Medical history (WW1)

Preparation and Planning

In preparation for Episode 2 you will need to photocopy and cut out the question cards so there is one copy of questions for each team of three. You may choose to laminate the question cards to make them more durable. You also need to photocopy Student Worksheet 1-5 so there is one copy for each group and one copy of Student Worksheet 6 for each student.

About the MOD Topic

Student Worksheets 2-5 provide information and imagery about Edward Jenner, Louis Pasteur, David Bruce and Ronald Ross. Student Worksheet 6 explains the role of the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) during the First World War.

Throughout history conflict has often driven medical advances with the high volumes of injury providing an opportunity (and a necessity) for the development of medical processes. The Royal Army Medical Services have been providing medical support to soldiers in the British Army since 1660. The many different environments in which the RAMC has served means that the RAMC has had the opportunity to undertake research on many different diseases, from tropical diseases such as malaria to diseases such as typhoid and cholera. This research has in turn led to the development of methods to both prevent and treat many deadly diseases.

The RAMC have been active in every conflict which the British Army have fought in since 1660. Its members are currently providing medical support to British service men and women fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as continuing to support ongoing NATO peace keeping operations in Kosovo and Sierra Leone.

Further Opportunities for Learning

Students can be encouraged to use the internet to search for figures relating to casualty rates during the First World War and Second World War. Students can then represent the information using different graphs and tables and compare the differences in casualty rates between countries and between the two wars. This exercise will help to improve both students ICT and numeracy skills.

There are many opportunities for students to conduct further research (for example, medical procedures used by the Roman Army in Britain or medical practices of the Napoleonic Wars).

Student worksheet answers

Download the teachers notes PDF to access the answers for this lesson.