World War I Legacies

Recently we have celebrated 100 years since some of the most horrific battles ever staged with the loss of hundreds of thousands in the atrocities of World War I. 

It is clear we will never forget and good to see our younger generations have no intention of letting history fade. 

Despite the destruction of the Great War there are a number of lasting legacies that developed in medicine, geopolitics, warfare and social relations. Here are just a couple of these ...

Shell Shock and PTSD

Nobody in history, who has fought, won or lost, has ever avoided being a victim of the war they were involved in. Shell shock was originally believed to be as a result of the physical closeness and impacts of the explosions of war but it wasn't until the First World War it became clear the strange shell shock symptoms were emotional and not physical.  The trauma often caused physical symptoms which varied from speech difficulties, twitches, anxiety and digestive disorders to more comprehensive nervous indispositions.

It then took many years, in fact until the 1980's to recognise the condition as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Blood banking

In 1914 the discovery that blood could be prevented from clotting by mixing with sodium citrate made a huge breakthrough towards blood banking. This alongside the benefits of refrigeration meant that by the second half of the First World War preserved blood became available and whilst there were some problems particularly with regard to overlooking blood groups the advances led to a blood donor service being set up in London in 1922.