Illnesses Suffered World War Ⅰ Joanna Jianga

What diseases and illnesses were common in the trenches of World War 1? Trench foot Shell shock Blindness or burns from mustard gas Trench fever

This made their feet turn rotten from the wet and swell up. Trench Foot This made their feet turn rotten from the wet and swell up. This was an infection of the feet caused by cold, wet and insanitary conditions. The feet would gradually go numb and the skin would turn red or blue. If untreated, trench foot could turn gangrenous and result in amputation. Point 2: In the trenches men stood for hours on end in waterlogged trenches without being able to remove wet socks or boots.

Shell Shock By 1914 British doctors working in military hospitals noticed patients suffering from "shell shock". Doctors argued that a bursting shell creates a vacuum, and when the air rushes into this vacuum it disturbs the cerebra-spinal fluid and this can upset the working of the brain. Early symptoms included tiredness, irritability, giddiness, lack of concentration and headaches. These doctors argued that a bursting shell creates a vacuum, and when the air rushes into this vacuum it disturbs the cerebra-spinal fluid and this can upset the working of the brain.

Blindness or burns from mustard gas Mustard Gas was first used by the German Army in September 1917. It was one of the most lethal of all the poisonous chemicals used during the war. The skin of victims of mustard gas blistered, the sore eyes and vomit. Mustard gas caused internal and external bleeding and attacked the bronchial tubes, stripping off the mucous membrane.

Trench Fever This was a significant disease It was transmitted by body lice, with the most common symptoms being headache, skin rash, inflammation of the eyes, and leg pain. Relapses were quite common and prolonged hospitalization would be necessary. In 1918 the cause was identified as excretions from lice, affecting all trenches: Rickettsia quintana. The disease was transmitted via the bites of body lice and was chiefly prevalent on the somewhat warmer Western and Italian Fronts.

This war had trenches and with it brought terrible illnesses. Towards the end of WW1, a large number of soldiers in the trenches in France became ill. They had sore throats, headaches, loss of appetite and appeared to be highly infectious. In the summer of 1918, many of the soldiers with flu developed bronchial pneumonia or septicaemia blood poisoning and a one in five died as a result.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWfoot.htm http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWshellshock.htm http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWmustard.htm http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/trenchfever.htm

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