Medical Innovation Through Necessity

Military medicine advanced more in four years than the previous century. French doctors, facing casualties beyond imagination, pioneered treatments that revolutionized medicine. The Service de Santé, overwhelmed initially, evolved into sophisticated medical system saving countless lives.

Blood transfusion, experimental prewar, became routine. Dr. Émile Jeanbrau developed citrated blood storage, allowing transfusions hours after donation. Mobile blood banks operated near front lines. By 1918, French medical services performed thousands of transfusions monthly.

Surgical techniques advanced dramatically. Dr. Alexis Carrel, working with English chemist Henry Dakin, developed antiseptic wound irrigation that reduced infection rates from 70% to 10%. Debridement—aggressive removal of dead tissue—became standard. X-ray units, many organized by Marie Curie, allowed precise bullet location.

Prosthetic development responded to countless amputations. The Centre de Rééducation Professionnelle des Mutilés created artificial limbs allowing veterans to work. Facial reconstruction, pioneered by Dr. Hippolyte Morestin, attempted restoring identity to les gueules cassées. Though results often disappointed, techniques developed became foundation for modern plastic surgery.

Psychological medicine emerged from necessity. "Shell shock" forced recognition of war's mental casualties. Dr. Gustave Roussy established specialized hospitals treating psychological trauma. Though treatments remained primitive—rest, hypnosis, electrical therapy—the recognition that minds could be wounded like bodies represented crucial advancement.