On 1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme, British forces sustained 57,000 casualties, creating a medical emergency of unprecedented scale and severity.
This exhibition commemorates the centenary of the momentous battle and examines the huge medical and human impact of wounding during and beyond the First World War.
Wounded: Conflict, Casualties and Care draws on the Science Museum’s extensive First World War medical collections as well as the words of the wounded and those who cared for them to explore the remarkable medical responses and innovations catalysed by this conflict.
Beyond the battlefields, the exhibition also focuses on the longer-term impact of the war on the soldiers who were left physically and mentally affected, and shows how the medical lessons learnt still carry relevance today.