Shropshire Routes to Roots

4. Resources for teachers

National Curriculum

This mini theme provides information relating to the work of the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital during the Second World War, which fits in well with KS2 and 3 coverage of the Second World War, particularly the way in which the local area played its part in the war.

These pages also complement the teaching of the KS4 SHP 'Medicine Through Time'. In particular, 'Medicine in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries' and the 'Development of Surgery'.

Skills

This theme also provides the opportunity for pupils to work with 'real' historical data. The log book source allows pupils to select, organise, analyse and explain an historic source.

Suggested activities

• Handling historic data. Think about the information taken down in the log book. If you had to collect information about a patient's operation, what information would you want to note down and how would you improve the log book.
  Using Excel, or Word, put together a log book to capture the information about patient operations. You should be able to justify and explain your reasons. Test out your log book by recording the details of one of the patients listed above.
• Creative Writing. Imagine that you are a soldier returning from the Front. You arrive at the Orthopaedic Hospital in August 1944, suffering from gun shot wounds to the leg. Write a short piece describing the way that you feel and how you are treated. Use your knowledge and the information in this entire learning package to help with your ideas.

The activities outlined here are only suggestions. Teacher's may find that they can use the data from the log book in a different way, with different questions, different activities or to fit in with an ICT lesson.

Answers to the questions in page 3. Anaesthetic log book

1. The date is significant because it is two months after D-Day and the onslaught of the Normandy Landings. During 1944, 787 battle casualties were admitted to the hospital
2. The surgeon was a man called Mr Nisbet, who was the hospital's Resident Surgical Officer between 1938 and 1946.
3. The first patient on the list is suffering from a gun shot wound on the left forearm.
4. Types of treatments listed range from checking wound, re-dressing wounds, plastering, putting in splints and on traction.

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