World War One Trench Diseases : Trench rot, trench fever, trench mouth

In addition to being devastating to the landscape and population, World War I was devastating to the human body. Yes, there were the horrific wounds, but there were also diseases. These diseases were rarely diagnosed in the civilian population and, therefore, became known as “trench diseases.” (This post is a companion piece to Melina Druga’s WWI Trilogy, Angel of Mercy, Those Left Behind and Adjustment Year, available wherever eBooks are sold.)

Trench Fever

Soldiers in a World War One trench — Life in the trench contributed to many diseases

Type of infection: Bacterial, transmitted by lice

Symptoms: Abnormal sensitivity in the shins, fever, headache, muscle soreness, eye pain

Duration: Five days, but could be reoccurring

Course of the illness: Muscle soreness continues even after fever breaks

Prognosis: Rarely fatal, but too high of a fever can lead to heart damage

Prevention: Cleanliness and eliminating the lice infestation, which is next to impossible in the trenches

Major J. H. P. Graham, of No. 5 Canadian Mobile Laboratory, first identified the disease in 1915.

“A private belonging to an infantry regiment was admitted to a casualty clearing station from a field ambulance where he had been detained suffering from a febrile illness of three days’ duration and of sudden onset,” Graham said in his notes. “The patient’s condition on admission was marked by frontal headache, dizziness, severe lumbago, a feeling of stiffness down the front of the thighs, and severe pains in the legs referred chiefly to the shins.”

At first, medical professionals disagreed on whether this was a new disease or simply an old one presenting itself in a new way. Laboratory studies confirmed the former.

Researchers discovered that most cases were not caused by the lice themselves but instead from accidentally rubbing louse excrement into irritated skin.

In 1917, trench fever accounted for 15 percent of medical evacuations.

Trench Rot

Type of infection: Fungal

Symptoms: Feet turn red then blue; swelling, blisters; area stinks like decay

Duration: Two to six weeks followed by months of recovery

Course of the illness: In advanced cases, leads to gangrene and amputation

Prognosis: Varies, depending on severity

Prevention: Improved drainage in trenches, waterproof footwear, frequently changing into dry socks

Trench foot was a disease well known in the medical field. It had been plaguing soldiers for centuries, but it became especially problematic in the early months of the Great War when it affected tens of thousands.

“Towards [sic] the end of WWI, the armies developed techniques for preventing Trench Foot,” blogger Perry Walters says on the Kansas World War One Centennial Committee website. “First, they provided an elevated wooden floor in the bottom of the trenches. They enhanced the trench drainage systems, and they also developed a buddy system where each soldier was responsible for his buddy’s feet being dry and clean.”

Armies also instituted regular foot inspections.

Trench Mouth

Type of infection: Bacterial

Symptoms: Swelling of the gums as well as ulcers on the gums, fever, bleeding, bad breath

Duration: If not properly treated, can spread beyond the gums and infect the jawbone, lips and cheeks

Course of the illness: Caused by the bacteria normally present in the mouth growing out of control

Prognosis: Depends on severity of the infection because gum tissue is destroyed. Teeth may fall out.

Prevention: Good oral hygiene, proper nutrition, not smoking, controlling stress

Trench mouth is the gingivitis case from hell. It is painful and cannot be reversed (true gingivitis can). During the war, it became prevalent because some soldiers stopped their oral hygiene routines and many ate sugary treats from home.

“In the horrendous conditions amidst the mud and carnage of battle, strategies of attrition involved troops in long stalemates, with gun care more of a priority than gum care,” the European Federation of Periodontology says.

Today, the disease can be treated with antibiotics, but during the 1910s it was treated with hydrogen peroxide.

The WWI Trilogy by Melina Druga: Angel of Mercy, Those Left Behind and Adjustment Year

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Updated: 19 October 2020

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Melina Druga

Melina Druga is a multi-genre author with a lifelong love of history, books and the English language.She pens historical fiction, chick lit and nonfiction.