Wound treatment with tranfusion (for additional wbc?) and sodium hypochlorate (almost clorox)irrigation has been superseded by a bunch of stuff. Penicllin wasn't in mass use until after d-day, but sulfa was available and in common use, I believe. Management of fractured femur with a thomas splint was taught in 1971 in my nursing school, but was replaced by the hare traction splint-which is a lot like a thomas splint- and early surgical fixation. Interesting stuff-thanks, art.
Susan-in the absence of antibiotics and wound management stuff, leaving the wound open was better than creating an abscess by enclosing infective material. And you are right, it is still a pretty good idea. An insightful surgeon once told me that all surgery was unnecessary-the human race was thriving for a long time without it.
I think you nailed it. The main treatment missing was, IMHO, antibiotics. Early closure is part of this. Also the old-time treatment that is coming back is the sodium hypochlorate drip. When the antibiotics no longer work, either the bugs are resistant to all you have or you don't have any, creative doctors have dug back into old techniques. Excision of the infected areas and antimicrobial drips and wet-packs have become the state of the art in last-ditch methods for fighting infections.
Before antibiotics there was a lot of research being done on treating and preventing infections. Doctors on TB wards had experimented with surgical removal of infected areas and were just starting to work with the use of radiation. Antimicrobial agents were commonly used in a variety of ways. The advent of antibiotics brought these branches of research to an end. The worm has turned and old is new again. Doctors in their 80s are getting consulted and medical texts and journal articles from the 40s are being referenced.
I've heard that leeches are still useful for some applications. I didn't see anything on closing the wounds. Of course, I don't see the need to do so, either.
Leaches are being examined for biological agents for thinning blood, blocking pain, and preventing infection. Come to find out leach saliva is very good at doing all three.
Using leaches live and whole is pretty common for removing trapped blood and restoring circulation on grafts and reattached fingers and such. Very handy.
But before you think that medical science has gotten over slapping hot iron on wounds and boiling oil in wounds you have to remember that electro-cautery is little more than a smaller, and more controlled, version of using a red-hot iron to stop bleeding.
I thought the article was interesting and might suggest alternative methods when the modern amenities of a typical hospital are not available. Remote locations, wide-area mass-casualty situations where hospitals are overwhelmed, or destroyed, may see doctors having to use more primitive expedient means. Always good to have knowledge of options. Doctors in the 40s were not stupid or useless. They made do with what they had. Often performing seeming miracles with little more than a sharp knife, household chemicals, cotton bandages, a caring heart, and willing hands.
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