Tourniquets
One of the oldest medical tools is the tourniquet, which has its roots as far back as Ancient Rome with the invention of similar devices. In 1718, French surgeon Jean Louis Petit developed a screw device for blocking blood flow in surgical sites. Before this invention, the tourniquet was a simple garrot, tightened by twisting a rod.
Did You Know…?
A tourniquet is a device which applies pressure to a limb or extremity in order to limit – but not stop – the flow of blood.
tourniquet
The use of the tourniquet was widespread during the Second World War. Many casualties suffered wounds to the limbs of the body, and in the very worst cases the force of weaponry at the time could remove limbs completely. The body cannot survive with a large loss of blood, therefore stemming the flow of blood with the use of a tourniquet was vital to ensuring that casualties had a chance of surviving their ordeal. During the Second World War, it was sometimes not practical to quickly evacuate a casualty. Therefore, a tourniquet would act as a means to stem the loss of blood through means of pressure and compression. Once the casualty had been securely evacuated to a military hospital, the tourniquet would be removed and surgery performed. If the limb was too badly damaged the end result could ultimately lead to amputation.
Did You Know…?
The term ‘tourniquet’ originated from the French word “tourner” meaning “to turn”.
The use of tourniquets during the Second World War was occasionally criticised, as sometimes poor medical training meant that tourniquets were often hidden under blankets or bandages, applied too tightly or left on for too long. Nevertheless, the use of the tourniquet saved many lives and has been used to great effect by the British Army in recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
modern tourniquet
SECOND WORLD WAR CONTENTS:
References