We worked to control patients' bleeding, to "reduce, " or set, their badly broken bones in an effort to save their limbs, and to administer medication to help their pain and prevent infection.

WSJ: Emily Loving Aaronson: On the Front-Lines of Battlefield Triage in Boston

Some patients react badly to long-term painkiller use, suffering gastric bleeding and liver problems - and there is no guarantee that the benefits to one group of patients would outweigh the risks to another.

BBC: Aspirin