GCSEHistoryEdexcelThe Thematic & Historic Environment (Paper 1)Topic QuestionsMedicine in Britain, c1250-PresentExam Questions: Medicine in Britain c.1250-Present

Exam Questions: Medicine in Britain c.1250-Present (Edexcel GCSE History: The Thematic & Historic Environment (Paper 1))

Topic Questions

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Topic Questions
1a8 marks

Study Sources A and B in the Sources Booklet. 

How useful are Sources A and B for an enquiry into the problem of trench foot? 

Explain your answer, using Sources A and B and your knowledge of the historical context.

Text describing trench conditions on the Western Front by Captain Impey: Trenches were muddy, waterlogged, and lacked proper shelter. Trench foot was common, with 200 men needing evacuation. Rubber boots and dry socks were given to troops in the worst conditions. Men were sent once a day to rub grease into each other's feet.
A medical officer inspects the feet of soldiers seated in a support trench on the Western Front during the First World War in 1918. The photographer is unknown.

How did you do?

1b4 marks

Study Source A.

How could you follow up Source A to find out more about the problem of trench foot? 

In your answer, you must give the question you would ask and the type of source you could use. Complete the table below.

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2a8 marks

Study Sources A and B in the Sources Booklet. 

How useful are Sources A and B for an enquiry into the use of blood transfusions on the Western Front? 

Explain your answer, using Sources A and B and your knowledge of the historical context.

Source A is an account of Charlie Shepherd describing giving blood in a hospital in 1915 via a live blood transfusion. Source B is a 1918 article from The Lancet medical journal on blood transfusion methods. This includes how to store blood using citrate to prevent blood clotting.

How did you do?

2b4 marks

Study Source A.

How could you follow up Source A to find out more about the use of blood transfusions on the Western Front?

In your answer, you must give the question you would ask and the type of source you could use. Complete the table below.

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3a8 marks

Study Sources A and B in the Sources Booklet. 

How useful are Sources A and B for an enquiry into the effects of a gas attack? 

Explain your answer, using Sources A and B and your knowledge of the historical context.

Diary entry by Dr. Harvey Cushing about a gas attack on April 25, 1915, describing the aftermath and suffering of affected soldiers. He notes a cloud of green smoke with a yellow top approaching the men. The affected soldiers were gasping for breath, had blue faces and discoloured phlegm. Only 60 men survived the attack
A 1918 photograph showing British soldiers, affected by a gas attack. The men have their eyes covered. They are standing in a line with hands on each other's shoulders, waiting for medical treatment. The photographer is unknown.

How did you do?

3b4 marks

Study Source A. 

How could you follow up Source A to find out more about the effects of a gas attack?

In your answer, you must give the question you would ask and the type of source you could use. Complete the table below.

How did you do?

Did this page help you?

4a8 marks

Study Sources A and B in the Sources Booklet. 

How useful are Sources A and B for an enquiry into the work of the stretcher bearers on the Western Front? 

Explain your answer, using Sources A and B and your knowledge of the historical context.

Excerpt from a 1915 letter by a British RAMC captain describing the exhaustive work of stretcher bearers during a German attack on British trenches. They began at 5am to evacuate wounded soldiers from a wooded area. The stretcher bearers worked until 4am the next morning. They were incredibly exhausted
Painting by Gilbert Rogers c1919, showing Royal Army Medical Corps members lifting a wounded soldier from a trench. Rogers was a member of the RAMC and was commissioned by the Imperial War Museum to create this painting

How did you do?

4b4 marks

Study Source A. 

How could you follow up Source A to find out more about the work of the stretcher bearers on the Western Front? 

In your answer, you must give the question you would ask and the type of source you could use. Complete the table below.

How did you do?

Did this page help you?

5a8 marks

Study Sources A and B in the Sources Booklet. 

How useful are Sources A and B for an enquiry into the treatment of battle injuries by medical staff on the Western Front?  

Explain your answer, using Sources A and B and your knowledge of the historical context.

Source A is a photograph of a British casualty clearing station in 1916. It shows soldiers with various injuries and bandages. It shows two nurses treating the soldiers. Source B is text from Edith Appleton’s First World War diary. It details the hundreds of wounded men arriving during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. It discusses issues such as gangrene, amputation and metal lodged in a patient's lung

How did you do?

5b4 marks

Study Source A. 

How could you follow up Source A to find out more about the treatment of battle injuries by medical staff on the Western Front? 

In your answer, you must give the question you would ask and the type of source you could use. Complete the table below.

How did you do?

Did this page help you?