Source A
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Background information
Trench warfare created a rise in the number of head injuries. Helmets were not standard army issue when the war first broke out. It was not until 1916 that most soldiers were able to access one. The time taken for brain surgery and the little experience that doctors had meant that at the start of 1914, head wounds were not operated on, they were just bandaged up 1 Describe key features. One key feature of brain surgery on the Western Front was that it depended upon other developments occurring first. Blood transfusions needed to be administered before surgery could be carried out to stop the body going into shock. A second key feature of brain surgery on the Western Front is that it developed rapidly in a very short amount of time. Harvey Cushing developed a surgical magnet that allowed for quicker and easier extraction of metal. |
2a Utility
Source A is partially useful for an enquiry into brain surgery on the Western Front as it shows the conditions that surgery would have taken place in. We can see that the patient is being given a blood transfusion too prepare them- this is accurate as it fits with my own knowledge that the threat of shock needed to be dealt with before surgery could take place.
However its utility is extremely limited for an enquiry into brain surgery because it does not tell us anything about the actual process of brain surgery, or specific developments such as Cushing's magnet. We can only conclude that it would have taken place away from the front line in a sterile and safe environment (my evidence is based on the fact they are wearing protective clothing).
Source A is partially useful for an enquiry into brain surgery on the Western Front as it shows the conditions that surgery would have taken place in. We can see that the patient is being given a blood transfusion too prepare them- this is accurate as it fits with my own knowledge that the threat of shock needed to be dealt with before surgery could take place.
However its utility is extremely limited for an enquiry into brain surgery because it does not tell us anything about the actual process of brain surgery, or specific developments such as Cushing's magnet. We can only conclude that it would have taken place away from the front line in a sterile and safe environment (my evidence is based on the fact they are wearing protective clothing).