EMBARGOED UNTIL 23 SEPTEMBER 2005

Trafalgar: Could Nelson have survived today?

Could Horatio Nelson have survived in the modern navy? The Royal Society of Medicine will today [Friday 23/9/05] examine the advances in medicine, trauma and surgery with a conference in Portsmouth.

Speakers including former Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Kenneth Calman and Surgeon Vice Admiral Tony Revell (ex Ministry of Defence) as well as Nelson historians, Dr Colin White and Dr Ann-Mary Hills, will be among many experts outlining the state of the nation’s health in 1805, the standard of naval medicine and the death of Nelson.

“Lord Nelson was, and remains, a hero of his time and whilst there are many questions relating to the manner of his death, it is important for us to examine these in their historical context,”

said Sir John Lilleyman, President of the Royal Society of Medicine.

“T he medical world has made great advances in science and medicine over last 200 years which means trauma care survival rates are now so much higher,”

Sir John said.

Dr Gordon Craig, a specialist in trauma care at Portsmouth Hospital and speaker at the Conference, said it was easy to take what we have today for granted.

“Nelson took three-and-a-half hours to die from a classic description of hypovolaemic shock,”

said Dr Craig.

“Modern trauma care emphasises the importance of urgently treating life-threatening injuries to improve patient survival. The staggering advances in science and medicine in the last 200 years means trauma care can be instituted during this crucial ‘Golden Hour’ after injury.

“All the things doctors take for granted such as turning on a tap for oxygen, bags of sterile fluid, anaesthesia, antibiotics, mean that these days cases with similar injuries would be expected to survive. We still can’t cure paralysis but, who knows in 50 years time with stem cell technology, we could have people with such injuries walking again?”

Dr Craig said.

To see a full list of speakers at the conference go to: http://www.rsm.ac.uk/academ/XA-Naval.php

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