This was a significant disease, attacking all armies for the duration of the war. It was transmitted by body lice, with the most common symptoms being headache, skin rash, inflammation of the eyes, and leg pain. Treatment was dependant on the symptoms. The condition wasn’t overly serious and most recovered after five or six days. However, relapses were quite common and prolonged hospitalization would be necessary.

World War I created excellent conditions for transmission of the flu; civilians and soldiers alike were stressed, tired and extremely malnourished. The devastating epidemic that ensued affected half the world’s population, killing more people than any other disease before. It was thought that the virus had put an end to the Great War because soldiers were too ill to fight in combat. By that point, more men were dying of the Spanish flu than from enemy fire.

Tuberculosis (TB), a contagious bacterial infection affecting primarily the lungs was the leading cause of death and one of the most dreaded diseases of the early twentieth century. It is highly contagious and spread primarily from person to person by breathing infected air from sneezes and coughs in crowded, unsanitary conditions.

The immune systems of the men in the trenches would have been severely compromised by fatigue, poor diet, and exposure to damp and cold, and it is no wonder that TB was rampant. Sanatoriums were set up to isolate and treat patients. At that time, rest and a proper diet was the only treatment. Today of course, TB can be treated successfully by antibiotics but penicillin was not discovered until 1928. Tuberculosis was also closely linked to the expanding and overcrowding of urban areas.

The men were exposed to cold, but not freezing, conditions, often standing in ankle-deep water that was permanently in the bottom of the trenches. In an attempt to make their feet waterproof the soldiers were given whale grease to apply to their feet.

Trench foot was a painful condition where the feet would swell up and turn red or blue and blistered. Nerve damage would ensue and eventually numbness. Treatment for trench foot was to elevate the limb, apply moderate warmth and wait. In most cases, after a few weeks the foot would return to normal. But even after recovery, nerve damage was often still a problem. In more severe cases gangrene could result which would necessitate amputation.