World War I changed military medicine, and medicine in general, forever.

This was due to the developing role of stretcher bearers on the Western Front, who became the world's first paramedics (medicalising the journey from wound to hospital).

How this can be brought into the classroom:

  • Students can write diary entries as a stretcher bearer during WWI.
  • Give students information about problems caused by the first 'industrial' war (large, bloody wounds), then get students to act as a medical adviser coming up with solutions.
  • Students can use their understanding of the role of stretcher bearers in WWI to respond to the line of enquiry: 'WWI had no long-term impact on medicine.'

Jonathan Grande, who teaches History at Alexandra Park School, was inspired to suggest these teaching ideas after hearing Dr Emily Mayhew (Imperial College London) speak about The Great War: How it changed military medicine, and medicine, forever (so far) at the CPD subject day Medicine and public health over 1000 years.

Schools Programme members can download the resources from the event in the PTI Staffroom.

Want to discover more inspiring subject knowledge? See our upcoming courses and events for 2016/17, including our CPD subject days: Mao's China 1949-1976, Stalin's Russia with Simon Sebag Montefiore and The First World War at KS3.

Find more knowledge nuggets here.

Image: By Gilbert Rogers [CC BY 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.