Essay Sample on WWII Tech Advances: Post-War Benefits for Health & Beyond

Introduction

The technology was influential in World War II as many people faced health difficulties that required immediate considerations. Some techniques were developed during the progress of the war, while others were developed towards the end of the war. The health sector benefited from technological development that could also be applied in other areas of life. "Peacetime Values from a War Technology" was written by Gustav Egloff, who was the director of research in the universal oil products company in Chicago. He was also the president of the American institute if chemists during that period when the article was drafted. The article was written in 1943 during the progress of the Second World War and published by the American Association for the advancement of science. Since the article was published in a science journal, it was aimed to capture the science enthusiast in society to provide more knowledge on the development of health technologies because of the development of the Second World War. The source shows that World War II stimulated a lot of technical innovations, including health technologies. Certainly one aspect of that is eventually these technologies become important during war or they're almost developed because of the war. Egloff is also saying these technologies can be applied outside of that war context as well. So that speaks to the argument that this reflects how the war was an important stimulus for the development of technologies.

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The development of the war helped in the transition of the technology used specifically in the health sector. The war sparked research and development and commercialization of various processes that would have taken years to develop under normal conditions. The health sector benefited from the development of different chemicals used to kill germs and the creation of synthetic vitamins. Scientific research and development helped to create germ-killing chemicals, synthetic vitamins, and new anesthetics were formulated (Egloff 101). World War II increased research in the food supply, and that improved the quality and quantity of the food supplied and developed within the US. With the development of the chemicals, most germs were effectively controlled, reducing the number of death rates caused by bacteria.

In the textile industry, the Second World War helped in the development of synthetic textiles. The textiles were used to provide sanitary clothing, beauty, and durability to the clothing worn by the people (Egloff 102). Also, there was the development of plastic from increased research and development. Scholars discovered synthetic silks made from cotton linter and wood that was used in making cloths. The growth of plastic was expected to change the building art and house furnishing because it was a substitute for brick and mortar. Plastic assisted in the event of nylon used to make commercial products. The parachutes used by the soldiers were made using a cloth. Also, the ammunition bags were made using the same material, a fact that developed the textile industry (Egloff 104). The changes in the textile industry assisted in providing safer and better clothing for the people to prevent them from common health problems.

Plastic technology developed as the war advanced, but it was released to the civilians to be used. The use of plastic with new and efficient fuels helped in the development of the transportation system (Egloff 102). The war helped in creating durable substances such as plastic that helped in improving the living standards and conditions of the civilians in the society. In making structural materials, plastic was useful because it made insulators and housing facilities. The future locomotives were expected to be made using plastics because it reduced the costs of production and increased durability of the vehicles. The growth of the war made the United States develop glass-making technologies using sand (Egloff 105). Mass production of glass started, which was used for baking and making heat-resisting materials. In the war, glass replaced silk and gut in making the surgical materials. Glass also assisted in making optical materials, which helped the people during the war (Egloff 105). Therefore, the growth of glass manufacturing industries in the United States led to the growth of future technologies.

The transportation sector was not left behind because of the progress of the war. There was a development of low costs air travel and planes, which moved faster to several destinations (Egloff 102). The technology was adopted by other countries too, a fact which is expected to spark competition in the air travel experiences. The capacity of the oil industry increased because of the development of the war, making it easy for air transportation to improve. During the progress of the war, the demand for oil made it possible to produce 100-octane gasoline (Egloff 102). Also, the airline designs, construction, and materials were availed with the development of the war leading to increased technologies available in the transportation sector. The same technology used in producing fuels for military planes was used for commercial activities, which improved the automobile industry in the United States (Egloff 102). Because of the war, the automobiles used were expected to be speedy, safe, and beautiful in design to assist in improving comfort when traveling. The speed of transporting medical supplies to other areas was increased, leading to an improvement in the quality of life. Therefore, the development of the war was effective in creating a productive environment for the development of various medical industries because of convenience in transportation.

