Disability in World War I - Essay Example

The paper "Disability in World War I" is an outstanding example of an essay on history. The results of the First World War brought the world new technology where new weapons were used such as machine guns, and there was an improvement in the technology used in medical practices. It was the first kind of war that was ever experienced in Europe. By 1918, about 400,000 war veterans’ soldiers were reported to have been injured during the war. Soldiers with disabilities were given heroic state support with a push for fatherhood and also marriage. By offering veterans jobs, it would give them independence and allow them to earn a living. The endeavor of Briton veterans to regain self-worth, physical abilities and masculinity were becoming a problem. Some of them had disgusting physical appearances, and others had disfigured faces for society to accept them fully. About 60,500 soldiers had eye and head injuries, and 41,000 soldiers had amputated limbs (Gerke, 2014).

In this presentation, I learned that the new technology and improved medical know-how enabled many veterans to regain self-worth, and physical appearance become well. Those who lost jaws, noses, and eyes were replaced with others and looked as better like the original self. The use of prosthetic limbs was used to hide the injuries and disabilities of soldiers injured in the war helped them regain physical abilities to work again. Even though the soldiers had life-like masks of facial disfigurement, it was a reminder to the society the consequences of the World War I. Such work of improved medical technology was displayed in the Ladd’s portrait in Paris of the benefactor patients. Patriotism was displayed by the Britons using the disability of a veteran soldier and refused to use disability when it reminded them of the consequences of that war (Gerke, 2014). Read More