What did Crile and Hodgins do during WWI?

• A. Brought nitrous oxide anesthesia to war surgery and introduced technique to France & England.
• B. Opposed the use of anesthesia in war.
• C. Trained only physicians abroad.
• D. Worked on developing new antibiotics.

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is how Crile and Hodgins approached anesthesia in wartime surgery. They argued against using anesthesia in war, reflecting a belief that pain relief could mask a patient’s true condition and complicate rapid assessment and decisive surgical action on the battlefield. In the chaotic and resource-constrained setting of World War I, minimizing delays and keeping the patient’s status clear for quick decisions was a priority for some surgeons, and that stance is what this option captures as their wartime position.

The other options don’t fit the historical context as closely: nitrous oxide anesthesia was used in various settings but isn’t specifically credited to Crile and Hodgins as a defining wartime action; antibiotics were not developed and used in World War I; and training only physicians abroad doesn’t align with their broader influence and the era’s training patterns.