The development of technology because of the war created a possibility of creating better rubber products from petroleum products as opposed to the rubber extracted from trees. The tires were expected to provide a higher level of satisfaction because they would have produced 100,000 miles of service before ending their usage time (Egloff 102). Through development in research and using various materials to make durable products, the future was expected to be safe because the transportation of vaccines was going to be safe (Hoyt 40). The war sparked a revolution of various technologies. It changed the transportation sector, making other industries safer because transportation of vaccines to the soldiers and reaching enemy territories was more comfortable with technological development.

The development of petroleum because of the war assisted increased food supply. Gases such as ethylene, propylene, and butylene were used for ripening fruits (Egloff 104). Using the method to ripen the fruits made it easy to ship the fruits to other locations without fear of rotting. The speed of growth of potatoes and oranges increased because of using ethylene leading to improved consumption habits (Egloff 104). Additionally, the fruit orchards in California were fertilized using ammonia, leading to an increase in productivity (Egloff 104). The impact of the researchers on the food economy is expected to develop because product development has been done, leading to the stimulation of new hormones and chemicals.

Germany has been leading in research and development, but the development of the Second World War led to a reduction in the influence of the country. Countries such as the United States invested in research and development. Initially, the United States depended on Germany for standard supplies such as pharmaceuticals, dyes, potash, instruments, fine chemicals, lenses, and chemical glassware (Egloff 102). However, the war made the United States independent because they were separate in the production of all those materials. Before the war, studying chemistry, mathematics, medicine, and physics required the people to move to Germany because they invested in research and development (Egloff 102). During that period, scientific progress made by the United States was created under the free enterprise system. The changes to become a leader in research and development took 25 years before it surpassed German's capabilities in developing scientific materials (Egloff 102). Therefore, investment in research in the United States changed its fortunes to become one of the best countries in the world in innovative practices.

Most of the natural resources were not satisfactorily utilized, leading to the stimulation of inventions in society. The Second World War helped in the increased cooperation of the various industries in the United States. The industries spend millions of dollars on developing essential ideas for improvement of the welfare of humankind in society. All the sectors were connected through research and development, leading to the establishment of a higher level of stability (Egloff 103). The insects and the bacteria causing deaths among the people living during those periods helped in the creation of more in-depth insight into ways to innovate to improve society. Germany was leading in research and development, but the investment in the American industries made the country create more changes in improving the quality of life in society.

Most soldiers were dying in battle, but the health problems caused more frustrations to them. Health engineering was required to combat the outbreaks that came because of the war. The technologies were created to mitigate the effects of the rats, insect life, and reducing the bacteria attacking the various people. Extermination of the smaller scale of lives was difficult, but research was required to control the insects and the bacteria (Egloff 103). Scientific discoveries were made during the war because of investment in research and development, leading to increased comfort in human life. The troops were provided with anaphylactic measures against all the sub-tropical and tropical diseases before going to war to combat the disorders (Egloff 103). The medical force was expected to provide accurate information on the nature of dangers faced by the people, and the American government provided prevention and cure measures to assist in combating the spread of the condition. The war sparkled the development of cures to common diseases such as malaria, cholera, hookworm, typhus, sleeping sickness, typhoid, dysentery, and bubonic plague (Egloff 103). The disorder spreading agents such as rats, flukes, leeches, fleas, and bats were studied, and control measures created to exterminate them (Egloff 103). There was a formulation of drugs of all types to combat the effect of the disease and check the severity of the infection leading to a reduction in death rates because of increased quality of life.

Competition from Germany made the health technologies to change because America invested in the development of capable technologies that were responsible for changing the course of action and introduce more stability in the economy. By 1943, the United States had defeated Germany in the war because of using sophisticated weaponry and investment in research and development (Horwitz and McPhillips 330). The soldiers were dying of malaria, tropical ulcers, dysentery, dengue fever, and sores. Research also assisted the warring forces in providing the soldiers with light kinds of carbines, uniforms, shoes that were waterproof, efficient, and lighter packs and mosquito nets (Egloff 103). By equipping, the soldiers were meant to reduce the problems that would have been easily caused by the tropical diseases found in the locations where the war started. The changes in technological development helped in creating efficient ways that made the soldiers survive the effects of the war.

The desire to improve the spyglasses during the war helps in changing other health-related technologies in the economy. For instance, the...