The Korean War
The medical field took a step back following World War Two and was not prepared for the Korean War. Even though the same technology that had existed in previous wars remained, doctors and surgeons were less common. After the Second World War there was less of a call to service and less of a call to the medical field, the level of training decreased. The number of hospitals and hospital personnel which had increased during World War Two had fallen dramatically. Few, if any new doctors had battlefield experience. Despite these oppsticals battlefield medicine during the Korean War was still very effective.
President Harry S. Truman spoke two days following the invasion of Korea, "Military medicine is a well conceived, well advised, and well established device, system, or mechanism, the mission of which is to provide the Armed Services with a quality or brand of medical coverage that is not only essential to the proper and efficient function of the military but is moreover essential to the best interests of the individual and of the national welfare (Truman)."
This was one of the first goals set for medicine. People had accepted and expected medicine to be there but never before had they had a mission or a point of being around besides saving lives. This goal gave doctors and surgeons a place to reach, a goal, and they worked their hardest to complete it.
The most noticeable statistic from the Korean War is the fatality rate for seriously injured soldiers which was only at 2.5%, compared to World War Two at 4.5% (Defense Media Network). While the war itself may have been considered a failure, the medical field was a success. Beginning in World War One the issue of severely injured soldiers was present, in World War Two surgeons experimented with repairing blood vessels. During the Korean war surgeons, pictured on left, experimented and implemented techniques of vascular repair, which restored circulation and limited the number of amputations (Korean War 60th Anniversary). Surgeons now had the ability to prevent hundreds of amputations, soldiers injured in battle had another option besides losing a limb. It is easy to imagine that this would limit the stress of many soldiers going into battle because there were alternate methods for fixing injured limbs.
President Harry S. Truman spoke two days following the invasion of Korea, "Military medicine is a well conceived, well advised, and well established device, system, or mechanism, the mission of which is to provide the Armed Services with a quality or brand of medical coverage that is not only essential to the proper and efficient function of the military but is moreover essential to the best interests of the individual and of the national welfare (Truman)."
This was one of the first goals set for medicine. People had accepted and expected medicine to be there but never before had they had a mission or a point of being around besides saving lives. This goal gave doctors and surgeons a place to reach, a goal, and they worked their hardest to complete it.
The most noticeable statistic from the Korean War is the fatality rate for seriously injured soldiers which was only at 2.5%, compared to World War Two at 4.5% (Defense Media Network). While the war itself may have been considered a failure, the medical field was a success. Beginning in World War One the issue of severely injured soldiers was present, in World War Two surgeons experimented with repairing blood vessels. During the Korean war surgeons, pictured on left, experimented and implemented techniques of vascular repair, which restored circulation and limited the number of amputations (Korean War 60th Anniversary). Surgeons now had the ability to prevent hundreds of amputations, soldiers injured in battle had another option besides losing a limb. It is easy to imagine that this would limit the stress of many soldiers going into battle because there were alternate methods for fixing injured limbs.
The vast difference between World War Two and the Korean War treatment was the implementation of helicopter, the aeromedical evacuation system. Army Maj. William G. Howard wrote that the helicopter “fundamentally changed the Army’s medical-evacuation doctrine” (Defense media network). The issues in the past of the amount of time it took to treat soldiers was solved, now the injured could be taken from the battlefield chaos and treated a safe distance away. During the Korean War helicopters transported over 2,000 wounded soldiers to safety (Defense Media network).
The system of treating soldiers, called the relay system, was also highly effective. Injured soldiers would first be taken to a battalion station or a collecting system where initial diagnostics were made and soldiers were given miner triage. If injuries were bad enough the soldiers would be taken to larger treatment centers behind the front lines (. The most severely injured soldiers were airlifted to hospitals in Japan (Defense Media Network). This system effectively separated the degrees of injury and took those with severe injuries off the front lines. Soldiers were quickly treated for minor injuries and transported elsewhere for the more severe.
The Korean War showed how efficient battlefield medicine could be. Despite the fact that doctors were unprepared at the beginning of the war, they made up for their lack of battlefield experience by creating more organized systems of treatment. The goal set by President Truman at the beginning of the war gave medical personal a goal to strive for. Medal personnel in World War One and Two had been there to try their hardest to save lives, Truman's words made past efforts seem weak. He made it clear that they had a responsibility to the country, to keep the Army running and to bring soldiers back to their families at home.
The system of treating soldiers, called the relay system, was also highly effective. Injured soldiers would first be taken to a battalion station or a collecting system where initial diagnostics were made and soldiers were given miner triage. If injuries were bad enough the soldiers would be taken to larger treatment centers behind the front lines (. The most severely injured soldiers were airlifted to hospitals in Japan (Defense Media Network). This system effectively separated the degrees of injury and took those with severe injuries off the front lines. Soldiers were quickly treated for minor injuries and transported elsewhere for the more severe.
The Korean War showed how efficient battlefield medicine could be. Despite the fact that doctors were unprepared at the beginning of the war, they made up for their lack of battlefield experience by creating more organized systems of treatment. The goal set by President Truman at the beginning of the war gave medical personal a goal to strive for. Medal personnel in World War One and Two had been there to try their hardest to save lives, Truman's words made past efforts seem weak. He made it clear that they had a responsibility to the country, to keep the Army running and to bring soldiers back to their families at home.
This conflict is one thing I've been waiting for. I'm well and strong and young - young enough to go to the front. If I can't be a soldier, I'll help soldiers. ~Clara Barton