Medical Innovation In World War I

Giving and Storing Blood & Technological Innovation

In World War One, the British Army was began the usage of blood transfusion in treating wounded soldiers. Blood was transferred directly from one person to another. However, a U.S. Army doctor, Captain Oswald Robertson, realized that blood had to be stored before any casualties had arrived. He established the first blood bank on the Western Front in 1917, using sodium citrate to prevent the blood from becoming unusable. Another innovation developed in the Great War (World War One) was the Thomas Splint. This innovation was used to secure a broken leg.