Medical Care Soldiers Received
The single most important factor in survival rates was how quickly an injured soldier was given treatment. If one “received treatment within an hour of being seriously wounded, [he] had a 90 percent chance of recovery,” but “after eight hours, his chances slipped to 25 percent” (White). Military planners understood that it was imperative to have good medical care, so medics were embedded in every unit of soldiers to provide immediate care. In addition to the care of medics, every soldier carried a first-aid kit, which contained “a package of sulfa powder and a bandage to dress the wound,” and were taught to use the powder on open wounds to avoid infection (Steinert). In this way, soldiers were often treated quickly on the battlefield rather than waiting days as before, saving countless lives.
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Most injuries soldiers had were severe enough that they would have to be transported away from the battlefield for further treatment. In the European Theater, the war zones were previously urban areas that had a preexisting network of healthcare and hospitals. Soldiers would be evacuated away from the front line to these locations for more treatment, often spending time at “mobile hospitals” closer to the field. For both immediate care and long-term recovery, they were sent back to England. Injured soldiers were spread out across the country so as not to overcrowd hospitals nearest to the ports from which they came in. Often in the Pacific Theater, however, there were no hospitals nearby to treat injured soldiers. This affected the time it took for a wounded man to receive treatment, thus increasing the risk of death.
Eventually, if a soldier was injured badly enough, he could receive a medical discharge from the armed forces. Many of these discharged veterans reported feeling survivor’s guilt because they left the war earlier than their fellow fighters. Doctors and nurses at all levels had to reassure them, caring for needs both psychological and physical. |