Развитие на медицинското осигуряване във връзка с военни конфликти
Development of medical provision in relation to military conflicts

Summary/Abstract: Medical care during a military conflict depends on a variety of factors, from the number of doctors and nurses available to the climate and terrain on which they are fighting, the number of soldiers who need treatment, etc. Faced with many casu- alties during World War I and World War II, doctors and scientists developed a number of innovative techniques, tools and treatments. We aim to present the progress of the medical provision due to military conflicts in this period. A thorough research on the topic is carried out using analysis, documentary and historical methods. Ambulances, antiseptics and anesthesia - the three elements of medicine that are well-known today, appeared during the World War I. The use of lethal poisonous gas as a weapon of mass destruction required the application of decontamination. Casualty care is improving and death rates are decreasing, probably due to the improved medical provision system. The “Evacuation system”, which historically replaced the earliest “Treatment in place” system, was in turn replaced by the “Treatment in stages” system introduced in 1916. After the World War I, mass prosthetics of limbs of servicemen with amputations begins and an emphasis is placed on reha- bilitation. World War II leads to the widespread use of penicillin, other antibacterial agents, morphine, the appearance of plastic surgery with a focus on facial reconstruction, and the development and refinement of blood and plasma transfusions. In conclusion, we can note that military conflicts give impetus mainly to the development of surgery, anesthesiology, ortho- pedics and psychiatry.

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