historian could use a school history textbook to research the advancements of plastic surgery during the First World War.
The historian could use diary entries from a general surgeon at a Casualty Clearing Station during the war. This would show how other surgeons performed plastic surgery and the historian could compare their work.
The historian could use RAMC medical records on facial injuries throughout the war. This would show the changes and advancements plastic surgery has made throughout the war.
The historian could use other photos from Sir Archibald McIndoe. This would show the progression of plastic surgery during the First World War.
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21 mark
Study Source A. Using Source A and your own knowledge, why were blood transfusions so important during the First World War?
Source A: From an account written after the First World War by Charlie Shepherd. Charlie Shepherd was a soldier who fought in the war. Here he is describing his experiences in a hospital on the Western Front in 1915.
'I was in the hospital. They wanted a volunteer to give blood for a transfusion. I volunteered and they checked that I was the same blood group as the soldier who needed blood. He'd lost a leg. Gangrene had set in and they'd had to amputate it. Oh, he looked like death! As white as a sheet! I've still got the scar where they opened me up to get the tube into my vein. The blood followed up the tube to a bottle and from there it went into the soldier's arm. I was watching him. Believe me, you could see the colour coming back into his face.' |
Pain and blood loss were still issues during surgery. Blood transfusions were needed to restore blood lost on the battlefields from the soldier's injuries.
More complex surgery was needed due to the types of injuries soldiers were sustaining. Although aseptic surgery made complex surgery possible, blood loss was still an issue. Too much blood loss during these surgeries caused patients to go into shock or die.
Blood transfusions made plastic surgery possible. Without the availability of blood transfusions, soldiers who needed plastic surgery would not have been able to have it. This is because procedures like skin grafts would not have been possible.
Blood transfusions were necessary as it was discovered that there were four main blood groups. Without blood transfusions, soldiers from these different types of blood groups could have died from a loss of blood caused by surgery or from injuries sustained during battles.
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11 mark
Study Source A. What are the limitations of Source A?
Source A: From an account written after the First World War by Charlie Shepherd. Charlie Shepherd was a soldier who fought in the war. Here he is describing his experiences in a hospital on the Western Front in 1915.
'I was in the hospital. They wanted a volunteer to give blood for a transfusion. I volunteered and they checked that I was the same blood group as the soldier who needed blood. He'd lost a leg. Gangrene had set in and they'd had to amputate it. Oh, he looked like death! As white as a sheet! I've still got the scar where they opened me up to get the tube into my vein. The blood followed up the tube to a bottle and from there it went into the soldier's arm. I was watching him. Believe me, you could see the colour coming back into his face.' |
Source A is limited as it only describes one way blood transfusions were performed during the First World War.
Source A is limited as it is only one soldier's experience of a blood transfusion. He describes what it was like to receive a blood transfusion. This experience may not be the same as other people's experiences at this time.
Source A is limited as there is very little description of what the hospitals of the First World War were like. The source focuses on another soldier having his leg amputated due to gangrene.
Source A is limited as it does not explain which blood group the soldier was. Therefore, we can not determine if his blood group was rare or not.
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21 mark
Study Source A. How does the provenance of Source A impact how helpful the source is for the historian’s enquiry into blood transfusions on the Western Front?
Source A: From an account written after the First World War by Charlie Shepherd. Charlie Shepherd was a soldier who fought in the war. Here he is describing his experiences in a hospital on the Western Front in 1915.
'I was in the hospital. They wanted a volunteer to give blood for a transfusion. I volunteered and they checked that I was the same blood group as the soldier who needed blood. He'd lost a leg. Gangrene had set in and they'd had to amputate it. Oh, he looked like death! As white as a sheet! I've still got the scar where they opened me up to get the tube into my vein. The blood followed up the tube to a bottle and from there it went into the soldier's arm. I was watching him. Believe me, you could see the colour coming back into his face.' |
The source is not very helpful for this enquiry. The source only focuses on Shepherd’s experience of being inside of a hospital, rather than having a blood transfusion.
The source is not very helpful for this enquiry. Charlie Shepherd had a blood transfusion in 1915. During the First World War, this technology had developed. This makes Charlie’s experiences invalid and unhelpful for a historian.
The account was written after the First World War. This means that Charlie had more time to reflect on his experiences, making it a more accurate account.
Charlie had first-hand experience of a live blood transfusion on the Western Front. This makes the source incredibly useful to a historian because they can learn about the process, when it was used and how much impact it had on injured soldiers.
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