World War I and important inventions

SMITHSONIANMAG

 Engineer Rahmi Faisal

In the First World War, cities were reduced to rubble, millions of lives were lost, and people were left to fend for themselves. In this disgusting environment, some observers have traced the devastation of the war to some of the good aspects of the war. The United States has described the war as an "evolution of technology," and says that many important inventions were made during the war, which are still preserved in the National World War 1 Museum.

The invention of cotton

In 1914, two employees used machines to make something similar to cotton from wood pulp to save the lives of the wounded. It was used to bandage wounded soldiers with the permission of the American Surgeon General to stop the flow of blood. It was produced in very small quantities during World War I. One company could make 380 to 500 feet of cotton a minute. Red Cross nurses used the same material.Today, cotton is a key ingredient in the dressing of wounded humanity. One cannot imagine a hospital without it.

Wrist watches

In the old days, watches were considered a sign of wealth, so watches were part of women's jewelry. In those days, watches with pockets were made, but there was no concept of wrist watches. These watches were lost during the change of position in battle, so the soldiers were deprived of knowing the time of the attack. During the First World War, there was a need for large-sized watches that were fastened to the body and did not get lost. And they also showed the time at night. In these clocks, the numbers were written in a substance that glowed in the dark, making it easier to attack at the right time.

Newspaper "clothes"

The British kept the German army contemporary. With the loss of military and food supplies, everything was in short supply. So the soldiers dyed the newspapers, mixed some chemicals and made "clothes". A researcher named Cart has confirmed the use of this type of clothing in World War I. Mayor Konrad Adenauer was elected Chancellor of Germany after the war. He developed a new dish of food called kolner wurst with the help of vegetables and flour. These foods did not gain popularity after World War I.

Plastic surgery

World War I is considered the mother of plastic surgery. Hundreds and sometimes thousands of wounded were being brought to hospitals every day. Their treatment was not easy. Some soldiers had their ears cut off and some had lost their eyesight. Someone's leg was broken and no one had arms. Medical experts worked hard to treat the injured. What he did to reshape them became the basis of plastic surgery. The doctors also focused on making artificial eyes, artificial ears, artificial noses and artificial jaws.In this regard, Dr. Hendry Bacon and Dr. Harold Bess gained more fame. The two doctors from Queen's Mary Hospital were treating the wounded from the UK and New Zealand. Dr. Glass proposed the idea of ​​using his own tissues to treat the wounded. He said that no one else's tissues would accept his body but his own tissues could grow like normal tissues. He also wrote a book in 1920 entitled "Plastic Surgery of the Face". It is said that in addition to these inventions, many other inventions were made in the First World War.