[Struggle against typhus in the Caucasian front during the 1st World War]. 2002

Mustafa Karatepe
Istanbul Universitesi Cerrahpaşa a Tip Fakültesi Deontoloji ve Tip Tarihi Anabilim Dah'nda. mkaratepe@pamukkale.edu.tr

As an infectious disease, typhus has triggered many epidemics during the course of wars and caused thousands of death all through the ages. The French physician Charles Nicolle (1886-1936) defined its agent as a louse transferring the disease from man to man in 1909 and was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1928. Many cases were reported during the 1st World War both in the European and the Ottoman armies; and one of the most severe epidemics broke in the Caucasian front; a great number of civilians and soldiers died at winter in 1914 and 1915. Lice had to be destroyed in order to prevent the epidemic, but etuves in the Caucasian front was too few to achieve it. Clothes were cleansed in ovens by means of a method proposed by Dr. Abdülkadir Noyan (1886-1977). On March 28, 1915 the first typhus vaccination, obtained from the infected blood of the patients, was applied by Dr. Tevfik Salim (Saklam) (1882-1963). In 1916 Dr. Ahmet Fikri Tüzer discovered a disinfection apparatus called "buğu sandiği" (vapour box) which was widely used in the Caucasian front after 1917. This apparatus was highly useful in controlling the typhus epidemics. 164 health officers lost their lifes in the Caucasian front between 1914-1918, in addition, 7310 military casualties were recorded from 1915 to the end of the war.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008887 Military Medicine The practice of medicine as applied to special circumstances associated with military operations. Medicine, Military
D004196 Disease Outbreaks Sudden increase in the incidence of a disease. The concept includes EPIDEMICS and PANDEMICS. Outbreaks,Infectious Disease Outbreaks,Disease Outbreak,Disease Outbreak, Infectious,Disease Outbreaks, Infectious,Infectious Disease Outbreak,Outbreak, Disease,Outbreak, Infectious Disease,Outbreaks, Disease,Outbreaks, Infectious Disease
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012426 Russia A country located in north Asia bordering the Arctic Ocean, extending from Europe (the portion west of the Urals) to the North Pacific Ocean. The capital is Moscow. Russian S.F.S.R.,Russian Federation (Europe),Russian SFSR
D014421 Turkey Country in Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria. The capital is Ankara. Turkiye
D014438 Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne The classic form of typhus, caused by RICKETTSIA PROWAZEKII, which is transmitted from man to man by the louse Pediculus humanus corporis. This disease is characterized by the sudden onset of intense headache, malaise, and generalized myalgia followed by the formation of a macular skin eruption and vascular and neurologic disturbances. Brill's Disease,Brill-Zinsser Disease,Typhus,Brill Disease,Epidemic Typhus,Jail Fever,Louse-Borne Typhus,Rickettsia prowazekii Infection,Brill Zinsser Disease,Brills Disease,Epidemic Louse-Borne Typhus,Fever, Jail,Infection, Rickettsia prowazekii,Louse Borne Typhus,Louse-Borne Typhus, Epidemic,Rickettsia prowazekii Infections,Typhus, Epidemic,Typhus, Epidemic Louse Borne,Typhus, Louse-Borne
D047828 World War I Global conflict primarily fought on European continent, that occurred between 1914 and 1918. 1st World War,First World War,Great War,World War, 1914-1918,1914-1918 World War,1st World Wars,First World Wars,Great Wars,War, 1st World,War, First World,War, Great,Wars, 1914-1918 World,Wars, 1st World,Wars, First World,Wars, Great,World War, 1914 1918,World War, 1st,World War, First,World Wars, 1914-1918,World Wars, 1st,World Wars, First
D049673 History, 20th Century Time period from 1901 through 2000 of the common era. 20th Century History,20th Cent. History (Medicine),20th Cent. History of Medicine,20th Cent. Medicine,Historical Events, 20th Century,History of Medicine, 20th Cent.,History, Twentieth Century,Medical History, 20th Cent.,Medicine, 20th Cent.,20th Cent. Histories (Medicine),20th Century Histories,Cent. Histories, 20th (Medicine),Cent. History, 20th (Medicine),Century Histories, 20th,Century Histories, Twentieth,Century History, 20th,Century History, Twentieth,Histories, 20th Cent. (Medicine),Histories, 20th Century,Histories, Twentieth Century,History, 20th Cent. (Medicine),Twentieth Century Histories,Twentieth Century History

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