Water and Electricity: Those two don’t mix well, and don’t try this at home. But in 1916 this setup was supposed to be effective in treating rheumatism and also “severe nervous disorders.”... Scientific American, January 8, 1916
Medicine on the March: The technology of medical care was enlisted to fight infection in the Great War. Here, a device built around an iodine-filled glass bottle was issued as “part of the first-aid packet of every German fighting man.”... Scientific American, July 22, 1916
Pistols for Medicine, 1916: No, it has nothing to do with paying the bill. The French devised a psychological profile and tests to select airplane pilots--a phenomenally dangerous job. The pistol was fired (I believe with blanks) while the candidate's heart rate and breathing were monitored... Scientific American, July 1, 1916
Medicine for Mass Casualties: In the Great War in Europe the vast number of wounded needed an efficient system of care facilities. Here, the railways do their part, moving casualties away from the front lines to base hospitals... Scientific American Supplement, March 25, 1916
Advertisement
Polio Outbreak: In the September 9, 1916, issue it was called a “baffling epidemic.” There were periodic outbreaks before and after, but the one in 1916 was one of the most serious. Here, a patient strengthens damaged muscles... Scientific American, September 9, 1916
The Great War: It was described in 1916 as “the sorry business of wrecking human bodies now in full swing in Europe.” In this photograph, a patient in Germany wears a full set of prosthetics made in the United States... Scientific American Supplement, May 20, 1916
Probing for Bullets: The British used this electric needle to probe for bullets and shrapnel within the body. Contact with electrically conductive metal could be picked up on headphones; X-rays were much more effective... Scientific American, June 10, 1916
Machine for Breathing: The “pulmotor” from 1916, being demonstrated in this photograph, was a hand-operated pump that filled lungs with air, using valves to regulate the pressure of inhalation and exhalation... Scientific American, July 1, 1916
Advertisement
War Exercise, Peacetime: “A harsh but true” reality of medical care is “not to relieve suffering” but to make sure “the disabled are cleared away.” This motorcycle and sidecar ambulance from the U.S... Scientific American, August 5, 1916
Medicine for Horses: Salvarsan was introduced in 1910 as a treatment for syphilis in people, but veterinarians found it worked well against contagious pneumonia in horses. Scientific American, January 29, 1916
Advances in medical care sometimes come as a result of long and thoughtful work in the laboratory. In 1916, however, medical progress came as a response to the urgent needs of the time. As the Great War raged in Europe, medicines and techniques were invented—or discarded—for helping the massive number of people wounded in war. For patients who had lost limbs or function because of war or disease, medical care became a process of helping the patient regain as much independence as possible.
Often, those in the medical field were employed mostly as an adjunct to the war effort, helping to return soldiers and horses to duty as quickly as possible, or helping to weed out individuals unfit for service in some way.
In a time of tumultuous change, medicine stumbled forward, trying to fill the needs created by wrenching events. For a longer look at the uses of medicine in war and peace, you can peruse the Scientific American Archive at ScientificAmerican.com/magazine/sa
This article was originally published with the title "50, 100, 150 Web Ex" in Scientific American 314, 6, (June 2016)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)
Dan Schlenoff was a contributing editor at Scientific American and edited the 50, 100 and 150 Years Ago column for one seventh of the magazine's history. Credit: Nick Higgins
