DYSENTRY

[kelly]

Hi all,

I'm currently researching a soldier who contracted dysentery soon after landing at Gallipoli in late September, early October 1915.

Whilst there are numerous web-sites that explain symptoms etc, what I'd like to understand is the process of evaluation and remedy. Was this disease something they needed to get off and away from the men asap therefore shunting the situation on.

Any experts able to answer my query, I'm going to post it on the Gallipoli forum as well.

Regards

Garry

[petestarling]

Garry

Dysentery was one of the major bowel diseases encountered on Gallipoli and spread quite easily when you think of the insanitary conditions the men lived in and the major fly problem on the peninsular. In reality the men needed to be evacuated and isolated and but not always practical. September was especially bad and for Helles 5.1% of the troops were evacuated sick, Suvla 1.7% and Anzac 7.5%. The disease also hit the medical personnel and therefore the medical units themselves were depleted. They did suggest injecting emetine but there was a shortage of the drug and syringes and needles to inject.

There is a good account in the Medical History of the Great War and also Michael Tyquin's Gallipoli the Medical War

Pete

[Guest]

Chapter and verse on dysentery from a military perspective is in the Official History of the War (Medical Services) Vol 4 (Covers Gallipoli or rather the Dardanelles and other theatres where dysentery was rife) and Official History of the War (Medical Services) Casualties and Medical Statistics - both available in reprint.

Many commentators and diarists claimed that everyone at Gallipoli had dysentery at some stage, although this is not borne out in the official data. There were 29,728 British men hospitalised with dysentery at Gallipoli of whom 811 died and 28,793 returned to some form of duty and 124 were discharged as invalids..... The ratio of hospitalised dysentery cases to average ration strength was (officially) 254 per 1,000 ration strength and ORs spent on average 61.5 days in hospital if they had this disease. It is important to remember that these were only the hospital cases. Some might argue that many more coped with dysentery in the trenches and never made it to hospital so the figures are understated. Personally I think this unlikely as I can not imagine anyone coping with dysentery for very long before it became critical. Having had dysentery (twice) whilst serving, I can assure you it is very debilitating.

The symptoms of dysentery and other diseases of the digestive system may well have been confused or conflated by some (non medical) authors - there were over 20,000 cases of other similar diseases. In addition there were 9,423 cases of the enteric group of fevers recorded as hospitalised cases.

More importantly - and relevant to your question - there was a very strong culture within the military to pressure the Officers and men with dysentery (and other diseases) to 'stick it out' as long as they could. Gallipoli was a disaster and manpower shortages were extreme, so the moral suasion used to pressure men to 'soldier on' while some should have been in hospital was very great. There are a number of diary records of this and rather hair-raising reports from MOs in the line relating to this. The Medical Services did wonders at Gallipoli with very limited resources (medical supplies were short as a result of poor planning and the Royal Edward being sunk).

Milk tablets and malt tablets appeared to be the most common and immediate medicine in the trenches (rather than in hospital) for the sufferers if the diaries are any guide. One of the Horlick family was an Officer in the Yeomanry at Gallipoli and used his wealth and influence to get supplies out to the men.

For a very detailed professional view, I would recommend The Medical War: British Military Medicine in the First World War by Prof Mark Harrison. He is/was a Prof of History of Medicine at Oxford. He has about 40 pages on the subject across a number of theatres of war. He quotes a figure of 40,000 casualties from dysentery and diarrhoea at Gallipoli. He quotes extensively from MOs diaries and some of the stories are quite harrowing. Dysentery was the single largest cause of non-battle casualties and if the hard stats are anything to go by it would account for the equivalent of two Divisions' worth of men for the equivalent of 2 months. A small disaster from a commander's perspective.

MG

This will surely help: click

[bacon]

It would be interesting to find out the numbers who died from this disease. i know that many who had severe cases took years to recover so it must have been pretty horrible.