What medicines did they use in WW2?

For the first time, miracle drugs—the sulfas and penicillin—were widely used to combat infection. By the last two years of the war, penicillin was also being mass-produced in the civilian community.

How did they clean wounds in the Civil war?

The surgeon would wash out the wound with a cloth (in the Southern Army sponges were long exhausted) and probe the wound with his finger or a probe, looking for bits of cloth, bone, or the bullet. If the bone was broken or a major blood vessel torn, he would often decide on amputation.

What is a 68 whiskey in the army?

68W (pronounced as sixty-eight whiskey using the NATO phonetic alphabet) is the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) for the United States Army’s Combat Medic.

What was the most common disease in ww2?

As a result, WWII soldiers suffered from several prominent diseases.

• Dysentery.
• Cholera.
• Hepatitis A and B.
• Even today in tropical environments, malaria is a common problem.
• Beriberi.
• Dengue Fever.
• Scrub Typhus.
• Leishmaniasis.

How did penicillin help in ww2?

During World War II, penicillin was mass-produced and used to treat infections in wounded and ill soldiers. Historically, infections had killed more soldiers at war than battle injuries, Markel wrote. The discovery of penicillin decreased the death rate from bacterial pneumonia in soldiers from 18\% to 1\%.

What did Vietnam era medics use to stop bleeding?

Call it the secret life of Super Glue. During the Vietnam War, emergency medics began using the all-purpose glue to seal battle wounds in troops headed for surgery. The glue was so good at stemming bleeding that it was credited with saving many lives.

How did they treat bullet wounds in ww1?

During the war, the Carrell-Dakin method of treating wounds was introduced and became universal. Dr. Carrell developed the method with Henry Dakin, an American chemist. Sodium hypochlorite is a mild antiseptic, derived by bubbling chlorine gas through saline solution.

What was sulfa powder used for in WW1?

Answer Wiki. Sulpha powder or Sulfonamide powder. Sulfa had a central role in preventing wound infections during the war. American soldiers were issued a first-aid kit containing sulfa pills and powder, and were told to sprinkle it on any open wound.

What is this white powder in a first aid kit?

These were copied from one found in a First Aid Packet, Carlisle Model. They contained 5 grams of a white crystalline powder (sulfalinamide). The purpose of the powder is to prevent infection, but because of how it was administered (externally) it may have had limited usefulness and may have even been harmful (introduction of foreign particles).

What was the purpose of the powder used in the past?

The purpose of the powder is to prevent infection, but because of how it was administered (externally) it may have had limited usefulness and may have even been harmful (introduction of foreign particles). Still, it was training and practice to apply the powder. This is an easy reproduction since it doesn’t require any fancy paper.

What is the purpose of the sulfalinamide powder?

They contained 5 grams of a white crystalline powder (sulfalinamide). The purpose of the powder is to prevent infection, but because of how it was administered (externally) it may have had limited usefulness and may have even been harmful (introduction of foreign particles). Still, it was training and practice to apply the powder.